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.
Steve and Danny pulled up to the Edwards house after work on Friday. They had stopped briefly at the house to change into fresh clothes. Steve wore a button down shirt and dress slacks. It was his first family summit and he wanted to look his best.
Danny knew that Steve was nervous and he was utterly charmed by it. The super-SEAL could face down terrorist without breaking a sweat, but he was nervous about tonight. Danny thought he loved Steve as much as any person could love another; then, the big goofball does something like this and he finds that he loves Steve just a little more.
"Take it easy Steve. You know everyone here. We're here for Grace." Danny took Steve's hand in encouragement. Steve gave his sweet little half-smile and nodded.
The door opened before Danny could ring the bell. Grace greeted them in delight. "Danno, Daddy Steve, you're here." She pulled them down for a hug. We're having butterfish for dinner. I told Mommy how much I liked it, and she made it." Grace pulled them into the sitting room where Stan was having a glass of wine.
"McGarrett, Williams, I appreciate you coming tonight. Rachel's in the kitchen fixing dinner. Can I get you something to drink?" Stan was really nervous around these men. He was carrying a lot of guilt. Stan had been fond of Grace, but he mostly resented her now. Without Grace, Rachel would have no contact with Danny. Without Grace, Rachel would not have cheated with Danny.
Rationally, he knew that it was not Grace's fault. He had watched the two men as they approached the house. Stan hadn't believed that Steve and Danny were together until now. He couldn't miss the affection between the men as Danny reached out to reassure Steve. The look Steve had given Danny was the same look that Rachel used to give him. He would do anything to have her look at him like that again.
Their marriage was stronger now, but he still felt like they were walking in quicksand sometimes. Stan was excited about the baby, but he knew that Rachel would be even more stressed out then. He hoped that this trip would strengthen their marriage enough to withstand what would come later.
Danny spoke first. "A beer sounds good, don't you think Steve?" Danny wondered if Rachel had taken cooking lessons because she wasn't much of a cook when they were married. He shot Steve a look that said 'we need to be in the kitchen'.
Steve remembered Danny's comments about Rachel culinary expertise, or lack of same. "That sounds good to me. Is the beer in the kitchen? We'll go with you. Come on, Grace, let's see if we can help with dinner. We all pitch in at home, don't we?"
Danny was grateful that Steve had picked up on his cue. He imagined that Rachel was a little frazzled by now. Sure enough, Rachel was trying to finish a salad and start some rice and veggies. Danny lagged back a little and let Steve take the lead.
Steve walked over and kissed Rachel on the cheek. "Rachel, you're looking a little pale. Let me take care of this." Steve took the box of rice from Rachel and read the instructions. He measured some water and poured it in the pan to boil. "Rachel, sit for a bit. Grace, why don't you get your mom a glass of water? Danny can finish the salad."
Within minutes, final dinner preparations were underway. Stan stood by helplessly as Team McGarrett-Williams took over his kitchen. Rachel was embarrassed by her inability to pull a simple meal together, but Steve charmed her with his best smile and easy banter.
"Did Danny tell you that I got stuck in the governor's waiting room for over an hour? I'm reading this women's magazine when a woman walks in and catches me in the act. It turns out she's our newest 5-0 member. Anyway, there were some interesting recipes in the back. It made me think that maybe we should expand our menu at home." Steve is stirring in the rice now and getting the veggies ready to steam.
"Danny and I picked up a couple of cookbooks for beginners. Grace has even made up some of the more simple recipes. Did Grace tell you about the bubble bath episode?" Steve never gave Stan or Rachel a chance to break in. And Danny fell a little bit more in love with Steve. Steve told the story of the bubble bath in the Jacuzzi tub. Steve and Danny came out looking a little foolish, but it was for a good cause. Even Stan relaxed and set the table with Grace's help. He opted for the sunny eating area off the kitchen instead of the formal dining room.
Soon the families were enjoying dinner. Rachel had obviously bought the fish pre-marinated at Nino's. Danny saw a dessert box from the same store in the fridge when he put the rest of the salad veggies away. Grace talked about her day at school and a homework assignment due Monday. Stan told the men about the resort he would be managing eventually. The rest of the meal was filled with small talk.
After dinner, they all cleared the table and cleaned up the dishes. Rachel put some water on for tea and nodded to the others. It was time to talk to Grace. "Grace, we wanted to talk to you about the holidays. It's still early but Stan and I have been offered the opportunity to travel this year for his job. We'll be gone from the middle of November until after New Year's Day."
"That's a lot of school for you to miss, even with a tutor. Your father and Steve want you to stay with them. Would that be okay with you? Stan and I will miss having you with us, but you missed a lot of time with your dad the last few years. We thought it would make up for some of that time." Grace looked to be deep in thought; Rachel had no idea what she was thinking.
"Will you and Step-Stan come back here to live when you finish your trip?" Grace asked quietly.
"Yes sweetheart, our home is here. We'll be back."
Grace looked at Steve and Danny now. "Is it okay if I stay with you that long?" Grace held her breath, waiting for the answer.
Steve looked at Danny in surprise. Then he turned to Grace. "Grace, I was just telling Danno the other day that I wish you could stay with us all the time. Of course, that would be selfish because your family here loves you too. When your mom called to tell us the news, we were so excited that I'm surprised that we didn't wake you up. We were up half the night making plans." And Danny fell a lot more in love with Steve.
"That's right Monkey. I had to threaten to muzzle the big guy here. I couldn't shut him up. It's the first time in ages that he's had a family for Christmas. It's going to be great."
Grace finally relaxed and grinned, an eerie facsimile of Steve's goofy grin. She hugged Rachel, Stan, Danny and Steve. "It will be okay. I'll miss you Mommy and Step-Stan, but Danno and Daddy Steve need me here. I can call you every day, can't I?"
Stan finally spoke up. He was humbled by the obvious affection between Steve and Grace. He had thought that Steve probably just tolerated Grace for Danny's sake. Now he could see why Grace called him 'Daddy'. The man loved her as much as Williams did. "Of course you can Grace. I can even rig my laptop so you can talk with us over the internet. You'll be able to see us and we can see you if you have a webcam at home."
Danny spoke now. "I'm sure Chin or Kono can get us up to speed. That would be great Stan."
Steve and Danny stayed a little longer for dessert and then to tuck Grace in. Stan was waiting for them when they came down the stairs. "Danny, Steve, thanks for making tonight easier than I deserve. I would thank you for taking Grace but I know that would be an insult. Instead, I'll just say that Grace is lucky to have two wonderful fathers. It hasn't been easy for her here the last few months. Some of that is my fault. I'll make sure it's better for her from now on. Rachel is really tired and has gone upstairs already. I need to check on her."
"Of course, take care of Rachel. We know the way out. Thanks for dinner." Steve added his thanks and let Danny pull him out to the Camaro. Before he could get in the driver's seat, Danny pulled him down for a hard kiss. "That is for bailing Rachel out without making her feel bad." Danny kissed him again. "And that is for helping Grace see how much she means to all of us."
Steve hugged Danny and got in the driver's seat. Danny slid into the passenger seat and buckled his seat belt. "I knew that money was tight with Stan and Rachel. I had a feeling that she would be doing the cooking. I did most of the cooking whenever we had people over. You know how mom is. Everyone learns to cook and everyone helps at meal time. It never even occurred to Stan to try to help her." Danny was pretty upset at the way that Stan left all the work to Rachel.
"Calm down Danny. I think he got a clue by the time that we were done. If not, I can go back and take care of him for you." Steve looked hopeful at the prospect.
"No, you really did help a lot. I always give you a hard time when you deliberately charm someone, but it worked for Rachel today. And babe, your answer to Grace was perfect. It told her how we feel but acknowledged that Rachel needs her too. But why do I get the feeling that Step-Stan was apologizing for more than being an ass about dinner?" Danny was still upset by Stan's earlier behavior.
"I suspect that he's still pissed about your affair with Rachel, and Grace was a victim of the fallout. I think Stan would be happy if we had Grace all the time and Rachel just got visitation every other weekend. I think Stan finally got the message that you and I are together for keeps. You're no longer a threat to his marriage." Steve didn't care for Stan much, but he had an idea what the man was thinking.
"You and I work together, and then we go home and fix meals, clean the house, cut the grass, pay the bills, and do the laundry together. Working together at home has brought us closer together. I doubt that Stan and Rachael have ever done that. Maybe they will when the baby comes, or it will be left up to Rachel or a nanny to do everything if their financial situation improves."
Danny thought that Steve might be on the right track. "Let's go home babe. I want to put some shorts on and drink beer with you by the beach."
"That sounds like a plan. I have a surprise for you. I'll tell you about it over the beer." Steve had a smug grin and somehow it made Danny a little afraid. When they arrived home, the men shed their dress clothes and put on shorts. It was warm enough that they didn't need t-shirts.
Steve grabbed a couple of beers from the fridge and they walked out to their favorite chairs. Steve sat for a while, admiring the view. Finally, Danny had waited long enough as far as he was concerned.
"Well, do I get my surprise tonight?" Danny was getting a little pissed.
"Actually, you won't get your surprise for about 2 ½ months. I talked to Mom and Dad today while you were out running down a lead with Lori. Mom wants to come over and help plan the ceremony. I invited them for Thanksgiving week. I was able to use my frequent flier miles to get Mom and Dad seats. They fly in the Sunday before Thanksgiving and will leave the Monday after. I guess Mom can teach us how to cook a turkey this year."
"Wait, you actually got Mom to agree to leave everyone else in Jersey and have Thanksgiving with us? How did you do that? I tried to get her to come before but she didn't want to leave the rest of the family." Danny was really excited at the idea.
"It wasn't really that difficult. When she found out that we were getting Grace for the holidays, I think that closed the deal. She said your family would celebrate the weekend before together. Mary will be in town too, although she's planning on staying with friends. I want to get some new towels for the hall bath. Mom had such nice towels when we were there. And I'll need to find a reading light for the bedside table. Mom likes to read for a while at night before she goes to sleep."
Danny could see Steve ticking items off his mental list. "Wait, Mom and Dad are staying here? You realize she'll be running the house by the end of the first day."
Steve shook his head and laughed. "I can't wait. This place needs a woman's touch, for Grace's sake if not for ours. They can stay in my old room, the one you used for the first few days. Maybe I can get some fancy pillows for the bed."
Danny got this mental image of Steve shopping in the home accessories department of Macy's. "Slow down super-SEAL. The room is very nice that way it is. The lamp and new towels are enough. Besides, Mom would enjoy helping you shop. I think you should take Mom shopping."
Steve saw a mischievous gleam in Danny's eyes. "Why do I think this will be like that ice bath after my cage match?" Steve was a little wary now of the shopping idea.
"Think about it Steve. By then, the masses will be invading the malls and shops to go Christmas shopping. You really don't want to take Mom out in the crowds like that."
"I think you're right. It looks like rain is coming our way. Want to go in?" Steve was already standing up and gave a hand to Danny.
"Yes, I do. I was hoping to have a little private time with my boyfriend. He was very good tonight with my daughter, my ex-wife, and her husband. I would like to show my appreciation. Want to fool around?" Danny waggled his eyebrows and gave his best sexy grin.
"I think I could handle that." Steve took Danny's hand and was led upstairs to their bedroom. "Why don't you stay here and get comfortable? I'll go back down and make sure everything is locked up." Danny planned to make tonight special for Steve, for both of them.
