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 was the first one awake on Saturday. He was pretty nervous about the weekend; he wasn't sure that Steve would be talking to him after a prolonged encounter with Hurricane Charles. He was sure the only reason that he slept last night was that he was very relaxed after sex with Steve.
Steve rolled over and threw an arm over Danny's chest. "We don't need to get up yet, do we? What time is Rachel dropping the baby off?" Steve was stringing kisses down Danny's jaw line and working his way further south.
"Not until around eleven o'clock. Why? Is it going to take you that long to get to what I hope is your destination?" Danny wasn't expecting this now; he was sure that Steve had enough last night to hold him for a while. It wasn't long before Danny has his answer. God, Steve was good at this. He would take Danny to the edge and then back off.
Steve finally positioned himself to claim Danny. "Are you ready for me, Danno?" Steve didn't wait for a reply. It was hard and fast, leaving them breathless. Steve rolled to his side not relinquishing his hold on Danny. He wished that they could spend the day like this, close and in bed. Instead he agreed to Danny's request to take care of a two-month old baby while his parents went sailing.
"Grace will be up soon. We'd better get presentable. What would you like for breakfast?" Danny knew enough to eat a good meal while he could.
"I could eat a waffle. We have berries in the fridge go to with them. There's sausage too. Objectively, how bad is this going to be?" Steve expected Charles to be fussy and up most of the night.
"It's hard to tell. Babies are unpredictable. It's part of their charm and also what makes them so difficult. You can't count on them following a schedule because no one has figured out how to teach a baby to tell time. They can't tell you if they're hungry or in pain or just pissed off, so they cry to get your attention. It's up to you to interpret what the problem is."
"If it's that bad, then why do couples decide to have more than one?"
"Steve, you never thought about having children? You never wanted kids?" Danny never asked Steve before.
"Danny, before you, I thought that I would always be alone. I was so screwed up about my family that I didn't think anyone would want to be with me. Then I met you and Grace, and one day I knew that I needed you both. I don't feel compelled to pass my DNA on to the next generation, if that's what you're asking."
"Well I for one would love to see what a little McGarrett would be like."
"Danny, he or she would be a little hellion. Really, someday I'll tell you about some of my little adventures. Mom used to tell me that I was fearless as a kid."
Danny snorted; really, he couldn't help it. "As a kid? Steven, you are still fearless."
Steve turned to Danny, deadly serious now. "I'm not fearless anymore. When you couldn't breathe after you were exposed to Sarin, I was terrified. When Petersen kidnapped Grace and had a gun on you, I was terrified."
Danny stroked Steve cheek. "Me too. It's okay Steve. We're safe now."
They made it back to bed before shortly before Grace came in. Grace wasn't sure how she felt about Charles invading what she considered to be her home turf. She loved her brother, but he could be so demanding. At least she could always depend on getting some undivided attention from Danno and Daddy. Now they would spend most of their weekend taking care of Charles.
Steve decided that since Grace spent more time with Charles than any of them, she would be a valuable resource. "Grace, I'm going to need your help. I know very little about Charles and next to nothing about babies. You've been with him the most. Do you think that you can coach me a little?"
Grace knew what Steve was up to, but she couldn't think of a way to say no without being rude. "I guess. Are we going to stay home all day to take care of Charles?"
Danny had the answer to that question. "Actually, I was thinking that we might go out for a while. We'll have his car seat and stroller. Fresh air is good, and there's a festival down by the beach."
"Really, we can to there? I heard some of the kids at school talking about it. I think some of them are going." Grace perked up a little at the prospect of socializing with her friends.
"Of course we can. Now, how about we get some breakfast. I promised Steve here waffles and sausage." Danny had a game plan for the day, and it was time to get started. Steve had a lot of experience planning SEAL missions, but Danny had all the experience with babies. He decided the best way to get Charles to sleep tonight was to wear him out during the day.
Steve was out for his morning run and swim when Rachel and Stan arrived with Charles and what seemed like a truckload of equipment. There was the car seat, the stroller, the portable crib, a bag with extra clothes and diapers, formula, and some toys. Rachel had three pages of instructions and tips, small font and single-spaced.
"Rachel, take it easy. He's only two months old. If I screw something up, it's not like he'll even remember it." Danny was trying to shoo Rachel and Stan off.
"Danny, is Steve terribly upset with you for agreeing to this?"
"Rachel, the man is a Navy SEAL. He went through hell week. This will be easier. I sent him out for his daily exercise. He's much easier to deal with when he has a chance to work out. Now go on before you're late." Danny opened the front door and hoped that they would move along, which they did.
Steve came in just as Danny was making room for all the baby paraphernalia. Charles was on a blanket on the living room floor playing with Grace. A baseball game was on TV; Steve's dish was picking up a Yankees exhibition game. The last few months had passed so quickly that spring training snuck up on Danny. In Hawaii, it was always summer.
"Do I have time for a shower? He seems quiet enough for now." Steve was just as happy that he missed Rachel. He was still more than a little pissed off at her for even asking them to do this, and he wasn't sure he could be nice about it.
"Since that takes you only three minutes, go for it. Can you carry the portable crib up with you? Just stick it in the guest room for now." Danny disappeared into the kitchen with some empty baby bottles and a canister of formula. He was still there when Steve came down a few minutes later; his hair was damp from the shower.
Steve sat cross-legged on the floor next to Grace. "Okay Grace, what do I need to know first?"
Danny had a bottle prepared for Charles' next feeding which according to Rachel's schedule should be about now. He saw Steve and Grace with their heads together. Danny noticed that Grace was talking with her hands, and Steve was nodding at what she said. He carried the bottle into the living room and sat on the couch.
Steve looked up at Danny in question. "Time for lunch already? How do you know he's hungry?"
"I don't. According to the instructions Rachel left, it's about lunch time for Charles. Since he isn't fussing, it can wait." Danny sat back to enjoy the game, half listening to Grace's instructions.
"When you feed him, you have to burp him really good or he gets gas. Then he cries. And he likes to listen to your heartbeat when you hold him. Mommy says it's because he could hear it before he was born. When he gets really fussy, Mommy wraps him in a blanket because he's used to being in a tight space. Now pick him up and talk to him so he can get used to the sound of your voice."
Steve was listening intently, but his brain ceased to function properly the second it heard 'pick him up'. Then he saw Grace looking at him expectantly and realized that she was waiting for him to do something. "What? Can't I talk to him from here? We've already met, and I introduced myself then."
Danny stifled a laugh and couldn't wait to hear what came next. He thought that Steve would be tolerant of the baby but keep a safe distance. This was totally unexpected.
"Daddy, he's only a baby. He doesn't remember you. Now go ahead and pick him up like I told you."
"But he seems happy enough on the floor. He probably gets tired of people picking him up when he's just hanging around."
Grace grabbed Steve's chin and turned his face so he was looking at her. "Daddy, you asked me to help you. You need to pick him up now."
Steve knew when he was licked. He took a deep breath and positioned his hands the way that Grace told him. Steve lifted the baby up to his chest, and then lowered him so his head was near Steve's heart. "Hi Charles. I'm Steve. I'm one of Grace's dads. You already know Danno. He is Grace's number one dad. Danno and I are together, and Grace lives with us most of the time now."
Danny could see a startled look on the baby's face. He screwed his face up, and Danny waited for him to cry. Steve must have seen it too, because he lowered Charles back into a football hold. "Hey, don't do that. You and Grace are just hanging out with the guys this weekend. You're going to have some lunch soon, and then you're going to take a nap. When you wake up, we're going to a festival. There will be a lot of people there and a lot of things for you to see."
"Daddy, he likes you. See how the line on his diaper is blue. That means that he's wet." Grace reached over to the bag on the floor and pulled out a diaper and a changing pad. "Now put him on the pad. You have to be really fast when take the wet diaper off and put the new diaper on. Sometimes he pees before Mommy or Daddy Stan can cover him up. One night he peed all over their bed and they had to sleep in the guest room."
As Grace talked, Steve did as Grace said. He slid the clean diaper under Charles and pulled on the tabs of the wet diaper. He pulled it away quickly and covered Charles with the clean diaper. It took him several tries before he fastened the diaper evenly. Grace looked amused but Danny was impressed.
"Good job, Steven. Why don't you pass him up here while you get rid of the dirty diaper and wash your hands."
Steve was more than relieved to pass the baby to Danny. He really didn't expect to get so 'hands on' so soon this weekend. He planned on playing more of a supporting role. When he came back in the living room, he found that Danny had moved over to the middle of the couch.
"Sit here on the end. It will be easier to feed Charles if you can support your arm; otherwise, you're going to end up with a pain between your shoulders. Grace, you can talk him through it." After he handed the baby to Steve, Danny moved over so Grace could sit next to Steve. Danny was sure he would get an earful from Steve later, but he couldn't resist. He knew that Steve would do whatever Grace said for now.
Once he was sure that Steve had the bottle in the correct position, Danny got up to go to the kitchen.
"Danny, where are you going? You're not going to leave me here like this, are you?"
"I'm going to fix us some lunch. Grace can supervise you. I'm only going to be in the next room. Don't forget to burp him after he drinks two ounces. Call me if you need me." Danny eventually made it to the kitchen after he detoured into the study for their camera. He got some really good shots of Steve, Charles, and Grace. The look on Steve's face was priceless, kind of like he was holding a live grenade. Come to think of it, Steve was totally at ease with the grenade.
The next time Danny checked, Steve was trying to coax a burp out of Charles. "Come on kid, give it up. We're men here. Burping comes naturally to us. I know you want more to eat, but Grace says you have to burp first." Just as Steve was about to give up and call for Danny, Charles let out a loud burp. Danny could hear it from his vantage point near the kitchen. Steve's approach was unconventional, but it seemed to be working.
By the time lunch was ready, the bottle was empty and Charles was almost asleep. Danny pulled the throw off the back of the couch and put it on the floor. He carefully moved Charles from Steve's shoulder and put him down for a nap.
"Shouldn't we take him upstairs where it's quiet?" Steve was feeling a little wrung out from his experience. He had been double-teamed by Steve and Grace, and he made a note to make them pay for it later.
"No, he needs to get used to household noises. This way he can fall asleep anywhere. He'll be fine. We're just going to be in the kitchen. You were good with him."
"I was okay, but don't think that lets you and Grace off the hook. You both played me. Was that planned?"
"No, it was just a nice little bonus. It kind of offsets all the times that you terrified me with your driving or when you didn't wait for backup." Danny was beginning to relax for the first time in days. Steve had a different style with Charles, but the baby seemed to like it. Maybe the weekend wouldn't be a total disaster after all.