A/N: Okay let me start with my disclaimer. There is a brief reference to the Catholic church in this chapter and I just want to say that I am not Catholic and I am not trying to bash the Catholic faith I am simply stating a known stance of theirs on the issues of homosexuality so please don't hate me. I get the feeling that Danny comes from a good Irish Catholic family (I say Irish because Williams is an Irish sirname) and I just feel that this mother would be a good Catholic woman. Anyways, my other point is that yes I know in a previous chapter I had stated that Casey's husband (Kris) is a lawyer-which is still true-but he is also a Marine. I plan to explain more about him in a sequel I'm planning to this story if you're interested.
Tale as old as time, true as it can be. Barely even friends then somebody bends unexpectedly. Just a little change, small to say the least. Both a little scare, neither one prepared.—Beauty and the Beast
"So who is Steve?" Audrey asks at dinner later that night. Danny stops, glass frozen half way to his mouth. He stares across the table at Casey.
"It wasn't me, I swear." His younger sister professes with an innocent expression.
"I overheard the conversation you had with the FBI agent this morning." Audrey says in her best motherly voice. "He said he was here as a favor to Steve. So who is he?"
"You were eavesdropping." Danny accuses.
"I didn't realize it was a private conversation. Now stop deflecting the question, Detective." His oldest sister demands. Danny sighs.
"Steve is my partner on the 5-0."
"And every other aspect of your life." Casey mutters under her breath. Danny kicks her under the table. "Ow!"
"Daniel is there something else that you need to tell us?" His mother asks. Even in her drug induced haze she can pick up on the unspoken message among her children. Casey looks at her brother with a clear statement written across her face.
'You tell them or I will.'
Danny shakes his head and gives her a look to leave it alone but Casey is as tenacious as him and won't drop anything once she sets her mind to something.
"Why not Danny? This is stupid!" She exclaims.
"No it's not. Leave it alone." He hisses through clenched teeth.
"What is going on you two?" Their father demands. Danny sees the look in Casey's eyes a second before she opens her mouth.
"Danny is in love with Steve but he doesn't want to say anything because he's afraid that if he chooses to enter into a relationship with this man that he'll lose his family. I want to prove to him that his fears are unfounded." Casey announces.
Silence fills the room as her words settle upon those seated at the table. Danny, for the first time in awhile, is speechless. His sister has just outed him to their tough guy firefighter of a father and good catholic mother. She has exposed his biggest secret—one that he isn't even sure he's come to terms with actually believe is true himself. Now it's out in the open and Danny doesn't have to look at them to see the look of confusion that he knows is written across their faces (and he doesn't want to see what else might be mixed in because shame, disappoint and anger are just too hard to look at).
"Is this why you and Rachel got divorced? Because you're….gay?" Audrey asks, finally breaking the silence.
"I'm not gay." Danny insists vehemently.
"Danny!" Casey exclaims, her eyes wide in surprise and slight indignation.
"I'm not into guys…..I'm just into Steve." He adds quietly not sure why the distinction is important but it is.
This isn't just about changes preference like favorite ice cream flavor or the type of beer he drinks. It's completely about Steve and everything he is and even what he isn't. Danny doesn't love Steve because he has an attractive face, he loves him because he makes these faces that Danny loves to name because as much as Steve can put on his Super SEAL mask and shut down, his eyes always betray his true emotions. Danny doesn't love Steve because of his body (though the man is built like a freaking Greek god) he loves Steve because his body is a roadmap to a past life that Danny will probably never know about. He doesn't love Steve because Grace loves him, Danny loves him because Steve would die for Grace and never think twice about it. Danny loves Steve for the man that he wants to be—the strongest and bravest man possible—and Danny thinks he loves him more when he's not perfect than when he is. So this isn't just about being with a man, it's about being with Steve for the rest of his life.
"Steve has nothing to do with Rachel and I divorcing. I met him six months after I moved to Hawaii." Danny clarifies for his sister. He didn't want his family's judgment of Steve to be clouded by questions of adultery.
"Daniel are you sure?" His mother whispers, her voice shaky and unsure.
"Am I sure of what? That I love Steve? If it's not love than its something damn close to it. Am I sure this is how I want to live my life? I'm not sure I can live it any other way now. I lived the traditional way with a wife and child and it didn't work out." Danny states.
"But just because it didn't work with Rachel doesn't mean it wouldn't work with some other girl-" Maggie Williams counters.
"Let me rephrase it for you—I don't want to live my life any other way now." Danny declares, realizing the weight of the words he's just said.
Danny Williams doesn't want to live without Steve McGarrett in his life. It shouldn't bother him but power behind the statement is a little much to handle at the moment because Danny had vowed to never need another person in his life. Needing people can only lead to getting hurt and he'd been hurt enough by his divorce. Leave it to Super SEAL to ruin his plans (the irony of which is not lost on Danny considering Steve never plans anything).
"I don't know what to say." Maggie says, staring at her son with watery eyes. "I mean the Church tell us—"
"Seriously? You're bring the Church into this?" Casey interrupts, incredulous at her mother's word.
"Our faith tells us that homosexuality is a sin." Maggie continues and Danny can hear the uncertainty in her voice.
"He's your son!" Casey shouts. "I know the teachings of the Church and follow them but I would rather denounce my faith than denounce my family." She declares. "I've already lost one brother. I won't lose another."
"I'm with Casey." Audrey declares softly. "I won't lose my big brother because of who he's chosen to love." She smiles at her big brother and Danny has to duck his head so they couldn't see the emotions welling in his eyes.
"Mom please say something." Danny asks gently. He knows this isn't easy on his mother and that the timing is not at all perfect because Maggie is barely dealing with Matt's disappearance, now is not the time to spring his life crisis on her but his sister's (and his own) timing has never been perfect.
"I love you Daniel. I just want you to be happy but I just…I don't know what to say." Maggie says, distraught.
"I do." Charlie speaks up and Danny swallows thickly, nervous of his father's reaction.
"You're my son and like your mother I want you to be happy and if this man, Steve, makes you happy…well then you should be with him. Life is too short to be miserable." He explains. Danny can see that it's not easy for his father to say the words but that fact that he did makes Danny's throat swell up.
Danny hadn't been prepared for this conversation with his family tonight but then again he hadn't been prepared to fall in love with Steve McGarrett either.
Danny sneaks out to the back porch for some time to himself later that night. His head's still swimming from the dinner conversation and he needs a moment to take in everything that's just happened. The back door opens and Danny looks over his shoulder to see his brother-in-law, Kris, walking out the back door with two beers in hand.
"Thought you could use a cold one." He says as he hands Danny a bottle. Danny takes it with a nod and just looks over at Kris as he sits down next to him. "Sorry about Casey. You know how she can be."
"Oh I know." Danny replies with a snort. "She's like a damn dog with a bone when she gets her mind set on something. Especially if she thinks she's right."
"Is she right?" Kris asks, taking a swig of his beer.
"You know she is." Danny answers with a knowing smile.
"Does Steve know?" Danny turns his head to look at his brother-in-law. "What? Just because I'm a Marine doesn't mean that I'm homophobic. I fought in support of the repeal of Don't Ask Don't Tell." Kris comments. "So, does Steve know how you feel?"
"He knows that the feelings are there." Danny replies with a sigh."How deep they go is a conversation that we have yet to have." He runs a hand over his face.
"Has he expressed any feelings?" Kris inquires. Danny doesn't know what to say. Has Steve expressed feelings? Does sleeping with him count as expressing feelings?
"We haven't had a true conversation about what exactly is going on between us. Steve didn't want me to be distracted while dealing with all of this." Danny explains, waving his hands in a wide sweeping motion.
"Did his plan work?" Kris just looked at him.
"Steve McGarrett's ideas rarely ever go as planned." Danny says with a smile. "But when I get home, him and I are going to have a very long talk." Kris looks at Danny with a serious expression on his face. "What?"
"You just called Hawaii home." He informs.
It's another one of those life altering moments that Danny never saw coming. Just like Matt's indictment or his divorce or his realization that he loves Steve McGarrett, they are all singular events that have suddenly changed him from a New Jersey homicide detective with a wife and a daughter to being second in command on the Governor of Hawaii's taskforce and falling hard for his boss. How this became his life, Danny has no idea but this moment, unlike the others, doesn't bring with it a feeling of panic but rather something dangerously close to happiness. Danny looks at his brother-in-law and smiles.
"Ya, I guess I did."