"Trouble In Paradise. Again."
CHAPTER TEN
Title: "Trouble In Paradise. Again."
Author: Michelle Heath
Rating: MA for adult language and situations
Summary: Even paradise has its ups and downs. The Hawaii Five-0 family is about to discover more of each.
Date Written: January 29, 2011
Disclaimer: I so do not own Hawaii Five-0; unfortunately!
(Sam walks back into their bedroom to hear Steve laughing at something Gracie said. Tossing her cellular phone on her bedside table, she slips back into bed and Steve looks at her expectantly. She tells him about her conversation with Danny, and Steve tells Grace that her father is going to call her mother. About the time he relays this information to the little girl, he hears a phone ringing.)
"I'll bet that's Danno now, Gracie. Tell you what, your Dad's going to call Sam back after he talks to your Mom, and if she says you can come over, one of us will call you back and let you know what time we'll pick you up. Okay?"
"Can you come get me in Sam's Porsche?"
"Afraid not, Sweetheart. Sam's car doesn't have enough room for all three of us. Don't you like my truck?"
"Well, yeah, but I like Sam's car better. Sorry, Steve."
"It's okay, Gracie. I like Sam's car better, too."
"I love you, Steve. And I love, Sam, too."
"We love you, Grace. Talk to you soon."
(Steve's cellular phone lands with a soft thud on his bedside table, and he drops back on the bed and rolls over to face Sam. She is lying on her side with her head propped on one hand admiring her husband's muscular body, and Steve is more than happy to pick up right where they left off before Grace called. He starts to reach for her, but she holds up her other hand to stop him and shakes her head.)
"Still waiting for Danny to call back, remember?"
"Damn. . . Okay, we'll still have time before we pick up Gracie."
"Not so fast, Sailor. You were being a really bad boy before Gracie called. I just might have to punish you for your extremely irritating behavior."
"Oh, really? Two can play that game, you know."
"Bring it, Commander."
(But before their "play" can go any further, Sam's cellular phone rings. Shooting Steve a look that promises he'll thoroughly enjoy whatever they do, Sam reaches over and grabs her phone.)
"Hey, Danny."
"There's a problem."
"Oh? What?"
"Some big, important client flew in this morning from Istanbul, and Stan's boss just called and asked him and Rachel to pick the client and his wife up from their hotel and spend the day with them before bringing them to the party this afternoon. Caroline and I were going to do a couple of things for the wedding this morning before meeting her parents, but we're going to get Grace instead. We'll bring her over to your house after lunch."
"No. You and Caroline need to take care of your wedding. Steve and I will go over to Rachel's and get Gracie right now and she can spend the day with us."
"Thanks, Sam, but I can't ask you to give up your whole day."
"You didn't. We volunteered."
"Really, Sam, you guys don't have to do that."
"Yes, we do. Caroline is like the sister I never had. You are about to become my 'brother-in-law', and, Gracie, therefore, is about to become my niece. We're family, remember?"
"Uh, does that mean that I'm going to have to be related to Steve?" (Sam just laughs.)
"Yeah, Danny, I'm afraid it does. Call Rachel back and tell her we'll be there in about thirty or forty-five minutes."
"Okay. Thanks, Sam. I really appreciate this."
(Sam is still laughing when she turns back over, but there is a fierce scowl on Steve's face.)
"What?"
"You just told Danny we'd pick Grace up in half and hour."
"Yeah. So?"
"Sam."
"Where's that steely control you're so famous for, Sailor?"
"Sam!"
"Steve, Stan's boss just called him and asked him and Rachel to spend the day entertaining an important client who just flew in from Istanbul, and Caroline and Danny need to take care of some things for their wedding this morning. Don't you remember how desperate you were for us to get married? Besides, you want to see Gracie as badly as I do. We'll get back to our little "dance" tonight after we take Gracie home. Okay?"
"You're killing me, Sam. But, yeah, okay. . . If we're going to pick Gracie up in thirty minutes, we need to hit the shower. Now."
"Oh, no, you don't. You go first. If take a shower together, we won't be seeing Gracie for a couple of hours."
(Steve, knowing he's been caught, just smirks at Sam. Exactly thirty minutes later, Sam and Steve arrive at Rachel's and Stan's to pick up Grace. Rachel falls all over herself thanking Sam and Steve for their generosity in taking Grace for the day, and hands Steve a small tote bag that has Grace's swimsuit, towel, and a change of clothes. After Grace practically flies down the stairs and hugs Steve and then Sam, they make sure Rachel has both their cellular numbers and they have hers and Stan's, and then the three leave with Grace sitting between Sam and Steve.)
"So, what do you want to do today, Gracie?"
"I don't care. I'm just really glad I get to spend the day with you and Sam."
"Yeah, we're glad we get to spend some time with you, too."
"Where'd you go on your honeymoon, Sam?"
"Steve took me to Vienna, Austria, Venice, Italy, and Paris, France. Have you ever heard of any of those places, Gracie?"
"We learned about Paris in school. That's the place that has the big, funny-looking tower, right?"
"That's right. It's called the Eiffel Tower and it was built in 1889. It's named after Gustave Eiffel, the man who designed it. It's over a thousand feet tall, and is the second tallest structure in the whole country of France."
"Tell me about the other places you went, Sam."
"Well, Venice is in the northern part of Italy, and one of it's nicknames is 'The Floating City' because it's built across seventeen small islands and is connected by bridges. People travel from place to place by boats along the canals that run through the city. Some of the most beautiful buildings in the world are located in Venice, and there are some wonderful art galleries and museums there, too."
"Venice is where Romeo and Juliet lived, isn't it, Sam?"
"No, Romeo and Juliet lived in Verona, Italy according to William Shakespeare when he wrote the play. How do you know about Romeo and Juliet?"
"My friend Sarah's older sister is in high school and they're reading Romeo and Juliet now. Sarah and I sneak into her sister's room and read her books when she's not there. I wanted to read it because Caroline calls Daddy 'Romeo' sometimes."
"Ah. Did you like the book?"
"Not really. The words are all funny and don't make much sense, but Sarah's sister and her all friends say that Romeo is 'to die for', whatever that means."
(Sam and Steve exchange amused looks over the top of Gracie's head, and Steve's beginning to realize that he doesn't mind the fact that he and Sam were interrupted after all.)
"It means they really like Romeo."
"Oh, they think he's 'hot'. What about the other place you went?"
"Vienna is the capital of the Republic of Austria and has many museums and art galleries, too. Some of the world's greatest composers were from, or lived in, Vienna. It's also the home of the Spanish Riding School where the world-famous white, Lipizzan Stallions are housed, and the world's oldest zoo is located there, as well. Vienna is also home to some of the most beautiful churches in the world, but the best thing, to me, is the scenery."
"So, you guys just went to art galleries and museums and rode around on boats on your honeymoon?"
"Well, yeah, Gracie, but it was a lot more fun than it sounds."
(Grace thinks over Sam's words for a few moments before looking first at Steve and then back at Sam. The expression on her face is priceless, and both adults have to work really hard to keep from laughing out loud.)
"Can we go to the beach?"
"Don't want to hear anymore about our honeymoon?"
"Maybe later, Steve."
"Okay, Sweetie. . . Apparently our honeymoon was boring, Sam."
"Well, duh, Steve. Of course it was. We didn't go to the beach."
"Can we call and see if Kono and Tony and Uncle Chin and Lana want to come, too?"
"Well, Tony's been gone for a while and he just got back last night. He and Kono probably want to spend some time with each other, and your Uncle Chin and Lana may have something going on today, too."
"Oh. Maybe we can call them later and see?"
"We'll see. Have you had breakfast?"
"I was too excited about seeing you and Steve to eat."
"I've got an idea. Why don't I take my two best girls out for breakfast? Think you can eat something now, Grace?"
"If we go to Eggs 'N Things, Steve."
"Eggs 'N Things it is."