Disclaimer: Ideas are fictional; not making any money on this. Hawaii 5-0 belongs to CBS. That's okay because none of this would work on TV.
Danny received a phone call on Monday afternoon from Stan of all people. He was on his way to the airport to catch a flight to China. It was a matter of he makes the trip or loses his job. Although he was doing better financially, he couldn't afford to lose his job. He was able to make the mortgage payment, but he had to cut the household staff back. Stan was hoping to add a nanny when the new baby came.
"Danny, I hate to make this trip now, but Rachel has another 2-3 weeks before the baby is due. I have to go before the end of the month so now is the best time. Can you keep an eye on Rachel? I know that I have no right to ask you, but I need to know that someone will check on her when the housekeeper goes home. The housekeeper will make sure that Rachel has dinner before she leaves at night." Stan was almost in a panic to know he'd be so far away from Rachel this late in her pregnancy.
"Slow down, Stan. Steve, Grace, and I won't let anything happen to Rachel. Do what you have to do and hurry back." Danny couldn't believe he was in this position. He had no alternative; Stan and Rachel were part of their extended family now.
Danny hung up the phone and sighed. That's all he needed was more responsibility. Steve was furiously typing on his laptop in his office when Danny walked to pass on the news. The more Danny thought about it, the more it upset him. Steve leaned back and let Danny rant until he ran out of steam. Finally, Danny looked at him expectantly. "Well, don't you have anything to say?"
Steve could tell that Danny wanted a fight, but he wasn't sure he wanted to become a target. "Danny, it sounds like Stan is caught between a rock and a hard place. I don't know that either of you have a choice. It would kill Grace if something happened to Rachel, and I know we would all be hurt if something happened to the baby. You're a really good man, so you're doing what needs to be done. I wouldn't expect anything less from you."
That took the wind out of Danny's sails. He didn't feel like such a fool for helping Stan and Rachel anymore. That's what really upset him; he felt foolish for helping his ex-wife and her new husband after all the crap they pulled on him.
"It sucks to be the good guy, doesn't it?" Steve softened his tone now. He ached to see Danny go through this. Sometimes he wished that Stan and Rachel would move away and leave Grace with them full-time, but he knew that wouldn't necessarily be the best thing for any of them.
Danny finally sat and cradled his head on his hand. "Yeah, I'm okay with it most of the time, but days like today get to me. We're stuck handling most of the problems. When I think about all the times I was supposed to get Grace and Rachel jerked me around, I'm still furious."
Steve stood and walked around to stand in front of Danny. "Danny, you were one angry man when I met you. You hated everybody and everything except for Grace. You don't want to be that person again. It's too much baggage for anyone to carry all the time. It's wasn't fair then, and it's not fair now. But you've got Grace now; she's been with us more than half of the time since May, and we've had her all of the time since the middle of November. It helps that anger isn't eating a hole in your stomach anymore, and you sleep soundly at night."
Danny let Steve's words wash over him. Steve was right. He had a crappy life, but it's much better now. He smiled when he thought about how much better he was sleeping. "Well, it helps that my partner relieves all my sexual frustration too."
"Well, I aim to please, Danno." Steve flashed Danny a sexy grin. Danny was hit with a wave of lust. So much for keeping it out of the workplace. Sometimes when Steve walked in the room, it would hit Danny how hot his partner was. Sometimes he had trouble believing that Steve would want to be with him. He had so much to lose in the beginning even with the repeal of DADT.
"I am pleased to report that your aim is excellent, Steven. Thanks for listening. I guess I just needed to vent. What were you working on when I came in? You looked like you were really getting into it, whatever it was."
Steve shrugged, hoping that Danny wouldn't push it. "I was on my way to talk to you when I saw you were on the phone. The principal from Grace's school called. Greg Pratt has been expelled from school. Once the kids saw them do the perp walk this morning, they couldn't wait to tell the teachers their own tales of woe. Apparently he was expelled from public school last year, and his mother enrolled him in a private school rather than enrolling him in the alternative school."
"So what were you doing when I came in?" Danny knew Steve was being evasive.
"I was reading Pratt's sealed juvie record. Believe me; we don't want this kid anywhere near Grace."
"Steven, they seal those records for a reason. What about the other kid, Marty something?" Danny decided to give Steve a pass on the sealed file mostly because Danny wished that he had thought of it first.
"Marty has been put on detention for the next month. His parents were called to the school, and they know that any further problems will lead to his expulsion. The principal thought that Greg was the real problem; Marty was just a sheep following his lead. The staff backed up her assessment. We'll let it go for now, but we should let Grace know what happened. She needs to know that Pratt was kicked out because he bullied a lot of kids and even beat up on a few." Steve didn't want Grace to think that he had broken his promise. He didn't want to lose her trust.
On the contrary, Grace was very excited when Steve and Danny came to pick her up. Both Grace and Ali ran to give them a hug. "Daddy, all the kids were talking about how you and Danno arrested Greg and Marty and took them to the principal's office. We had an assembly this afternoon, and the principal talked to us about bullying. She told us that Greg wouldn't go to our school anymore. We heard that Marty has detention for the rest of the year."
Steve put his hand up to stop Grace. "Grace, Danno and I didn't arrest Greg and Marty. I heard them threaten a couple of the smaller kids. That's when I told them to go to the principal's office. Danno and I told her what was going on, and she said she would check with some of the other kids to see if they were threatened too. I guess once the kids knew that they had nothing to fear, they felt safe enough to tell the teachers what was happening. And for the record, Marty only has detention for a month. The principal thought that he was getting into trouble because of Greg. They hope he will behave himself now that Greg is gone."
Steve and Danny both received a kiss on the cheek from Grace and Ali. "Thank you for helping. All the kids said to thank you." Steve thought it was the nicest reward he had ever received. Danny thought about his earlier words. Yeah, he might get stuck with the problems, but he got this in return. It was more than worth it. He wouldn't trade his life for anything.
They celebrated by playing in the surf until the sun went down. Danny popped one of the entrees from Papa Joe's in the oven to bake while they took their shower. Steve packed lunches while Danny helped Grace with her hair. Danny thought it was time that Grace learned to use the hair dryer. It took twice as long, but Grace was pleased with the result.
After Grace was in bed, Steve and Danny retired to the lanai with a couple of beers. Danny already called Rachel for the evening to make sure she was still pregnant and not in labor. Rachel was very apologetic about the ironic turn of events. Stan's constant traveling was one of the issues that drove Rachel to Danny's arms last year. Now he was on travel again and in danger of missing the birth of their child.
Rachel and Stan were having problems again. While on their trip and away from the pressures of daily life, they did very well. When they returned and reality intruded in a big way, they struggled. Rachel felt very alone without even Grace to keep her company most days. She couldn't turn to Danny again; it wasn't fair to him now that he was with Steve.
Rachel regretted more everyday that she couldn't make it work with Danny. He was different with Steve. He still ranted and talked with his hands, but his tone was different. Rachel used to roll her eyes when Danny was on a roll. Steve seemed to enjoy Danny's rants. Steve seemed to enjoy everything about Danny. Rachel was determined to make her marriage to Stan work, but she knew it would never be what she should have had with Danny. Rachel had come to like Stan very much, but she didn't love him. She was exhausted trying to hide it from Stan. Rachel only hoped the baby would help them bridge the gap.
"So, are you feeling better tonight?" Steve kept a close eye on Danny since his rant this afternoon. He suspected that it would get tougher for Danny when Rachel had the baby. Steve wished they could get away for the couple of days and go to the cabin. It didn't matter if they had Grace with them; Steve just wanted to get away.
"Yeah, I'm good. How could I not be good? You and I are the heroes of Grace's school. I wasn't sure if you were doing the right thing, but you saved a lot of kids from a lot of trauma."
"Yesterday I asked Grace to trust me and to talk to me if there was a problem. I'm going to ask you the same thing." Steve held Danny's left hand and admired his ring. He was happy with their decision to wear their rings all the time.
"I can do that. I would be a mess without you. It's hard to see Rachel like this. I don't think I could get through this without you. Just keep doing what you're doing." Danny leaned into Steve and closed his eyes. He could feel the strength in Steve's biceps and smell the scent of the soap in their shower. They used the same soap, but the scent was different on Steve. Just this much contact relaxed Danny, but it wasn't enough. He needed more from Steve tonight.
Danny stood and pulled Steve up. "I could use a little extra comfort tonight. Are you up for a little extra-curricular activity?"
Steve pulled Danny in for a hug. "Only with you Danno." When they reached the bedroom, Steve turned to Danny. "Tell me what you need from me. Tell me what you want."
Danny leaned in and whispered in Steve's ear, "Just love me."
Steve pulled the covers back and stripped both of them. He guided Danny down and lay down beside him. Steve's hands were everywhere, but he kept his touch gentle. Steve talked as he made love to Danny. A part of Danny's heart was scarred from his relationship with Rachel. It was no longer an open wound, but the scar would always be a sore spot. Steve wanted to ease the pain tonight. He paced them so they went over the edge at the same time. He held Danny until his breath evened out.
Steve curled around Danny and watched him sleep. Steve was usually a belly sleeper, but he wanted to hold Danny tonight. His partner was sleeping soundly, exhausted from the demands of the day and the lovemaking in the evening. Steve was also exhausted, but he couldn't seem to turn his brain off. He knew there was nothing more he could do. The drama would play out and there was nothing he could do about it except be there for Danny.
Danny turned in his sleep and pulled Steve closer. "Love you babe."
"I love you too, Danno." Steve matched his breathing to Danny's and finally slept.