A/N: Drama, drama, drama...get ready for it because it's coming in this chapter and beyond! I'm so excited to see what you guys think of this chapter so please let me know! School started today so expect it to take on average about 2 weeks for me to post the next chapter, but remember, if you review you get a bonus scene usual within a week of my posting this chapter which should hold you over until I'm able to post Chapter 11!
I'm not sure yet what this week's companion piece is going to be, but probably something happy because the last few have been angst-city! Remember if you review you get a sneak piece at the companion piece ahead of time! Leave me your thoughts and you will absolutely make my day! I do want to say thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for the amazing response I've been getting for this story. Reading comments that you wish this was really canon is one of the highest compliments! I really do have such amazing readers :)
Thanks again to my beta jerseybelle for giving me her timely feedback that ALWAYS improves my writing and the chapters! She rocks and I'm so lucky to have her! As always, read, enjoy, and review!
*Danny's POV*
After the sixth meeting with the governor in as many days, Danny was frustrated and ready for the day to be over. As he got into the Camaro he noticed the blinking light on his phone that signaled he had a missed call and a voicemail. The missed call was from a blocked number which usually indicated it had come from Steve.
"Shit," Danny yelled as he hit a few buttons to start the voicemail. Danny sunk deep into his seat as Steve's voice washed over him; wrapping around Danny's form just like Steve's arms would if he was there.
"Hey, Danno, I got a few extra minutes before my transport leaves so I wanted to try and get a call in to you. I know that it's the middle of the work day in Hawaii so you're probably off chasing some bad guys, hopefully not in some silly meeting with the governor, and didn't hear your phone. No big deal, I just wanted to tell you that I love you and miss you and will call or write as soon as I have a chance, but I'm not sure when that will be. Stay safe and keep an eye on Avery, I can tell she's really struggling this time. My time's up, babe, I gotta go. Love you."
The phone clicked off and Steve's voice was gone, replaced by the automated voice message asking him if he wanted to delete the message. Quickly pushing the button to save the voicemail, Danny put the car in drive and sped along Hawaii's roads towards Five-0 headquarters, silently cursing the governor's impeccably awful timing.
He made it to HQ in record time and briskly walked into the bullpen, immediately going towards his office and starting up his computer; if Steve was able to get a call in then there was a good chance he had time to send some e-mails. Danny's suspicions were confirmed as he pulled up the inbox and saw the new e-mail from Steve.
Unable to control the smile that crept its way onto his face, Danny read through Steve's words, shaking his head as he read about his impossible social standards before he abruptly stopped as he read Steve's prediction of his behavior; they've been living together way too long. The smile came back quickly as Steve, in no uncertain terms, confirmed his guess of how long he stayed at Pearl before shipping out, and nodded along as Steve talked about Avery's fears and nerves about driving since he left.
Thinking that there was a good chance that Steve was joking about the grenades, Danny tried to continue reading the e-mail, but found himself looking towards Steve's office in apprehension more and more. Giving up his attempt to focus, because if there was anyone in his life who would think that storing live ordinance in a desk drawer was okay it would be Steve, he went into Steve's office to double-check. After verifying that Steve was, in fact, joking about the grenades, he finished the e-mail laughing at Steve's comment about the governor and the image of Steve super-gluing Avery's window decal to her car; Danny really wouldn't put it pass him.
Feeling a little closer to Steve, even if just for the few minutes it took for him to read the e-mail and picture Steve's face and thoughts as he was typing, Danny felt ready to face the day, sort of. He was not, under any circumstances, ready to face another meeting with the governor.
"Hey New Boss-Man," Kono yelled through the open door, "Get out here, we've caught a case."
Danny met the cousins out in the bullpen, glaring at Kono, "What have I told you about calling me that, Kono."
"That you don't like it, but I thought it was just like how you used to get mad at Steve calling you Danno, and that eventually you'll just give in."
"Kono, would you like to be out of a job?"
"Geez, what's up your ass today," Chin interrupted as Danny glared at both of them.
"Obviously nothing," Kono added, "that's why he's so uptight. How long's the real boss-man been gone now? A week and a half? God, by the time he gets back Danny's going to be insufferable."
Danny grinded his teeth, trying to keep his temper under control, along with the blush that was threatening to creep up his neck towards his ears, "Kono, I'm begging you…"
Kono, recognizing 'The Tone' that Steve talked about so often and Danny continuously denied, shut up and Chin began to give them the low-down on the newest case.
*H50*
A month later Danny was working through lunch, again, at headquarters searching through the bank records of a murder victim that had been found bludgeoned to death in his hotel room. Five-0 had been assured that it would be a quick open-and-shut case when the governor requested their assistance, but from the minute they stepped foot at the crime scene nothing seemed to add up.
The victim was a business exec from the mainland whose family was insisting his body be released for burial and with increasing pressure from the governor to close the case and move on, the team was working 'round the clock to find evidence to support their growing assumption of foul play.
Danny was a very good detective, and any detective worth his salt knew that you always started with the money. So, here was Danny, on his lunch hour, sifting through hundreds of bank transactions, credit card receipts, and cash deposits in off-shore accounts looking for a smoking gun, or at the very least a red flag that could lead them somewhere.
Groaning in frustration, Danny leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes for a few minutes, hoping to rid his brain of the hundreds of flashing numbers that were making him cross-eyed. While trying to pull up the strength to soldier through the next set of financial records, he heard the door to his office open. Looking up he saw Grace standing by the entrance, nervously biting on her lower lip, eyes rimmed with red.
"Monkey, what's going on," Danny asked, concern immediately becoming the most prevalent emotion he was feeling as he walked over to where Grace was standing.
"I came by to see if you wanted to get some lunch with me," Grace asked, but it was clear to Danny that this request didn't have a lot to do with food.
"Sure, Gracie, we can get some lunch. What are you in the mood for?"
"How about Ailani's Grill?"
Danny smiled, "Our favorite. I think that's the perfect choice."
Danny grabbed his car keys and ushered Grace out the door, his financial statements, bank records, and working lunch hour completely forgotten.
After ordering their usual meals at the sidewalk café a few streets away from HQ, Danny looked up at Grace waiting for her to start up the conversation she clearly wanted to have but was having trouble starting.
Sensing that he should play the adult in this scenario, Danny cleared his throat and tried to make conversation, "How is it being on school break? Glad to have your freedom?"
Grace laughed, "Yeah, school sucks."
"Hey," Danny admonished, but both he and Grace knew it meant nothing because his mouth was worse than hers even on a good day. "School is important."
"Yeah, but that doesn't mean I have to enjoy waking up at the crack of dawn, drudging my way through algebra II, world history, and AP Biology, and spending hours at the club after school playing tennis."
"I can agree on the waking up early and sitting through long classes not being enjoyable, but I'm pretty sure after-school activities are supposed to be what makes those other things worth it."
"I guess." The waitress came by with their meals; Grace filled her mouth with fries and ketchup, purposely trying to prevent any further conversation on the matter. Danny let it drop, for now, but he wasn't going to forget that Grace alluded to not liking tennis. Hell, Danny had been against the tennis lessons from the beginning ('It's not a sport if it can be played on a table'), and would be more than happy to pull Grace out of tennis lessons and put her into an activity she enjoyed much more, say softball.
Danny let the table fall quiet for a few moments, giving Grace some time to brace herself for whatever conversation she really wanted to have, and finally broke the ice, "Grace, what's on your mind?"
"Nothing."
"I know that it can't be nothing if you drove all the way over to Five-0 to have lunch with me."
"What, a girl can't have lunch with her Dad when she's off for the summer and had some free time?"
"No, your presence at lunch, dinner, or high tea is always welcomed and much appreciated, but I know you, and I know that you had an ulterior motive to this lunch so spill."
"I didn't know where else to go, after it happened, and Steve's been encouraging me to talk to you."
"After what happened," Danny questioned, but quickly backing off with the harsh tone when he saw Grace give him the 'Please don't act like a cop,' look.
"Mom and Step-Stan, they had a fight."
"What kind of fight?"
"A very loud fight. I just needed a break from all the yelling."
"Has the yelling been happening a lot?"
Grace picked at her food, not looking Danny in the eye. Danny, for his part, was dumbstruck; he had no idea that this is what was going on in Rachel's house. He knew that she and Stan didn't have a very loving relationship and that it was built more on money and reputation than anything else, but he didn't have the slightest clue that they fought so often and in plain sight for Grace to see and hear.
"Gracie, I had no idea this is what you were going through. Why didn't you tell me?"
Grace shrugged, "I figured you would just get angry and not even listen to what I had to say. I love Mom and I know that Mom loves me, but it's just hard sometimes when all I hear is fighting."
"You are always more than welcome at our house, monkey, whenever you feel like it's too much."
"I know, but Avery doesn't like it when I spend a lot of time there."
"Avery is your sister; of course she likes it when you come over."
"Danno, please be serious."
"I'm being serious."
"No, if you were being serious you would know that Avery and I haven't been getting along for months, and it's all my fault."
"I know that you guys have been going through a rough patch lately, but I think it's all in your head that she doesn't like to be around you or hang out with you. Just a few weeks ago you guys were laughing and joking around about the Yankees."
Grace cocked her eyebrow in his direction, giving him a look that screamed 'Are you really that oblivious?' "We had an unspoken truce before Steve left to act like a normal family, for him. Avery and I used to be best friends; we did everything together. Now, I don't know. Now it just seems like I'm stuck being alone indefinitely and have fucked up our relationship to the point of no repair."
"Language, Grace."
"Sorry, but it's true, Danno. I messed this up big time and I can't fix it, no matter how much I want to."
"Avery is your sister, your family, and family is always there for each other. We all make mistakes, do and say things we aren't proud of, but we are always ready and able to forgive our family as long as they truly want and deserve forgiveness. Do you want to make things right with Avery?"
"Yeah, I really do, but I just don't know how." Danny heard the pleading and fear in Grace's voice. She wanted nothing more than to make things right, but she truly thought she had ruined it beyond recognition, that there was no way in hell that Avery would ever forgive her.
Danny knew that this was not the case. He's been watching Avery over the past few weeks since Steve left and he knows that she's been having a rough go of it. She hasn't been as animated as she usually is, and it's been harder and harder to pull her out of the water or stop her from going on an extra run, a clear sign in McGarrett world that something isn't right. Exercise, to them, has and always will be their preferred coping mechanism.
On numerous occasions Avery has hinted at the fact that she's miserable at school, and that the only place she feels like she has friends is at swimming. Avery and Grace attend a small private school on the island, but most of Avery's teammates on the swim team attend the local public high school. When Rachel told Grace that she would be attending Lunai Prep School, she immediately rushed over and begged Danny and Steve to let Avery go there too, so that they could be together. Once Avery jumped into the pleading it had been a lost cause; the girls weren't going to be separated if they had anything to do about it, and they knew their fathers couldn't say no to them asking to spend more time together. So, Danny and Steve sat down and went through all of their bank accounts and assets trying to see if they could find the money, somewhere, to send Avery to the swanky prep school. The answer came a few months before they'd have to pay the first tuition bill when Avery's swim coach pulled them aside after practice one day. He said that Avery was exceptionally talented, and if she kept working, training and competing at the highest level, he believed she was going to be getting a lot of attention from universities wanting to offer her swimming scholarships. Steve and Danny were skeptical at first, but once the coach showed them the times that most kids years older than her were swimming, and they realized that Avery's times were close and sometimes better than high school seniors, they began to believe a little more. It was a risk, dipping into Avery's college fund to pay her high school tuition, but since Avery loved swimming so much they thought it wasn't a far stretch to assume she wouldn't be quitting anytime soon. Luckily, they were right, and she's already getting interest from large universities on the mainland; Danny and Steve had made a good decision that day, or so they thought.
Avery had been receiving an excellent education and for the first year and a half everything seemed great, but as her relationship with Grace crumbled beneath them, Avery had become more and more closed off, began to hate school, and spent all of her free time at the pool or in the ocean with her friends from swimming.
Danny was nervous that Avery was pushing herself too hard, worried that she was going to get hurt if she kept it up, but she and her coach assured him that Avery was in the same shape she's been in for years and shows no signs of weariness from working her body past its breaking point. Danny had tried, unsuccessfully, to reason with her coach, explaining that Avery takes after her father in their inhuman ability to push their bodies to a point way past normal exertion. After receiving the cold shoulder from Avery for three days after that discussion, Danny had backed off.
He was just happy that she still had friends that truly cared about her, and were helping her get through her father's deployment. Evelyn and Avery had been swimming together since they were seven, and had become fast friends outside the pool. Over the years their friendship has become as strong as Grace and Avery's, the three girls together all the time. Ian came into their tight group of friends a little later, when the girls were ten, but he'd fit right in and Steve and Danny had never been worried that he wouldn't treat the girls right. Of course, Danny knows what Steve thinks about Ian now, his most recent e-mails discussing his worry that Ian likes Avery a whole lot more than just friends. Danny, unable to even begin to consider it in the realm of possibility that either girl may want to date, whole-heartedly disagreed with Steve, saying that Ian had known Avery since she was ten and thinks about her like a sister, nothing more.
But Steve had planted the seed, and now every time Ian dropped Avery off after swim practice or ate dinner over their house, Danny would find himself with his cop senses turned on, searching for clues as to what the boy's motives were. And, unfortunately, Danny was beginning to notice some of the things Steve was talking about. Luckily, Danny could tell without a doubt that Avery was completely oblivious to the boy's attempts at trying to get her to notice him in a different light. Danny was hoping Avery would continue to be this oblivious until she was at least thirty, which would help him sleep a lot better at night.
Above all, Danny noticed that Avery missed Grace; he'd caught her on more than one occasion looking through a photo album she and Danny had put together of all the wonderful memories she and Grace had. Danny noticed Avery watching movies or TV shows that she and Grace would watch together. He noticed the way she looked when he mentioned her name, a look of longing and pain and regret.
Avery didn't want to push Grace out of her life, she wanted nothing more than to get her back, but the hurt ran deep, that much was obvious to him. Whatever had happened between the two girls was not something that could be solved in a single conversation.
"Grace, what happened between you and Avery?"
Grace shifted in her seat, picked at the soggy French fries left on her plate, ruined by the juice from the useless pickle the sandwich shop always gave with their sandwiches. Danny let her stew knowing that eventually she wouldn't be able to handle the silence anymore; she was his daughter after all.
"The silent treatment is not going to make me open up any quicker, Danno," she quipped with a small smile in his direction, "I'm just trying to think about the best way to word it."
"Take your time, kiddo."
"All the kids at the club, they teased me all the time. They told me I wasn't a real society girl, that my mom could marry up all she wanted, but I'd always come from a blue-collar family. I tried to tell mom that I didn't want to go there anymore; I tried to tell her that the kids weren't nice and not people I wanted to hang out with, but she and Step-Stan insisted. They told me that these kids' parents were important people and it was imperative that I make nice with them. It just, it got so hard, Danno. I tried, but after weeks and weeks of the teasing I broke. I told them how awful it was that Avery didn't have a mom. They already looked down on her a little because they thought she was a scholarship student, but I made it worse, so much worse."
Tears were falling silently from Grace's eyes. There were no sobs, no hiccups of pain, just silent paths of salty water running down her cheeks. She was broken and Danny didn't know how to start putting her back together again.
As he sat there watching her cry silently into her plate of soggy fries he couldn't help but think about how he failed her. He missed all of this; he missed the obvious signs of pain and hurt in her eyes. He was so preoccupied with Steve's deployment, Avery saying she hated school and spending too much time exercising to be healthy, and trying to run Five-0 on his own. He was so caught up in trying to keep his family together on a day-to-day basis that he didn't take the time to notice that Grace was hurting too.
He always thought that Grace handled Steve being gone a little better than Avery. He also assumed it had to do with the fact that Grace didn't live with them on a daily basis, and that the hole Steve left behind wasn't as big. Danny was always glad about this fact because one, his daughter didn't suffer as much, and two, she was always a wonderful support to Avery who found it almost unbearable to part with her father. Grace would pull Avery from her funk, place her back on her feet, and the two girls would continue on, working around the gaps Steve left in his wake.
Now, though, he realizes that he dropped the ball. He didn't take the time to realize that Grace had dark circles under her eyes that indicated she wasn't sleeping well. He didn't stop and see that she usually stopped talking and redirected the conversation whenever tennis or the club was brought up. If he was really a good father he would have noticed that she slept in later and later on weekend mornings and that she was never excited to go back to Rachel's house. He should have realized that her fight with Avery was tearing her apart inside.
But he didn't.
No, instead he forced her to come to him when it had become too much. He had missed all the signs and all the indications that things weren't going well. Danny felt like a failure as a father in this moment as he watched his little girl wipe at the mascara streaks under her eyes.
He pulled his chair over to sit right beside her and rubbed his hand down her back, "Oh monkey, I'm sure whatever you did can be fixed."
"That's what Steve said, but I just don't see how. I exploited Avery's biggest weakness in order to feel better about myself, to make friends with people who I didn't even want to be friends with in the first place."
Danny rubbed her back and whispered calming words into her ear, telling her it was going to be okay.
Grace continued, sobs beginning to rack her body, "I told them how sad it was that Avery didn't have a mom, that her mom left her with Steve because she couldn't handle taking care of her. After that, Danno, you have no idea what those kids said to her. They were awful, and I just sat by and did nothing. I didn't try and defend her, stick up for her, or be there to help pick up the pieces. I left her all alone to weather this storm."
Grace fell into hysterics, incapable of forming anymore coherent thoughts. Danny held on tight, rocking her in the center of the café, not even worrying about what the other restaurant patrons might think. His little girl was falling apart, and he wasn't sure how he was going to help pick up the pieces.
*H50*
Danny paid for their lunch and helped, partially dragging, Grace back to the car. He pulled out of the spot intent on bringing Grace back to Rachel's when he realized that Grace probably wouldn't feel much better going back there. So, his mind quickly turned to his own house, thinking that the beach and the ocean breeze would help her relax and feel a little better. But, he realized seeing Avery after admitting to such a wave of guilt probably wouldn't help rectify the situation either. Resigned to bringing her to the only other place he could think of, he turned the car onto the main road towards Five-0's headquarters.
He and Grace walked into the bullpen just as Chin and Kono were loading up surveillance video from a local bank.
"Hey Danny," Kono greeted, growing silent as soon as her eyes fell on Grace huddled against Danny's side.
"Hey guys, I'll be out in a few minutes okay," he gestured towards his office, Chin and Kono getting the message, turning their backs to Danny's office so as to give the father-daughter pair a little privacy.
Danny, thankful for the perception of the wonder-cousins, guided Grace towards his office, set her down on the couch, and moved around to shut the blinds.
"Monkey, why don't you rest here for a little while? I'm just going to be out in the bullpen working on some things, but it shouldn't be too loud. I closed the blinds so that the god-awful Hawaiian sun won't be too blinding."
Grace smiled, "Danno, the Hawaiian sun is wonderful."
Danny laughed, happy to know that Grace was still capable of making jokes, "To all of the insane people on this island maybe, but to those of us sane people who enjoy civility and professionalism think the Hawaiian sun is torture."
"Tomato, tomahto, to each his own," she replied with a wave of her hand.
"You are right about that one. Get some rest and then we can talk about where you want to sleep tonight."
"Thanks, Danno."
"No problem, monkey. Danno loves you."
"Love you too."
Danny smoothed down her hair one last time as he walked out of the office, closing the door behind him.
"What's the tape showing us," Danny asked Chin and Kono.
"Danny, what's going on," Chin asked.
"Nothing." Danny attempted to sidestep the inevitable conversation Chin and Kono were going to force him to have. Unfortunately for Danny, neither cousin was willing to budge.
"Spill now, brah."
"Look, I just need time to process alright. I don't know how to handle all of this; I feel like my family is falling apart at the seams. Grace came over this afternoon and asked me to go to lunch. I could tell there was more to it, but I pushed it aside and went to lunch with my daughter. Finally, after some prodding, she opened up that Rachel and Stan have been fighting, a lot. She said she just needed time away, but I can tell that there's more to it she's not telling me. I know she's hiding something but she's scared. She alluded to not liking tennis, problems with her Mom's expectations, and how much she misses Avery. Bringing up Avery is what reduced her to tears. I had no idea what to do; I hadn't realized it had gotten this bad between the two of them. I have a feeling that Steve knew more about this than he was letting on, the way Grace said he told her to come to me. The problem is, if I know Steve, that Grace promised him not to say anything. Now I know he's hiding stuff from me, and normally it wouldn't be a big deal, you know, because he's here and he would be watching out for the things he's aware of and would make sure that our girls would be okay. But now, he's not here and how am I supposed to make sure that Grace and Avery are safe and happy if I don't know the whole story."
"Well, whatever Steve knows it seems like he's done a decent job convincing Grace to come talk to you. From what it sounds like these are things Gracie's been feeling for a long time. Plus, Danny, you know that Steve would never put his family in harm's way no matter what Grace made him promise. If whatever is going on with Grace is something you need to know now, and not when she comes to you, then he would have told you. He wouldn't leave you to handle it on your own, blind."
Danny was thankful for Chin's wise and reassuring words, but he still couldn't help the sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach alerting him to the danger ahead. "You're probably right, but I just wish there was something more I could do."
"Maybe you could help Grace and Avery repair their relationship; right now that seems to be on both their minds, a lot," Kono suggested.
"Yeah, but I'm not sure. I think Grace only told me part of the story or at least part of her feelings about the story. I can tell she's hiding something. Plus, what I do know about the situation is not good, what Grace did was really awful and she feels terrible, but I don't think this is something I can smooth over with a dad talk. This can only be fixed if Grace is willing to talk to Avery, explain her feelings, apologize, and let Avery vent or rant and open up as to why she felt so betrayed. I can't fix this no matter how much I want to."
Danny glanced back at his closed office thinking about the small, frightened girl inside. He felt alone and unprepared to handle whatever was coming his way.
Danny had been putting on a good front, in his opinion, and appeared as if he was handling Steve's deployment well. But, on the inside, Danny was a mess. His family was being held together by a thread, the broken jagged edges of their once happy life were cutting them all as they tried to move the thread closer together. It was getting more and more difficult to get up in the morning and see Avery's sullen face drag itself out to the car, not even having enough time for breakfast. It was getting harder and harder to see Grace and Avery fight over meaningless things like the last malasada or who should get to use the shower first.
Danny felt like he was in the middle of the ocean being dragged under by the strong current, and the more he fought and pushed to stay above the water, the more the current pulled him down. He was fighting a losing battle, putting on a show of strength; he wasn't sure how many more curveballs like Grace's home environment he could take. Danny was just one man, a tough man, don't get him wrong, but he was just one man who wasn't supposed to be the only one fighting this battle.
Steve's absence seemed to grow in Danny's chest, his body. The absence filled every empty or hollow point in Danny's soul, creeping into his heart and mind, reminding him of the things he had lost, the things he could lose.
"It will all be okay, man," Chin clapped his hand over Danny's shoulder, pulling him from his thoughts, "Why doesn't Grace come over to my place for the night. Malia will cook up something real nice, and tomorrow morning Kono, Grace, and I can go out to the North Shore and catch the early waves. I heard the surf's supposed to be great the next few days. And you know she'll love it because she hasn't been out in a long time."
Despite Danny's best efforts, Grace had fallen in love with the ocean and surfing months after moving to Hawaii. In a wonderful act of father-selflessness, in Danny's very humble opinion, he agreed to let Grace take surfing lessons from Kono, Chin, or Steve; he didn't trust anyone else. Grace took to surfing like a fish to water, pun intended, and never looked back. But, Chin was right, Grace hadn't spent nearly as much time on the water as she had in the past since she started high school. The after-school tennis practices and weekend luncheons at the club were preventing her from finding the time. Danny knew Grace missed surfing and messing around in the ocean and thought a night with Chin and Kono would do her some good.
"That's a great idea. I'll ask her when she wakes up. Thanks guys, I really appreciate it."
"No worries, brah," Kono smiled, "She's ohana; we'd do anything for family."
And Danny knew, without a doubt, that those words were the honest-to-god truth, and he was so thankful for it.
*H50*
Just as Danny predicted, Grace jumped at the opportunity to spend some time in the waves with her favorite aunt and uncle. They stopped at the beach house for a few minutes so that Grace could grab a suit, some overnight clothes, and her board before she hopped into Kono's car and they drove off towards Chin and Malia's house.
Danny waved goodbye, a slight wave of calm settling over him, thinking that the smile on Grace's face was at least a step in the right direction.
Danny locked his car and walked towards the front door, intent on starting dinner for him and Avery. However, he was greeted with the wonderful smell of stir fry the second he stepped over the threshold.
"What smells so good," he yelled to the empty room as he toed off his shoes.
Avery's head poked around the kitchen doorway, "Chicken and broccoli stir fry; I wanted Chinese but thought this might be a better alternative, less preservatives."
"You've been drinking your father's Kool Aid again, munchkin; the preservatives are what make Chinese food so wonderful." Although, if Danny was really honest, he loved Avery's chicken and broccoli stir fry a hundred times better than the take out version, but no need to inflate her ego any; McGarretts come with large enough egos already.
Avery laughed and moved back towards the stove to check on the chicken she was sautéing in the skillet.
"Hey, Aves."
"Yeah, Danno."
"I'm just going to go up and change. When do you think dinner will be ready?"
"Ten minutes, fifteen tops."
"Alright, sounds good, I'll be down soon."
Danny made his way up the stairs and into his and Steve's bedroom. Pausing at the threshold, taking a moment to look around and see all the things missing that should be there: swim trunks hanging off the doorknob to the en suite bathroom, boots sitting by the chair in the corner, a crime book sitting on the bedside table with a pair of glasses perched on top. It was a surprise to Danny, when he and Steve first got together, to realize that Steve actually spent most evenings after Avery went to bed reading crime novels or any other book someone may have recommended him.
Steve's absence was felt in things that were missing, but also in the things that were present: empty water bottles on the windowsill and dresser, ties hooked over the closet door, and a journal sitting on the bedside table in place of a book. Steve was anal about cleanliness, and Danny noticed his own cleaning habits suffer the longer Steve wasn't there to nag him about leaving trash on the counter or forgetting to recycle the water bottles he brought upstairs to drink throughout the night.
Sighing Danny stuck his finger in the knot at his throat, pulling the tie out of its hold on his windpipe and started to unbutton his dress shirt. He hears the doorbell ring downstairs and moves towards the door to run down and get it before he hears Avery yell upstairs saying she'll answer it.
Danny said 'thanks' and went back to changing into his casual clothes when he hears a woman on the other side of the door.
His interest peaked, he stands close to the open bedroom door listening to Avery greet the woman.
"Hi, can I help you?"
"Yeah, I was hoping to talk to your dad for a few minutes." Danny couldn't recognize the woman's voice at all so he wasn't sure what she wanted to talk to him about.
Quickly pulling on a pair of jeans and throwing on a cotton tee shirt, Danny made his way down the stairs when he hears Avery respond, yelling upstairs, "Hey, Danno! Can you come down here; someone wants to talk to you."
Danny hears Avery ask for the woman's name just as he comes into view of the door, looking at the slight woman with brown hair and green eyes.
"Hi, what can I do for you?" Danny put his hand out to shake the woman's hand.
The woman looked at him, scrutinizing him up and down, and stepped inside the threshold, "You aren't her father. I would like to speak with her father."
"I'm Danny, Avery's dad. So, again, what can I do for you?" Danny was starting to get suspicious about this mysterious woman who had shown up on his doorstep; his cop-instinct making him stand on edge.
"No, I'm sorry; I must have the wrong address."
"Who are you looking for?"
"Steve McGarrett."
Danny's spidey-senses were full-on tingling now; who asks for Avery's father before actually saying they want to talk to Steve. Danny had unconsciously moved closer to Avery, blocking her from the woman in case she went nuts and leaped at them, and his voice had gained a slight edge in its tone. "Steve's not here right now, but I'm sure that I can help you with anything you may need if it has to do with Avery. Why don't we just start with who you are?"
"I'm Gwen."