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.
Loco moco was a big hit with Mom and Dad. After breakfast, Steve took the family on a scenic drive along the coast line. They had a conversation about what kind of activities the girls would like to do when they came over with their families after Christmas. Mom was concerned because she knew that the families wouldn't have a lot of extra money after paying for airfare and hotel.
Steve had been waiting for an opportunity to make his pitch. "Mom and Dad, the hotel bill has been taken care of. It's a slack time for tourists anyway." Okay, that was stretching the truth really thin. "The owners were friends of my father. I was able to get a really good rate."
When Dad started to protest, Steve cut him off. "It means a lot that your family is willing to travel here for the ceremony. At least let Danny and I take care of this part."
Danny knew that Steve would try to pick up the entire tab. Danny had a healthy bank balance for the first time since his divorce. He no longer paid child support, his living expenses were minimal, and Steve insisted on paying for part of Grace's expenses. "Dad, Steve's right. We would have the whole family stay with us if we had enough room. Steve and I want to do this." Danny put the emphasis on 'I', letting Steve know that he intended to pay his share.
Dad knew that it would ease the financial burden on his daughters. "I suppose you've got a point. I'll let the girls know. I know that they will appreciate it. I'll tell them when we get home. Thank you Steve. You too Danny. This has been the trip of a lifetime for us. We've never been this far from home. It's beautiful here."
"Dad, I hope you don't mean that. Steve, Grace and I were hoping that you would come back even after the ceremony next month. There's so much you haven't seen. We didn't even get a chance to show you the other islands. You always have a place to stay with us." Danny enjoyed having his family here even more than he thought he would. Hawaii had become home for Danny this year, and showing his new home to his parents gave him a lot of satisfaction.
"Danny, it means a lot for you to say that. Mom and I would love to come back. It would be nice to get away from the cold winter for a while. We have friends who go to Florida every winter. Mom would love to tell Edith and Tom that we're going to Hawaii to get away from the cold."
Steve took the opportunity to jump back into the conversation. "Then it's settled. We'll try to visit you again in the summer while Grace is on vacation, and you can come over in the winter."
Grace was listening intently from the back seat. She was thrilled that she would be seeing her Nana and Poppa move often. She missed them a lot when she first moved to Hawaii. Her friends at school teased that she didn't have any grandparents. They had taken lots of pictures this week, and she was going to take a stack of them to school next week to show everyone. Daddy Steve even helped her put the photos into a small album.
"Nana, if you and Poppa visit while I'm in school, you can have lunch with me. I can introduce you to all of my friends.
Grace monopolized most of the conversation for the rest of the drive. Everyone loved to hear Grace describe some of their weekends or what happened to her at school. Mom thought about how quiet and reserved Grace had been when Rachel brought her back to Jersey in May. She hardly spoke, and she had trouble eating and sleeping.
Now Grace was happy and animated a lot like Danny. She talked with her hands, something Danny hadn't noticed until today. When Grace spent almost all of her time with Rachel, she had taken a lot of her mother's mannerisms. Grace spent most of her time with Danny and Steve these days. In fact she would be with them until after New Year's Day.
While they were out, Mary called Steve on his cell phone. She was running a few last minute errands, so they arranged to meet at Iolani Palace. Mom and Dad wanted to see the Palace anyway. The Palace was almost deserted when Steve pulled in the parking lot. Mary pulled in as they were getting out of the car.
Mom and Dad wanted pictures of King Iolani. Mary volunteered to take pictures of the group. Then Mom wanted a picture of Steve and Mary. Finally they moved inside. Mom loved the giant seal set into the floor inside the 5-0 office. Steve powered up the big table, borrowed the memory card from Mom's camera, and put some of their pictures on the big screen. Danny showed the group around the rest of the offices while Steve and Mary went to Steve's office.
"I can't stay long. I am meeting Rebecca and some of her friends soon. We have a big girls night out place. Steve, I really enjoyed this visit with you. You are so different from last year. How has all this happened? I know that having Danny in your life has helped, but that doesn't explain all of the changes." Mary wanted to make changes in her own life, and she really hoped that Steve could give her some insight how to make it happen.
"Mary, I had to change myself first. I knew that I was in love with Danny, but he was reconciling with Rachel. Then I went to jail, and Danny stayed behind to help me even though Rachel and Grace went back to Jersey. He visited me in jail, and when I asked about Rachel, he didn't tell me that it was over between them. Rachel was pregnant, and the baby wasn't his after all. He was destroyed."
"When I was cleared of the charges, I decided that it was time to let go of the past. I was tired of being alone. I was tired of keeping people at arm's length. I was lucky enough that Danny needed a place to stay and that he would get joint custody of Grace when he found a decent place to live. That got him in the house and gave me time with him away from work. Still, I had to open up to him. We did things with Grace that you and I did with Mom and Dad when we were young."
"I found our old games, and we have game day on the weekends. I took Danny and Grace to Page's cabin and we played 'Masters of the Universe'. We went to the fair and danced with the group there. The more I shared, the more I realized that my life was not a total screw-up. We had some really good times. Grace took a soak in the tub in our bathroom, and Danny made the mistake of adding bubble bath. Remember when you did that?"
"I have laughed more this year than I have my entire life. I'm not mad or bitter at Dad anymore. I realize how scared he must have been after Mom was killed. Sometimes, I'm so afraid for Grace that I can't breathe."
Mary was surprised at Steve's words. They had both changed since John McGarrett sent them away, but this was the brother she knew and loved. She moved to hug Steve. For a change, he returned her affection and hugged her tightly. "I love you Mary. You need to let go and grab some happiness for yourself. We can be happy, in spite of what happened years ago."
"Thanks big brother. If you can be happy, then maybe I can too. I can't wait to get back to L.A. Scott and I have some talking to do. I think he'll like what I have to say. He was afraid that I would want to break up when I came back from Hawaii. He met me when I got back last time, and it's taken me this long to even consider starting something serious with him."
Mary checked her watch and gathered her things. "I really need to go. I want to say goodbye to the rest of the family."
Danny had been waiting until it looked like the serious discussion between Steve and Mary was complete. He brought his family into Steve's office. "Are you leaving already? I really hoped you would have time to tell me stories about little Stevie McGarrett before you left."
Mary hugged Danny and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Don't worry. I'll be back next month, and Scott and I will be staying at the house. I'll have tons of stories." Mary hugged the rest of the group and left.
Danny could tell that Steve was missing Mary already. He walked over to Steve and hugged him. "She'll be back driving you nuts before you know it. And who it Scott?"
Steve leaned into Danny for comfort. "She's been seeing Scott all year and I think she's finally ready to get serious about him. He's in love with her, and I think she loves him. She's just too afraid to let it mean too much. You know how stunted we McGarrett's are."
Danny had to agree with him. "Yeah babe, but you are capable of change. I hope you told her that."
"Yes, that's exactly what I told her. Loving you has helped, but I had to decide to change first. I'm so happy that I did. I can't imagine my life without you and Grace." Steve decided it was time to move on. "Mom and Dad, this is my office." Steve explained about the different items in the room. Some belonged to his dad; some were his.
Just as they started to leave, the governor walked in. "Commander McGarrett, I saw the lights and wondered if there was a crisis that I had not been informed about. Detective Williams, is this your family?"
Mom and Dad were thrilled to meet the governor. Danny explained that his parents wanted to see the Palace and 5-0 offices. The governor was very gracious and wished them a safe trip home.
"Commander, you look much better than you did the last time I saw you. Do you expect to return to unrestricted duty next week?"
"Yes sir, I've been careful not to overdo this week. My memory problems have been resolved, and my ribs have healed as well. My team will be well rested and ready for our next case. We appreciate the time off this week."
"That's good to hear. You and your team do outstanding work. I was impressed that SEAL Team 9 joined in your rescue. Have you been in touch with them since your return?"
"Yes sir, they joined us for Thanksgiving dinner. We had a houseful of people. They are a great group of men." Steve remembered how the men pitched in to wash and dry the dishes. He also remembered the thank you he received from Marina Jacks. "We had a wonderful day."
"That's good to hear. I should be going. Make an appointment to see me Monday. I'm sure you have some ideas on how you'd like to see 5-0 improve. We can discuss them then." The governor left and Steve heaved a sigh of relief. He supposed that he would eventually feel more comfortable with Governor Denning, but it would take a while.
The remainder of the day was spent seeing other local sights. They returned early enough that Steve was able to sneak his daily swim in. They watched a movie with Grace, and then Steve and Danny read with her before bedtime. It was another early evening. Mom wanted to finish her book tonight, and Dad had his ever-present puzzle book.
Steve and Danny decided to go up too. Steve was still a little listless; Danny knew he was missing Mary, and he decided to take Steve's mind off the subject. He brought the massage lotion out again, and he worked on some of Steve's remaining sore spots. By the time he moved to the not-so-sore spots, Steve was no longer thinking of his sister.
A little while later, Steve and Danny were settling in for the night. Steve heard a floor board creak in the hall and voices whispering. He motioned to Danny to be quiet and then turned the light off. Steve tiptoed to the door, opened it, and listened for a few minutes.
He heard Mom and Dad sneak downstairs. Then he heard the door to the garage open and close. Oh, Danny was going to love this! He was laughing when he joined Danny back in bed.
"What's going on? Who was in the hall?" Danny was curious, mostly because of Steve's reaction to whatever was going on.
"Well, do you remember what a turn-on it was to have sex in the back seat of the Marquis while Mom and Dad were asleep upstairs?"
"Yeah babe, I told you that it was an inspired idea. We have to do it again. Why?"
"Well, apparently it's a turn-on for your parents to have sex in the back seat of the Marquis while we're up here asleep." Steve was laughing again. He wished that he had turned the light on. He really wanted to see Danny's face."
"Oh, they are not! Tell me they are not in the back seat doing God knows what. Grace and I sat in that seat today. How is this my life?" Danny was in full rant mode. Steve only laughed harder, which wound Danny up even more.
"Danny, we were down there doing the same thing last night. Why are you so upset? Don't you realize that Mom and Dad have sex?"
"Please don't ever use those words in the same sentence again. Wait, that means they know what we did. And Mom made that comment this morning! She was telling us that she knew. Whatever you do, don't say anything about this in the morning. I know how you think, you big Neanderthal. You're going to say something, aren't you?"
"Danny, I can't help it. Of course I will. This is perfect. They're probably down there reliving their misspent youth. Dad said he had a Marquis when you were younger. Makes you wonder what happened in that car when you kids were asleep."
Steve finally took pity on Danny's discomfort. "Babe, your parents are still healthy enough to have sex, and they still love each other enough after 37 years of marriage that they want to make love. It's a good thing. Mom is really something. I'll be she had this planned all day. And think about it. She and Dad knew what we did and weren't upset with us. They are happy that we have each other. Remember when you were afraid to tell your family?"
Danny knew Steve was right. Still, it wasn't something he wanted to think about. "You're right. I'll let it go for now. But you'd better behave in the morning. I'm not ready to talk to my mother about sex no matter who's having it."
Steve finally agreed to so no more. He did go to sleep with a silly smile on his face. He had the best family ever.
