Chapter 15
"I don't like this," Tani muttered, peering at Steve through her binoculars. In the car beside her, Junior sat quietly, keeping an eye out around the perimeter of the park. "This thing has 'set up' written all over it."
"Well, we'll know if it is if she shows up with an entourage or if we spot a bunch of strange guys hanging around for no good reason that don't exactly look like they carry the Aloha spirit." Danny's voice came through the comms. Junior snorted.
"No offense, Sir, but you don't really carry the Aloha spirit most of the time."
"He's got you there, Danny." Sitting on a bench in quiet, small Walker Park, Steve couldn't help but grin at his partner who was parked on a bench parallel from him just a few yards away on the other side of the green space. Rather than verbally respond, Steve found himself on the receiving end of a particularly vulgar hand gesture.
"Heads up, Steve," Lou, parked in his SUV with Adam sitting passenger, watched as a car drove by them. "The vehicle Jerry saw Aleena Hamedi get into at the airport just passed by."
"Did she look like she was by herself?" Danny asked.
"Windows were tinted, couldn't tell," Adam responded as he got out of the car, Lou following his lead. "We're on foot, Steve."
"Alright, hang back for a little bit. Let's see if she keeps her word."
"Sure, we'll just let her walk right up to you and clock you over the head or shoot you," Danny muttered, "we'll have it figured out by then for sure."
"One can only hope," Steve sent back good naturedly. Steve was used to Danny's acerbic tone when he did things Danny deemed irrevocably insane.
"Of course you'd say that."
"Danny, I know this is risky, but if Aleena Hamedi is actually on the level and she's here for the right reasons, if she can guarantee Khalid will be left alone, I can't pass that up. What would you do to make sure Gracie and Charlie were safe?"
"Low blow," Lou uttered.
"I'm not talking to you anymore." Danny grumbled in response.
"Well, that's good, because her car just pulled up." Steve sat a little straighter, watching as the door to a non-descript black Town Car opened and a short woman with dark brown hair stepped out. Every inch of clothing the woman wore was designer brand and expensive, just as Azra's style had been, and her stride was as confident and poised as if she were a queen. Steve saw the moment Aleena clocked him, and after bending her head down to say something to the driver, she strode purposefully his way, a large, beige handbag slung over her shoulder. She was a petite thing, but Steve could see the mission in her eyes as she approached.
"Mr. McGarrett?"
She looked like Azra, Steve thought, deep brown almost black hair and chocolate eyes, definitive cheeks and plush lips, but not as grizzled, or as haunted. She was younger certainly, at least by ten years if Steve had to guess. He held out a hand. "Ms. Hamedi?"
"Aleena, please." She shook his hand gently. "Thank you for agreeing to meet me. I realize my call must have seemed rather out of place given all that's happened."
"It definitely had me questioning some things, and my team too."
Aleena nodded, quirking her lips upwards just a bit. "I assume they are here?"
"Yours isn't?" Steve countered. Aleena shook her head.
"No. They are at the hotel checking in and unpacking." She reached into her pocket, holding up what looked like a chit no bigger than her palm. "I do have a panic button, but other than that, none of them are here." She sized him up quietly. "I do not believe I will be needing it though. I hope I am right in that assumption?"
After a few moments of consideration, Steve indicated the bench next to him. "I've heard of protective husbands before, but a panic button?"
"Azra had one too," Aleena smiled, placing the chit back in her pocket and smoothly sitting down, crossing her legs at the ankle. "When you marry into the families we did, when you live where we live and associate with the kinds of people we do, it becomes a necessity."
"Kinds of people like international criminals and terrorists?"
"Some, yes," Aleena answered simply. "My husband is working very hard to change that facet of our lives. Since Omar is in prison and my and Azra's brother is dead, everything has fallen onto Malek's shoulders. He never cared for the illicit side of life. So, he has been attempting to legitimize our families' holdings, both on his side and mine. It has been a slow process, but little by little, we're doing it."
Steve nodded, looking around, catching Danny's gaze. "Why are you here?"
"To apologize for my sister's actions towards you. I understand she is now in a prison on the mainland?" Steve nodded. "I have spoken with her a few times she was moved from here." Aleena swallowed. "I know it likely does not matter to you, Mr. McGarrett, but when Omar was arrested and sent away, Azra took it very hard. She described the day Omar was arrested – it all sounded incredibly frightening and traumatic."
"Not just for her," Steve pointed out.
"No," Aleena tilted her head, "for all involved. At any rate, I believe shortly thereafter she suffered a mental break. I noticed she was keeping to herself often, secluding Khalid from the rest of the family. Eventually, she took him out of school and hired a private tutor for him, one vetted by our people. And this went on for months until she came to me one day and said that she wanted to make things right. She told me she would take Khalid on vacation and that one of the places she would visit would be this place, so that she could apologize to you for what her husband had done to your mentor last year. Azra said she wanted to end the cycle." She pursed her lips. "Clearly, she didn't do that. You may not believe me, but I had no idea she would do what she did, Mr. McGarrett. She had her son with her. Khalid was – is – her life's blood. She would do anything for him. If I had known that she was unwell, I would have found a way to keep her from coming here and doing what she did."
Steve felt Danny's eyes on him, knew that his partner and the rest of his team could hear everything through the wire he was wearing. He took a breath, relaxing a little. "S'not your fault, Aleena. You're not responsible for Azra's actions."
"No. But she is of my family, and my family owes you an apology and recompense for what she did, and for what Omar did, what he took from you. I am truly sorry, Mr. McGarrett. I know I can't ever give you back what was taken away, but I hope that in time, you will be able to forgive the transgressions of my sister and brother-in-law."
The silence stretched from seconds, into long moments, and then into minutes until Steve finally lifted a hand and waved towards Danny. "You can call me Steve," he muttered, looking over his shoulder and waving towards Tani and Junior in the car. Aleena watched him, perfectly plucked eyebrows furrowed until Danny came into her view. "Your people?"
"Yea, this is my partner, Detective Williams," Steve stood, stretching his legs as Danny ambled up.
"We good?"
"Yea," Steve gestured to Aleena, introducing her. "The rest of them are around."
"I am happy to meet them all if you wish," Aleena stood up, tucking her purse to her side.
Steve had other ideas. "On the phone, you mentioned guaranteeing Khalid would be safe; what'd you mean by that?"
"Omar and Azra had named Malek and myself as the guardians of Khalid should anything ever happen to them. When they were taken into custody, we instructed our lawyers to work with your State Department to begin the process of expediting Khalid's return to Morocco, but we ran into problems in doing so, namely that you had placed a protective order on him and he was to remain in the custody of the State of Hawaii until further notice." The implication was so blatant, one would have to be blind, deaf, and dumb to miss it.
"Wait a sec," Danny slowly turned to look at Steve. "That day you mentioned calling ICE and your buddy at the state department… are you telling me that you pulled strings with your friend to get State to slow walk any request or inquiry about Khalid's custody and eventual placement?"
"I was Navy Intel and a SEAL for years, Danny, I worked with the CIA. I picked up a contact or two and they owed me favors."
"Unbelievable."
"You were saying?" Steve looked at Aleena, who, like every person in the world, good or evil, criminal or saint, who had never been exposed to Steve and Danny together, was doing a remarkable impression of a curious racoon.
"Yes. I was saying what with the attempt made, such as it was, to bring Khalid back, it is clear that we have not fully stamped out Omar's loyalists in the family. There are still those willing to perform rogue operations without regard for the consequences of those actions." Aleena reached into her purse, pulling out a folder thick with papers and holding it out for Steve to take. "I have known Khalid all his life. He is a very sweet and sensitive child. He has suffered enough."
"What are those?" Danny asked the question even as he was peeking over Steve's arm to read as Steve flipped through the pages.
"They are documents drawn up by our family lawyer. The most important one is the contract which Malek and I have both signed indicating that we, as Khalid's legal guardians in Morocco, wish for him to remain with Mr. McGarrett until he reaches his 18th birthday."
Steve almost dropped the folder. "What?"
"It is not safe for Khalid in Morocco, Mr. McGarrett, much as it pains me to admit that fact. As long as there are those in our circle who would defy my husband, as long as there are those who are still fighting him for power over the families' assets and resources, I cannot guarantee Khalid's safety there." She swallowed. "But I think that I can guarantee it here, with you. You've watched over him since my sister brought him here. You utilized your network to keep him with you for at least this long. Now, if you do not wish to keep Khalid, I will take him back with me to Morocco and I will do what I can to protect him there, but under the circumstances, I think you would agree that it would be best if he remained here where he has the chance to be a child and grow up healthy and happy."
Steve was still stroking out, and the rest of the team was making their way over, so Danny took that moment to ask a question. "What makes you think Khalid would be in danger if you took him back to Morocco?"
"I do not think, Detective Williams; I know," Aleena assured him. "When my father died, our brother became heir to my family. When my brother died, Omar took over the business dealings of my father since his only son passed-"
"This brother, this is the one who used the same morons who tried to take Khalid to kidnap those kids from Jordan during an election a few years back?" Danny pinned her with a look; Aleena, shocked that he had that information, recovered relatively quickly. "Yes, that was him. When Omar was arrested earlier this year, everything fell to my husband. Obviously, that caused some friction between some of the other male members of my and Azra's family; they felt they should lead, take over the holdings, run the businesses. But the power line is very clear. In marrying me, Malek has first rights if my father, brother, and my older sister's first husband either pass or fall out of favor." Hearing the scuff of a boot behind her, Aleena looked over her shoulder, suddenly surrounded by all of Five-0.
"I see. You guys got your own little Game of Thrones going on here," Danny stuck his hands in his pockets and nudged Steve. "You alright?" All he got was a nod; Steve was busy thumbing through the documents, digesting their contents as quickly as he could.
"Technically, as of this moment, since Khalid is Omar's son, he has rights to everything, but he's too young. However, if he should return he would be granted all of Omar's holdings and businesses. Some people, like those who are loyal to Omar, hired the four who came here a month ago to take him back for that very purpose. Others who are not loyal to Omar or to my husband would've seen that as an opportunity."
"An opportunity for what?" Tani asked.
Adam, however, picked up on the implication. "To remove an obstacle," he nodded understandingly at Aleena. "The Yakuza were known to do the same. Not our family, but other families."
"You are Yakuza?" Aleena's already large eyes widened some more. "And yet you are with the police?!"
"I'm not with them anymore," Adam assured her, and she seemed to calm at that revelation. "But I grew up in that environment. I can understand exactly where you're coming from, and your fears for Khalid."
"I take this, I take you up on your offer here, and what happens?" Steve held up the folder, bringing Aleena's attention back to him. "No one comes after Khalid again?"
"No, I can't promise you that. I wish I could. I can only promise you that neither myself or my husband will attempt to take Khalid back in any way – legal or otherwise. These papers have been copied and everyone in our family has been informed of our decision and what our expectations are going forward."
"So, what happens if someone in your family doesn't listen to you?" Lou asked. "If they're not doing what you say now-"
"We will make them listen," Aleena's tone gave no room to argue. "They will have no choice. This is our decision to make, and we have made it."
"And if someone decides to challenge your decision, what then?" Junior asked. The woman's answer was so simple and matter of fact that Steve defied anyone gathered not to feel the shiver that must have went down their spines.
"Then it will be the last challenge they make." With that haunting promise, Aleena turned to Steve. "I will do my part in ensuring no one else in our family comes here for Khalid again. All I ask is that you continue to care for him as you have done for these last months. We will of course support you financially as well-"
Steve held up a hand, almost offended by the offer but knowing that it came from the kindest of places, out of a sense of familial duty that Middle Eastern families were known for. Well, most of them, at any rate. "That won't be necessary. The Governor's already working with a few people in our government to ensure Khalid is allowed to remain with me. I love that kid," his voice softened. "Anything he needs or wants, I'll provide him."
"Thank you," the relief from Aleena was palpable, which made the following hesitation odd when she asked, "Khalid is doing well? He is happy here? He has friends?"
"Yea, yea, he uh… he's real good. Really popular at his school, he's made lots of friends. He just went trick-or-treating last month, and he got a lot of candy which he loves." The laughter Steve, Aleena, and everyone else shared lightened the mood a little. Steve took a breath. "You haven't asked to see him."
"I haven't." Aleena smiled sadly. "He needs to be settled here, I think. Perhaps when he's a little older – as much as I love my nephew and wish he could return home with me, I know he needs to stay here. I don't want him to see me and beg to come home. I might not be able to tell him no," she laughed. "He can be quite convincing when he truly wants something."
"Yes, yes he can."
"Yes, he can," Aleena sighed. "Well. I should be going. I told my detail no longer than an hour and I'm coming up on that limit. I'll be staying here for a few days, if you'd like to meet again to discuss any further specifics, or if you find you need further information from me." She pointed to the folder Steve now clutched against his side. "That folder has the custody papers of course, as well as Khalid's full medical history, a list of allergies, his favorite foods, stories he likes to hear, movies…"
"Yea, his mother left all that stuff with him, in his backpack when she came to visit," Steve murmured, and he genuinely felt badly when he saw the stricken look appear on Aleena's face. Talk about pre-meditative planning. "Not the favorite foods or stories, but the medical history and stuff like that. But I'll take this too."
"Very well," Aleena dug into her purse, pulling out her sunglasses and slipping them on. "It was very nice meeting all of you. Perhaps we can meet again under happier and less armed circumstances."
Steve watched her walk away back towards her car. "She's got balls," Tani murmured. "I mean… to come here alone, let alone at all? Knowing she could've been arrested?"
"Yea, she's something," Steve watched the car pull away, the folder in his hand growing heavier with each passing second.
"Steve?" Danny poked him. "You okay?"
"Yea," Steve smiled, taking a breath. "I'm good."
Hawaii Five-0
Danny told Grace about him and Steve the weekend before Christmas. The talk was long and awkward and filled with questions that Danny never thought in a million years he would ever have to answer, but in the end, Grace hugged her father and when they went over to Steve's house where he was watching Khalid and Charlie, she plunked herself right into Steve's arms and told him that it was going to be weird for a while, but that she was happy for them. "Just please no making out in front of me, okay? I wouldn't do that to you guys with Will, so please?"
Steve's ears burned with embarrassment, but he managed a strangled 'sure' as he hugged her back.
Because Khalid had never experienced Christmas before, it was decided that festivities would occur at Steve's house. Danny had his kids for the morning and Rachel was to come by later that evening and take them home after dinner, thus allowing the annual McGarrett Christmas Bash to occur without fear of freely flowing fermented beverages. Steve and Danny had come to the conclusion that while Rachel was still in town, she should be around the kids as much as possible, especially since Steve and Danny were seeing each other. They were all a family now, Danny had said, and it was important to him that they act like one.
Steve hadn't had a single issue with that.
Danny came over on Christmas Eve, the Camaro loaded with gifts for Grace, Charlie, Khalid, and the rest of the team. He was certain he'd spent the last two paychecks on nothing but Christmas presents alone, and there wasn't any way possible that he could've forgotten anybody; he'd even sent something to his cousin Jacqueline who he hadn't seen in five years but had reconnected with recently. So, it was a complete surprise that, when he knocked on the door (his arms were loaded with boxes and toys) , Mary appeared on the other side of it, and wasn't it just his luck that he forgot Steve's sister was coming into town that day.
"Wow," Mary stepped back, letting Danny in the door. "What'd you do, buy out Target?"
"It feels like it," Danny grunted, managing to carry the load of gifts over to the tree and put them down somewhat gently; nothing breakable, so that was good. "My bank account looks like it too, except now I gotta go back out there and buy more things."
"Why?" Mary shut the door and headed over to give Danny a hug. "I can see the rest of the stuff in your sleigh from here, there's no way you need to buy anything else."
"Uh yea, there kind of is because I forgot you and Joanie were coming for Christmas again this year and I kind of didn't get you guys anything."
"That just sounds like I get to guilt you into paying for a lot of food for the next week," Mary grinned at him. "Plus, I don't think it's exactly true that you didn't get me anything."
Danny patted his pockets, looked down at the tiny tower of presents, and canted his head. "No, I'm pretty sure you've got nothing in that pile or in my car."
"Probably because what you gave me you can't buy in a store," Mary rolled her eyes. "Steve told me."
Danny blinked. "Steve told you."
"Yep. Came right out and said it as he picked me up from the airport this morning. 'So, Mary, I just want to let you know that Danny and I are kind of dating now, sort of, and I hope that's not going to cause a problem for you'." Mary crossed her arms. "I know I dropped a baby on his doorstep a few years ago, so I guess he figured he had to get me back by dropping that bit of news in my lap as soon as I landed." Her head tilted to the side as she watched Danny. "You know, I never really realized how pale you were, and now I'm seeing you blush, and it's like… wow-"
"Yea."
"You're a tomato. Halloween was two months ago, Danny."
"I… yea," he laughed nervously. Where was Steve when Danny needed him, for God's sake? He decided to ask.
"He's with Khalid and Joanie on the beach introducing the two of them," Mary gave Danny one of her wicked grins. "A kid, a new boyfriend – my brother's a whole new man, Danny. I guess I have you to thank for that?"
"Uh, no, actually," Danny pointed towards the back yard, "you have Khalid to thank for that."
"Nah," Mary turned, heading for the front door. "I'm pretty sure it's both of you. Want help with the rest of the presents?"
It was an easy going night with a dinner of various take out – Chinese and Indian for Khalid and Steve, pizza for Mary and Danny, and Joanie had bites of everyone else's food with no shame what so ever – and after the kids went to sleep, Khalid in his room and Joanie in Mary's old room, Steve, Danny, and Mary hunkered down in the living room and in the study area, drinking wine and beer and finishing the wrapping job on the rest of the presents.
"Have you heard from Mom?" Steve asked hopefully, but just as he knew she would, Mary shook her head and said nothing else. Out of the two of them, Steve had the most contact with Doris (such as it was), but the last time he'd heard from her was a few years ago. He hadn't received any phone calls or even a letter since that time. He wasn't surprised that she hadn't reached out to Mary, but he could still see the pain on his sister's face when he brought it up, and that, in turn, hurt and angered him at the same time.
"Don't, Steve, okay? It's Christmas. She's not here. She hasn't been here for most of our lives. It doesn't matter," Mary stood up and brought the gift she was working on wrapping over to her brother, stealing the tape from him. "You're here, I'm here, Danny's here, and the kids are upstairs sleeping and when they wake up tomorrow, they're going to be insanely spoiled and have more crap to play with and wear than should be legally possible. Can we just focus on that? Please?"
Steve huffed a breath out of his nose. "Are you going to visit that boyfriend of yours while you're here?"
"He's not my boyfriend," Mary shot back, perhaps too quickly and a bit too hotly.
"That's funny, that's what you used to say all the time about Catherine, babe," Danny pipped up from his seat on the floor, wrapping a life sized Barbie that he'd run out and got earlier that day for Joanie. If Mary didn't want anything, fine, but he was not about to lose prime uncle status with Joanie and not have a couple of gifts from him for her to open the next morning. His quip earned him a sparkly blue bow being stuck on his head and soon, he and Steve were fighting with ribbon, bows, and paper all while Mary was whisper-yelling at them to keep it down, lest they wake the kids and spoil the great phenomenon known as Santa Claus.
Happy, giddy, and warm from the alcohol, eventually all three called it a night. Mary took the couch, assuring Steve that she wasn't going to take his bed and that she didn't want it either. "I don't know what you guys have done in that thing, so I'm good," Mary grinned as Steve sputtered. "Nothing! Mary, we haven't done anything, jeez!"
"Well, if you decide to do anything tonight, just keep it down so the kids don't hear you." She laughed as he grumbled a goodnight and traipsed up the steps behind Danny after making sure the house was locked down tight. Danny, the bastard, found the exchange slightly amusing, but as Steve watched him get ready for bed, he knew his partner's mind was on a slightly different topic of the same subject.
"You know, that's another thing we should probably talk about," Danny pulled the covers back from Steve's bed. It still felt strange, preparing to share a bed with Steve for the night, but like every other time he'd done it, Danny knew they'd both climb under the covers and be perfectly comfortable with each other.
"What?"
"Sex."
Danny waited for Steve to get a hold of himself while he choked on his toothpaste, and gave himself major kudos for not taking the joke about gagging that was just dangling in front of him, begging to be voiced as he listened to Steve clear his throat one more time.
"Okay, well, uh… you want to talk about that now?"
"No," Danny shrugged, "but sometime might be good. I mean, I like sex. You like sex, much as you've tried to live the monk lifestyle, I know it just doesn't work for you. But with this whole thing being new to us, I guess we need to talk about what we want to do, what's off limits, things we want to try, that kind of thing."
"Yea, or, we could just see where things take us and let it happen naturally without talking it to death, Danny." Steve tossed his towel on the rack and came out of the bathroom, standing on the opposite side of the bed. "We'll know when it's right, when we want to take this farther, right?"
"I agree, I think you're right, we will know, but that doesn't necessarily mean that we'll know what the other likes and doesn't like and won't want to do."
Steve sighed. They were talking about this now. He was resigned to it. "Like what?"
"Well, I don't know about you, but I have never had anal sex where I've been the receiver."
Steve swallowed. Oh.
Danny nodded. "Yea. Didn't think about that, huh?"
"Okay, so we have some things to discuss," Steve conceded the point and slipped under the sheets. Danny did the same, pulling the covers up around both him and Steve as he settled on his side. "But," Steve turned off the lamp, rolling onto his left side to face Danny, "we don't have to talk about them right now, right? We've got some time?"
"All the time in the world, babe," Danny grinned. "Cheesy as it may sound. I just want to know that when we get there that we'll both enjoy it and we won't wreck this," he gestured between the two of them, "because we're not compatible sexually. That's a big part of any relationship and it's too important to me to just brush over it, you know?"
Steve scooted closer towards him until the tip of his nose was almost touching Danny's. "Yea, Danno. I get it." He pressed a soft kiss against his lips, humming happily. It still felt new whenever he kissed Danny. "We'll figure it out," he whispered against his partner's lips, nuzzling him affectionately. "We'll buy a book, watch a movie, call Lorraine the Therapist, something."
"I'm not watching gay porn to learn how to make love to you, Steve," Danny deadpanned. "I draw the line at that."
Something in Steve's chest clenched at those words, that Danny chose to say 'make love' and not 'fuck' or 'sleep with' or any of the other many and varied terms that were used to mean sex. "We'll figure it out," he repeated, voice rough and thick. Danny shifted against him, pushing up on an elbow to look down at Steve.
"You okay?"
"Yea," Steve smiled at him and closed his eyes, feeling Danny's other arm slip up and drape itself over his waist.
"You know it's technically Christmas now, right?" Danny whispered.
Steve nodded, closing his eyes. "We better get some sleep before the kids wake up. Joanie'll be the first – she screamed so loud last time I thought the fire alarm was going off… what?" Steve trailed off as he caught Danny staring at him. "What's that look?"
"Romance is dead," Danny flopped to the side, flinging the arm that had been on Steve's hip over his eyes. "I mention it's Christmas and you start talking about screaming children-"
"I figured I'd be nice and let you know so you don't go for your gun tomorrow morning."
"Babe, I have two kids! You think I haven't been woken up by yelling and screaming that sounds like the devil?" Danny laughed. "Steve, Charlie tackled me awake the first two years I knew he was mine – ay!" Danny suddenly had an arm and leg full of Steve, who was doing a pretty good imitation of what Charlie had done all those years ago and was now attempting to wrap himself around Danny like some kind of python. "Get off, you crazy goof!" But Danny was winding his arms around Steve's back even as protested and soon they were comfortably ensconced with each other, Danny's head pillowed just slightly on Steve's shoulder, enjoying the Christmas quiet as the settled into sleep.
"Danno?"
"Hmm?"
The words were just atop his throat, but Steve couldn't force them out. Not yet. So, he settled for laying a kiss on his partner's forehead, letting his lips linger against the skin there. He heard Danny laugh softly, felt his lips ghost against his neck in an answering kiss.
"Me too, babe."
Steve held him tighter, and once he was sure Danny was out, followed him into sleep.
Hawaii Five-0
As promised, Joanie was wide awake just after six in the morning, announcing to any and all who could hear (Steve was pretty sure that included his entire neighborhood) that Santa had come and brought 'so many presents!'.
"She's not gonna go back to sleep, is she?" Danny mumbled into his pillow. Steve just laughed.
In the end though, Steve managed to get Joanie back to bed for two hours with the promise that she could have extra dessert after Christmas dinner and could stay up a little later with the grownups. He didn't exactly know how he was going to smooth that with Mary, but he figured that he would have some leverage since he succeeded in giving his sister two extra hours of uninterrupted sleep.
By 8:00am, Mary and Danny were up and worshipping the coffee pot, and Steve had finished his morning swim – "Just because it's Christmas doesn't mean I shouldn't exercise, Danny" – and had showered and changed into a t-shirt and sweats. He nearly ran over Joanie (or it may have been the other way around) as she zoomed past his room heading for downstairs. He shrugged; she'd held up her end of the deal, so there wasn't much he could say to her. Creeping over to Khalid's room, he opened the door and stood there, watching the kid roll over in his bed, blinking sleepy little eyes at him.
"Merry Christmas, buddy," Steve slipped into the room and crouched down by the bed, Khalid watching him quietly. "You ready to see what Santa brought?"
"Do I get to see Santa?"
Steve grinned. "No, see he comes during the night when you're asleep, and he leaves lots of stuff under the tree, but he's got a lot of houses to visit, so he doesn't get to stay very long." Khalid seemed to accept that, but Steve had a feeling that wasn't what was really on his mind; in fact, he was pretty sure he was seeing anxiousness on Khalid's face. "What's the matter, kiddo?"
After playing with the bed sheet for a few moments, Khalid looked up at him. "Remember when you said Santa brings presents that we really want?" And Steve felt his stomach plummet, because he knew what Khalid was going to ask next, and on Christmas morning, with all the promise the holiday brought, was when Steve truly hated himself because he wasn't going to be able to give Khalid what he knew the kid really wanted. "Yea, buddy, I remember."
"Do you think he can bring me my mommy?"
And boy could Steve relate to this question; could he ever. Every Christmas since he thought his mother had died, Steve prayed to a God he didn't even know if he believed in anymore to just give him one more conversation with Doris McGarrett. He'd found himself wishing for that same thing for the last three Christmases, wished for it last night when Mary had brought it up.
"I gotta be honest with you, Khalid, that would be really, really hard for even Santa to do, you know? But, I tell you what," and Steve couldn't even believe he was about to suggest this, but he couldn't take seeing Khalid so dejected and sad, and on Christmas morning of all mornings, "maybe next year, we can find out where your mommy is and if we do, maybe we can go visit her, okay?"
Khalid's face lit up like the proverbial Christmas tree, and for that face alone, Steve knew he would call in every favor, pull every string, to make this happen for Khalid. "Really?!"
"Yea, buddy, I'll do my very, very best, okay?"
Steve caught a wiggly 45 pounds of happy little human, and he was never so pleased to feel a twinge of pain in his lower back at the angle. He stood up, carrying Khalid to the bathroom to brush his teeth and then downstairs, drowning in the delighted sounds that tumbled from Khalid's mouth as he took in the tree with all of the presents shoved under and around it. "There's so much stuff!"
"Yea, there's a lot, isn't there?" Mary's smile was wide as she walked past, brushing Khalid's hair. He squirmed down from Steve's hold and ran for the tree, stopping short before picking through the gifts one by one. "I found one for me!" He held it up, grinning wildly.
"You and Joanie are going to open a few up in a little bit, and then we're going to wait for Charlie and Grace to get here and open the rest," Steve left the kids to pick the presents they wanted to open and headed for the kitchen and coffee and Danny. "So, I think I just said a really stupid thing."
"Color me shocked." Danny grinned.
"Very funny," Steve reached for a mug and opened up the fridge, grabbing the butter. Danny handed him the coffee pot. Sure, they could've used the press this morning, but with three adults in the house, two of them with certified coffee addictions, the 16-cup coffee pot was the far better and less homicidal route to go. After poking his head into the kitchen to make sure the kids were occupied, Steve cleared his throat, lowering his voice a few decibels. "Khalid asked if Santa brought him his mom."
"Oh shit," Danny winced, feeling a wave of sympathy for his partner before his brain clicked on; perhaps the caffeine chose that moment to work. "Tell me you didn't."
"Look, now that I basically have Aleena Hamedi's guarantee that she'll essentially take out anyone on her side of the hemisphere that so much as looks to towards or points out Hawaii on a map, and now that I have the paper work she gave me – which is legit, by the way, I had it checked out – then it's possible I can at least start exploring the option of taking Khalid on a visit to the mainland to see her."
"Yea, you could do that, or you could keep him here, safe and sound, and maybe go to Halawa and have a video chat with her," Danny sipped at his coffee, looking at Steve over the lip of the mug and knowing that his argument was going to fall on deaf ears.
Then again, maybe not.
Steve was giving him a look that made Danny feel as if he'd just offered up the keys to Pearl/Hickam's entire arsenal. "That's actually not a bad idea, Danny."
"No?" This was new, Steve immediately taking his advice rather than fighting him on it.
"Yea, it's actually perfect. It keeps Khalid on the island, we can record and monitor what Azra talks to him about and cut the conversation short if she says anything we don't like. And maybe if that goes well a couple times, then we can do an in-person visit." Steve rounded the food prep counter to press a kiss against Danny's mouth, one that Danny wasn't expecting, but was none the less quite pleased by, if the happy hum was any indication.
"Yep. I don't think I'm ever going to get used to that."
"Mary," Steve grumbled, looking over his shoulder. "What could you possibly want right now?"
"It's 8:30 in the morning; coffee, what else?"
Which also meant it was time to start prepping dinner. Steve basted the prime rib while Danny 'suggested' spices to him – "You're putting the garlic on here, Steve, I don't care what you say" – and Mary started on breakfast, insisting the kids eat before attacking the Christmas tree.
Khalid and Joanie picked three gifts each that they were allowed to open and spent the remainder of the day playing with them until Rachel arrived with Grace and Charlie. As Khalid opened each present, Steve watched, phone in hand, snapping pictures of every reaction he and Joanie had. Once the kids were busying themselves with their new found gains, Steve poured over his phone, trying to find the best pictures of the 100-or-so he'd taken, completely oblivious to Danny and Mary's amusement as he asked their opinion on two or three photos which had been taken so quickly there was no discernable difference to them.
"Should've known he'd be like Mom with this stuff," Mary murmured as she watched Steve continue to go through his phone.
"Doris?"
"Mhmm," Mary sipped at her coffee, which may or may not have had a little extra 'flavor' added to it. "Mom was big on documenting everything; birthdays, Christmases, Thanksgiving, first days of school, you name it, we have a picture of it somewhere." She smiled sadly. "I always used to think it was just because she was being a normal mom, but I guess in her line of work snapping photos of people doing normal things was just part of the job."
Danny didn't comment on the bitter tilt to Mary's voice he heard, and he didn't blame her for it either. Doris would not be earning the Mother of the Year award from him anytime soon.
Around 2:00pm, Rachel walked through the door with Grace, Charlie, and what Danny was sure was the entire inventory of Wal-Mart in tow. "Wow, they really did give you a raise, didn't they?"
"Shut-up," came Rachel's breezy reply, "I've brought gifts for everyone, including you and it's not a tie this time, so be grateful." She smiled brightly and stepped away to greet Khalid who was waiting just a few feet away with a bright smile and a book in his hands. Charlie found Steve while Danny introduced Rachel and Mary – "Anyone who tells Danny to shut-up is okay in my book", Mary greeted sunnily – and Grace set to putting the gifts under and around the tree as best as she could. Eventually, Mary was able to introduce Charlie and Joanie, and soon all three kids were occupying themselves while Grace snuck out into the backyard and Steve's hammock for some peace. The rest of the afternoon was spent lazily snacking and lying around any availably cushy surface until the adults deemed it an appropriate time for the kids to unwrap the rest of their gifts.
Danny was watching Charlie tear into gift number seven from Rachel. "Jeez, Rache, how much stuff did you buy him?" She only shrugged, idly scratching the back of her neck. "It's nothing, really," she murmured, watching Charlie delight at the newest video game he'd been wanting. "A small price to pay for me soon not being able to see him as much as I do now."
Danny cleared his throat. "Rachel-"
"No," she shook her head as she spoke softly, "I'm not blaming you, Danny. I'll make this work. It's worth it for everything I'll be able to save for their futures." Khalid's "Ms. Rachel!" carried across the room and she excused herself from Danny's side, heading over and sitting next to Khalid to see the latest thing he wanted to show her. The saying went every boy had a crush on an older woman and apparently Rachel was Khalid's. Danny thought it was cute, really, and also understandable. With her brown eyes and chestnut hair that she was finally allowing to grow out a bit more, Danny figured that Khalid associated Rachel, at least looks wise, with his mother. Rachel certainly treated him almost as if she would Charlie, paying rapt attention to him and hanging on his every word while teaching him how to work the new hand-held computer she'd gotten him.
"You okay?"
Danny hadn't even noticed Steve sit down next to him. "Yea, I'm alright. Just watching those two," he pointed over at his ex-wife and Khalid, who was now happily seated in her lap. "Charlie doesn't look too jealous about it either."
"Charlie's busy with Joanie," Steve nodded towards the other two kids who looked like they were embroiled in a serious argument about what the best cartoon show currently was. "Grace is outside on her phone and Mary's in the kitchen." He leaned back, propping his ankle up on the opposite knee and folded his hands in his lap, just watching the people in his living room, but mainly focusing on Khalid. He dug out his phone and snapped another photo just as Khalid looked up at Rachel with a big grin on his face.
"Well, at least now I know what to get you for Christmas," Danny said.
"What's that?"
"Photo album."
"Yea?" Steve grinned, aiming the phone at Danny and snapping a picture or two. "Guess I could continue the tradition. Mom used to have dozens of albums of pictures from everything."
"Yea, that's what Mary said," Danny joined Steve in leaning back, his shoulder and arm running alongside his partner's. "You sure you're fine with her not being here?"
"I'm sure, Danny. I promise." Steve gestured towards the kids and Rachel, tossing his hand towards the back of the house where Mary was still in the kitchen and Grace was outside before lifting his arm and resting it just over Danny's shoulder. "I have everything I need right here."
For once, instead of arguing, Danny offered a soft smile and leaned a little more into Steve's space, feeling Steve tug him a little closer as they watched the scene in front of them, the Christmas tree still twinkling, the kids still playing, and them, Steve and Danny, together in every since of the word. Steve tilted his head just enough to discretely nudge Danny's head.
Rachel cleared her throat. "Sorry," she murmured quietly. Steve made to pull away, but she shook her head. "Don't," Rachel nodded at the arm Steve had begun to lift off of Danny's shoulders. "Really, Steven, it's okay. I can't expect you two to not behave as you normally would around me… but I do appreciate the thought. At any rate, I was going to ask; I'm letting Charlie have a sleep over with some friends on New Year's Eve. I thought maybe Khalid would like to come?" She looked down at her lap where Khalid paused for just a moment in searching through his tablet to bounce out of her hold and half fall on the floor. "I wanna go!" He picked himself up, practically flinging his little body at Steve, Danny's legs and the coffee table between be damned. "Can I? I wanna go!"
"There will be a few girls from Charlie's class there too; they'll be sleeping in another room if Joanie would like to go?" Rachel was doing her level best to keep her smirk off her face as Khalid stormed Steve's lap, knowing that the kid had just narrowly missed a rather sensitive part of Steve's anatomy if the look on the SEAL's face was any indication. It was like Steve was saying, yelling, actually, "yes, yes, yes, you can go!" just to protect himself from any further potential damage. It was what Mary came out from the kitchen for and what Grace appeared in the living room to, and through it all, neither Danny nor Rachel lifted a finger to protect poor Steve from an over-excited, happy, bouncy child. Mary walked over to plunk a tray of cookies down on the table for everyone and snagged one for herself.
"You're ridiculous," she said to her brother, rolling her eyes as Steve continued to wrestle with Khalid doing a good impression of a monkey babbling that he wanted to go over to Charlie's and stay up till midnight, all the while Danny laughed himself into the corner of the couch.
As Christmases went, this was a pretty good one.
Hawaii Five-0
Steve thought Tropics was delivering an astoundingly accurate portrayal of what being packed onto a C-5M Galaxy transport was like when he and Danny arrived for dinner with the team on New Year's Eve. Throngs of patrons created a veritable obstacle course as the two attempted to get to their table, and Steve was never so thankful for his profession as a law enforcement officer as he was then, knowing that the Tropic's staff had created a buffered area for the team away from the hustle and bustle of the public, allowing Hawaii's most well-known crime fighting task force some space and privacy. Lou and Renee were already seated at the table, cozied up with each other and a few drinks. "You made it through the masses," Lou greeted, raising a beer.
"Just barely," Danny squeezed in beside Lou and sat down, with Steve taking the seat on Danny's other side, and thankfully a server appeared at that moment, one of the ones that had waited on them before with Longboards at the ready for Steve and Danny and refills on tap for Lou and Renee. One by one (or couple by couple since Adam and Tamiko, and then Junior and Tani showed up) everyone arrived, took a seat and soon the table was filled to the brim with every seat filled and every table top inch covered with steak, burgers, lobster, shrimp, you name it, someone ordered it. Even Kamekona was complementary of the shrimp, and he peppered one of their servers for the ingredients in the spices, all while Steve and Danny shook their heads and hid their smiles behind their food. When their server walked away, Steve held his steak filled fork away from his mouth.
"Restaurant going okay, Kamekona?"
"Shoots, brah. A goldmine in the making-"
"Of course it is," Danny grumbled.
"-but you gotta know when to evolve, change your menu up a bit."
"Whoa, ho, hold on a sec, it's an Italian restaurant," Danny looked affronted. "What do you mean 'change the menu up'? It's an Italian restaurant, what are you gonna do!?"
"Maybe some of this spiced up shrimp combined with the cream alfredo," and everyone who was listening at the table could see that Kamekona was envisioning the dish on the table before him, "a hybrid of Hawaiian spices and traditional Italian… that's how you keep the regulars coming back."
"No, no, no, I think you're wrong, I think the way you keep regulars coming back is to keep things the way that brought them to the restaurant in the first place, and that is authentic Italian cuisine."
"Danny, we sold our shares. You remember that, right?" Steve glanced at him. "We sold our shares last year? You actually suggested it, we got most of our money back; it's not our restaurant anymore, Danny."
"I'm the only authentic Italian guy on this island, you think I'm not going to insist on at least some input?!"
"Didn't put it in the contract," Kamekona shrugged. "You want to renegotiate, it's going to cost you."
Steve spent the rest of the dinner in between conversations with everyone else and trying to talk Danny down from getting involved in the restaurant again. "You were the one who wanted to get out, you said you'd rather die from a bullet than a heart attack from running that place, now you want to go back?"
"No, I don't want to go back, I just maybe want to consult on the side, you know? I can be a Jersey Italian consultant," Danny sniffed and looked at Steve, who returned his look with an expression that clearly said he'd believed Danny had lost his mind.
"I can't believe you two didn't see it," Tani broke in through the halt in their conversation, her gaze flickering between both of them. "You guys have been partners for ten years; it took you this long to figure it out?"
"Hey, rookie, I don't think you want to be the one having this discussion right now," Danny gestured between her and Junior, whose ears flushed handsomely.
"Point taken, but again: ten years," Tani shrugged. "A few years is normal. A decade, not so much."
By late evening, dinner had ended. Kamekona had left to check on the restaurant and then get to his shrimp truck which would be serving food well into the early morning hours. "Drunk, hungry tourists, man. Gotta get the cash while I can," he'd grinned, waving goodbye and heading out. Lou and Renee had been the next to peel away, eager to spend some quiet time together. Jerry had left fairly quickly after that, glancing at his watch and muttering something about keeping an appointment. Once he'd left, Adam, with his arm around Tamiko, grinned. "He has a date."
"Get out of here, he has a date?" Steve smiled genuinely, no smirk or grin to be found on his face as he watched Jerry head for the beach. "Why didn't he say anything?"
"I think he wants to make sure it goes well, that maybe he has something to tell everyone back at work," Adam shrugged, finishing off his drink and looking at Tamiko. "Ready?"
They filed out, Junior and Tani right behind them, leaving Steve and Danny at the table to sit and bask in the night air and ocean waves they could hear crashing against the shore. The restaurant activity had died down somewhat, but it was still plenty busy, and Steve was beginning to feel a little twitchy. Danny noticed. "Want to go?"
Steve nodded, and Danny took care of the bill before they both followed the steps leading down to the beach. It was a nice enough night for a walk, and they still had plenty of time to head back to their car before traffic got so bad they might as well sleep on the Hilton's deck chairs. They walked closely together, bumping arms and shoulders frequently until Steve took the plunge, tugging his hand out of his pocket and using it to do the same with Danny's until their fingers were laced together. Danny paused, looking down at their hands; Steve held his breath, fully prepared to let his grip drop if Danny so much as twitched his fingers wrong. It wasn't like they'd talked in depth about how public they wanted to be with this, and with routinely making the news due to the cases they worked, with the criminal element they regularly came across, it was something that needed full and fair consideration.
"Is… this okay?" Steve asked, quietly. No judgements. If it wasn't, he wouldn't blame Danny for it. Hell, he was the one asking, so he would have no room to be angry if Danny dropped his hand. But Danny just stood there, contemplating quietly as he looked at their fingers before nodding.
"This is good," he said softly, tugging at Steve to continue their walk, heading back the way they came. As they approached the beach entrance to Tropics, Danny squeezed Steve's hand, waited for his partner to do the same back, and then dropped it, going ahead of Steve and feeling his partner's hand settle discretely against his lower back for the briefest of moments before fading off. They had an understanding, and Danny was glad that they were both on the same page, at least for now. They'd have to talk more about how open they'd want to be, but for the moment, this was good, comfortable.
Right.
The drive back to Steve's place was relatively quiet, though it took 20 minutes more to get to the house because of the massive traffic around the oceanfront area. Pulling in the driveway of the house, Steve and Danny got out of the car and Steve let them both in the front door. "Hey, when did you and Rachel let Grace get her first phone?" Steve suddenly asked, heading for the kitchen. Danny was surprised at the question, but readily answered.
"She was 11 or 12, I think," Danny followed through the living room and into the kitchen, taking the beer Steve readily offered him. "I think the first time I regretted getting her that thing was when I found out she was texting boys." Steve laughed, opening his Longboard and taking a drink while Danny watched him. "Why're you asking?"
"I was wondering how long I should wait before getting Khalid one," Steve sighed, leaning against the counter. "But I don't want him to have a normal phone, you know? I don't want him to be able to put all kinds of peoples' numbers in there and download weird apps, I just want him to be able to call me if he ever needs me or text me."
"They make apps for kids phones where you can program it certain ways – only give them phone numbers you want them to have, make the phone only be able to accept certain numbers, block other numbers, things like that," Danny grinned. "Don't worry, babe. You and me, we can go together when I get Charlie his phone."
"Charlie's getting a phone?"
"Well, his mom's gonna be living in Los Angeles and I want him to be able to talk to her and facetime with her, text her, all that stuff whenever he wants, so, yep. He's getting a phone. Rachel's taking it on her plan." He took a drink, studying Steve quietly before it hit him. "Aw, babe. You're worried about Khalid? You know he's fine over there with Rachel. He's spent the night at Charlie's house and other kids' houses before."
"No, I know, I know he's fine, I just…" Steve sighed, scratching his stubble. "I'm trying to get a handle on everything I need to get for him and make sure everything is the way it needs to be and it's just a lot, you know? I mean, I'm happy to, believe me," he assured quickly. "There's nothing I wouldn't do for that kid, I love him. It's just… it's just a lot. You know? It's just a lot."
"I do know," Danny held up two fingers, "Grace. Charlie. I know very well, and I know what it's like to be surprised with a kid you didn't know was yours. Not your situation, I get that, but still; I only got to know Charlie after he turned three years old. You got Khalid and he's five. But Steve? You're doing fine. I promise."
Steve's face seemed to light up at the praise. "Yea?"
Danny nodded. "Yea. You've turned your whole life upside down for this kid, who you didn't even know. I don't know who would be able to do what you've done for him in the last six months, or who would even want to. But you… Steve," Danny put his bottle down and slid away from the counter, heading for Steve until he was standing right in front of him. He took the beer out of his partner's hand and set it beside him on the stove top. "You might not biologically be this kid's father, but every move you've made since you've known him – every move – is the move any father would make to protect their kid and keep them safe. You're doing so good, babe. Okay? You are. You got nothing to worry about, and neither does Khalid, because he has you." Danny tapped his finger against Steve's chest, leaving it there to push forward and fall back in time with Steve's breaths.
"That's… Danny, coming from you, you saying that," Steve blinked rapidly, looking up at the ceiling for a few moments before pulling himself together. "You're the best father I've ever known, so you saying that… it means everything to me." His hand came up to wrap around Danny's finger, and eventually his whole hand, and he loved more than anything the soft smile he got in return. They stood together in the kitchen, leaning against the stove for a long while, enjoying the quiet and each other before Danny nosed at his shoulder.
"You maybe want to go upstairs? Ring in the new year a little bit early?"
Steve took a breath, looking down at Danny. He wasn't sure he was ready for that yet, but Danny shook his head. "We can just sit together outside, babe. Or go by the beach. Lay in bed. Whatever you want to do. We don't have to do anything you don't want to do; you know that, I didn't even mean… you know. Now that I think about it, I probably should've phrased that diff-"
He was stopped by Steve pressing a gentle kiss against his mouth. Danny hummed a pleased hum and leaned into it, no longer shy about showing his affection. He opened his mouth slightly, enough for Steve to slip his tongue in if he wanted, which he did, quietly possessive.
"Upstairs," Steve pulled back just enough to whisper against Danny's lips. Danny tugged back just enough to get them both going up the stairs and into Steve's room, closing the door quietly behind them.
Author's Notes: One more chapter boys and girls. Thanks so much for sticking with this long, detailed, six month coda of 9.25. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing and finally posting it!