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 secured the downstairs and stopped by the kitchen for a couple of glasses and some ice. Then he grabbed a bottle from the sideboard where Steve kept the hard liquor. Danny carried everything upstairs and set the glasses on Steve's bedside table. He opened the bottle of seven year old bourbon and poured two drinks on the rocks.
Steve raised his eyebrows in question. "How did you know that Old Weller is my favorite bourbon?"
"Steven, I am a detective. I have ways of finding these things out. Here's to the McGarrett-Williams family." Danny clinked glasses with Steve and took a sip. "That is smooth. Just relax. I have a few things to do."
Steve had already stripped to his boxer briefs and pulled the covers down before propping himself up in bed. He watched Danny pull some candles out and light them. Danny also pulled a bottle of something out and put it on his own table. Danny stripped down completely and went into the bathroom briefly. "I didn't want to do this with cold hands," was Danny's only comment as he came back into the bedroom.
Steve had finished his drink and watched Danny with great interest. He was already a little aroused just watching Danny walk around nude. Danny might be shorter than the average man, but he was powerfully built. Steve loved to watch Danny like this.
"Okay, I need you to lose the briefs and lay on your belly." When Steve complied, Danny straddled Steve's hips and opened the bottle. "Did you hurt your shoulder when you were gone? I've noticed you trying to work out the kinks." Danny poured a small amount out of the bottle and started working on Steve's shoulders and neck.
Steve started to deny any injury, but just then Danny hit a sore spot. Danny was using just the right amount of pressure to ease the ache. "Yeah, I slipped down a ravine and wrenched my shoulder. That's when I got the bruises too. Oh, right there, just like that."
As he worked on Steve's shoulder, Danny told Steve how much he appreciated Steve's help. "You were the only person could defuse that time bomb tonight. If I had rushed in, Stan would have gotten defensive and Rachel would have been more upset. You always charmed her when you weren't trying to scare her for making my life miserable."
"Even Stan didn't stand a chance. You were a force of nature. You took over her kitchen and gave her a chance to catch her breath. The night should have been a disaster but you rescued it. You told Grace how much we want her here without making it sound like we were competing for her. I didn't think I could love you more than I did, but tonight I fell even more, even harder. You drive me crazy." Danny was working his way down Steve's back.
It was a good thing that Danny's a natural born talker because he took his time. He massaged Steve's hips and legs as he told Steve how much he liked his body. Steve groaned when Danny hit a sweet spot on his instep. Danny worked on Steve's biceps and then down to his fingertips. Steve had a trainer work on sore muscles when he played football in high school, but he never had a full body massage.
"Okay Steve, time to turn over." Steve wasn't sure he could move; he finally mustered the energy to roll onto his back. Danny once again straddled Steve's hips; this time, the contact was much more intimate. Danny leaned over and gave Steve a soft kiss. "Still with me babe?"
"I wouldn't be anywhere else Danno. Only with you. I love you so much." Steve's speech was a little slurred but not from the liquor. Danny had put him in a haze with his hands and his words.
Danny worked on Steve's chest. He had always thought he was a breast man before Steve. Now he was an abs and pecs man. He loved the feel of hard muscle and the light sprinkling of hair. When Danny moved lower, Steve moaned with pleasure.
Steve reached over to find the bottle. He poured some of the massage lotion on his hand and smoothed it onto both palms to warm it. He reached down and massaged Danny's shoulders. Now both men were lost in a pleasure haze. For now, there were just the two of them.
"It's never been like this Danno. I've never loved anyone the way I love you. I've never wanted anyone the way I want you." Steve needed more from Danny now. He went from being a passive recipient to an aggressive contributor. Soon, they were both slick from the massage lotion and from sweat. They were both a little frantic when they went over the edge together.
They were still tangled together when Danny lifted his head. "I think we'd better hit the shower or we're going to be stuck together in the morning."
Steve tried to move but couldn't make his muscles work yet. "I agree, but it's going to take me a while to get my circulation back. What did you do to me?"
Danny gave Steve a sweet kiss and said, "I just loved you babe. Now and always."
They finally mustered the energy to roll off the bed and into the shower. When they came out of the bathroom and surveyed the bed, they could only laugh.
"It looks like we had an orgy. I think clean sheets are in order." Steve pulled the sheets out of the linen closet while Danny stripped the bed. They made the bed quickly and stuffed the dirty sheets in the laundry basket for tomorrow. Danny extinguished the candles and emptied the remaining ice out of the glasses.
"No Grace tonight. I say we go commando." Danny flopped onto the bed and pulled up the sheet.
Steve followed suit and snapped off the light. He pulled Danny into his arms and soon both men were asleep.
The fall passed quickly. The McGarrett-Williams family made one last trip to the cabin before their schedule got too crowded. Steve took his family to the homecoming football game at his old high school; fortunately, there was no gang shooting that night.
Danny invited Stan and Rachel over for dinner one Friday night early in October. Steve and Danny discussed it at length and decided that periodic joint family dinners would be helpful for all of them, especially Grace. Steve noticed that Stan was much more relaxed this time. Neither Rachel nor Stan had ever been in Grace's other home, and Grace excitedly showed her room to her mom and stepdad.
Rachel had picked up some of the photos in Grace's room and elsewhere in the house for closer examination. They all seemed to be taken at different times in different places. Steve and Danny seemed to be everywhere with Grace, and they obviously relished their time together.
She watched the men working in the kitchen to put supper on the table. Rachel could see that this was something they did all the time. Each knew what the other needed with just a nod or a gesture. She felt a pang of jealousy. She never had this with Danny, never had this with anyone. She realized that she didn't have it in her to love so freely and completely.
Steve made his mother's pot roast recipe with carrots and potatoes. Danny made peach cobbler for dessert. Stan described some of the cities he would be visiting with Rachel. Steve had been in some of the locations and described his experiences, at least the ones that weren't classified. Once again, he poured on the charm for Rachel. Stan couldn't protest when Steve was so devoted to Danny.
Stan had done a lot of soul-searching after their first joint dinner. Stan could see that Grace sparkled around Steve and Danny. She almost seemed flat in comparison during her time at his home. Stan realized that they did very little as a family once they dropped out of the country club circuit. He knew it would become even more difficult once the baby came.
Stan saw the stack of games in the study and asked about them. Grace explained about their family game days. Stan remembered doing the same thing when he was a boy. At his request, they all played 'Sorry' and 'Clue' after dinner. He did fairly well at 'Sorry', but he should have known better than to play 'Clue' with a couple of law enforcement officers.
Still, he had to admit it was fun, and he couldn't remember the last time he could say that. Before Stan took Rachel home, Grace hugged him without being reminded for the first time in months. "Thanks for coming to dinner Step-Stan. We had a good time, didn't we?" Stan gave Grace his first genuine smile in a very long time. "Yes we did Grace. We need to do this when you're at our home. Will you go to the store with us and pick out some games?" Grace could only nod.
When Steve and Danny tucked Grace into bed that night, she seemed a little quiet. "Is everything okay Monkey? Are you feeling okay?" Steve leaned down to feel her forehead. "She feels cool to me Danny."
"I'm just thinking about tonight. I think that Mommy and Step-Stan had a really good time here. They had more fun here than they do at home. Why?"
Danny looked to Steve for help. Steve shrugged and decided to wing it. "Sometimes, grown-ups forget how to play. That's why we have kids: so you can remind us how to have fun. I never played like this before you and Danno moved in. I had my job and I worked on different things when I came home. Now I have a family to share my life. That's why I'm so excited you're going to be with us for the holidays."
"But Mommy and Step-Stan don't have fun even when I'm with them, not like they did tonight."
Danny picked up where Steve was going. "Maybe we can help them remember how to play. That's what we did tonight. I don't think your mom and Step-Stan have learned how to be a team yet. That's what happens when everything is going okay. You don't learn how to work together. Maybe they can learn by watching us. What I love about our family the most is that we know how to work together and play together. No matter where we are or what we're doing, we always have a good time."
Steve nodded in agreement. "That's what I love too. Now you've had a long day. It's time for you to get some sleep. I love you Grace." Steve leaned down for his goodnight kiss and hug. "I love you too Daddy."
Danny gave Grace a kiss and hug also. "I love you Grace. Sleep tight." Grace held onto Danny for an extra hug. "I love you too Danno. Thanks for inviting Mommy and Step-Stan over tonight."
Danny and Steve went downstairs for a beer and to chill out a little before bedtime. They sat in silence, thinking about Grace's words.
Finally Danny spoke. "I don't know if Rachel and Stan are going to make it. I think there's love there but no joy. I remember how it was with Rachel in the beginning. We didn't have a lot of money so we did cheap stuff for fun. We'd save our change and play in the arcade at the boardwalk. We would go on bike rides and stop for an ice cream cone on the way home. We didn't have much but we laughed a lot. I don't see that for them."
Steve had some ideas. "Stan asked Grace if she would go with them to help pick out some games. That's a baby step. We should have them over again before their trip. And maybe we could offer extra time with Grace before the trip. It wouldn't have to be a whole week or even a whole day. I'm sure Rachel would like to have her after school or for an overnight stay." Steve hated to give up 'Grace' time, as he thought of it, but he believed that they all had a vested interest in helping Rachel and Stan.
Steve didn't believe that Danny might be tempted to try again with Rachel if her marriage to Stan ended. He knew that ship had sailed. But Grace would be hurt if her mother's second marriage failed. Anything that hurt Grace would hurt them all.
Danny nodded in agreement. "That's a good idea. I've been keeping my distance from Rachel because I don't want to aggravate the situation with Stan. But it seems to be okay if both of us are around. I never thought of us as a model family, but I guess we might be. I don't know if they have any friends now that their funds have dried up. Maybe we could offer friendship. It would be a little weird at first, but I think we could do it for Grace."
"Danno, you know I would do anything for Grace. We can plan it like an op."
Danny raised his hand in protest. "Steven, these people are quasi-family. You can't think of it as an op."
Steve smirked at Danny. "Hey, that's how I got you over here that first weekend with Grace. I thought of it as 'Operation Danno'. I'm not real proud of it now, but I wanted you with me. It took me only a few days to realize that you can't do that with people you love. I loved you and Grace too much to try to manipulate you into doing anything. So it's not an op. Suppose we take Grace tomorrow and shop for a game to take back to Rachel's. We can even gift wrap it."
"I don't know why I ever accused you of being emotionally stunted. That's a brilliant and generous idea. Someday soon, I want to hear more about 'Operation Danno'. How about some TV for now? You pick the channel. All this deep thinking is giving me a headache." Danno offered Steve the remote.
Steve found a rerun of 'CSI: NY' and opted for that. Danny perked up and pointed out various landmarks. During commercials, they talked about a repeat visit to New Jersey next summer when Grace was out of school. When they first met, Danny always talked about Jersey with such anger and sorrow. Now his face lit up when he talked about his favorite make-out spot; he promised Steve they could go parking there one night.
October was a busy month for everyone. Rachel called the following weekend to thank Danny and Steve for the game. She added that Stan had taken them out for pizza and to shop for more games. "I suspect you and Steve are trying to help Stan and me get back on track. I appreciate your help and your concern. It seems to be working."
While Danny had Rachel on the phone, he discussed whether Rachel would like some extra time with Grace. Rachel readily agreed and said she would call later with some dates that would work for her. There were teacher conferences that all four parents wanted to attend, and a fall harvest carnival at the school.
One night, a very tired Steve collapsed on the couch. "How do single parents do it all? Grace has four of us, and I'm exhausted sometimes. I used to think I had a full life, but it seems so empty in comparison."
Danny looked worried. "Is it too much? Do you need a break?" Danny's hands were moving quickly.
Steve stilled Danny's hands and kissed them. "Danno, I'm Grace's father. We may not share DNA, but I'm her father in every other sense. I don't want a break from her. You and Grace are my life now. I wasn't complaining. I just can't imagine how single parents manage alone. I've got a chest-full of medals hanging on my dress blues upstairs, but they should be handing them out to people who raise children by themselves."
"I'll have to agree with you Steve. It was hard doing it by myself when I only had Grace for a few days a month. It's a lot easier now that I have a partner helping me with the big decisions and the little ones. Thanks for the help partner." Danny pulled Steve in for a hug. They were too tired to do much more, but this was very nice too.