Ensoleillement
By
Landon Richardson
Official Disclaimer
The characters of Steve McGarrett, Danny Williams, Chin Ho Kelly, Kono Kalakaua, Adam 'Toast' Charles, Amy Hanamoa, Eric Russo, Meka Hanamoa, Catherine Rollins, Joe White and anyone else within the story who might sound familiar do not belong to me in any shape or form, I am merely using them for my own entertainment purposes.
The character of Danni Richardson, David Richardson, Joshua Richardson, Summer Richardson, Libby Richardson, Ronnie Chen, Kevin Matthews, Lee Martin and Nurse Aliana Judd do belong to me though. I should also add that if a character is mentioned who you don't recognise from the show then they probably belong to me as well.
Author Note
Welcome to Chapter Eighteen of Ensoleillement, the penultimate chapter of part one of this series.
So, I'm sure you've all heard the news which was announced yesterday, it's hard to believe that the TV series is coming to an end. On one hand I'll be sad to see it go since it's been so important to me in terms on my writing but on the other hand, in a way I'm glad it is coming to an end so they can stop destroying the characters. I mean, the whole reason I even started writing female Danni was to show how perfect they were together and to repair the damage to the character that the writers did from season two onwards.
The fact that I haven't really watched since season five, speaks volumes though, once I get back to completing the main saga stories (which will be soon) then I will have to watch them. I must admit though that given the way the main saga has already swerved away from the canon versions of the episodes I think it will be more like an extremely vague time frame as I doubt the Steve for example we see in even season two will be the one we see in that saga.
I've been thinking since the announcement about what this means for me in terms of my stories and have made the decision to continue writing them even though the show is over. I have too many stories and ideas ongoing and in my head to just stop writing them now so as long as the muse plays ball and my readers enjoy my work then I'll continue.
Anyway, please enjoy the chapter
Overall Summary
Danni moved with her small family to Hawaii in an attempt to get away from everything and to heal after the death of her husband. What she didn't expect was Steve McGarrett bursting into her life and taking over it. Danni isn't sure that she's ready for another relationship but that isn't going to stop Steve from trying to show her otherwise. (McDanni, feature OC and also male Danny)
Chapter Summary
"For the love of God Steven, will you please just calm down, take a moment to breathe and just stop with all the pacing. I mean, I like a good pacing session as much as the next person, love it even, but with the rate you're going you're actually going to end up wearing a path through the actual floorboards. Also, for the record, all the pacing can't be good for your injury."
Overall Romance
Steve McGarrett/ Danni Richardson (McDanni)
Meka Hanamoa / Amy Hanamoa (Mekmy)
Lee Martin / Catherine Rollins (Marllins)
Mentions of past Duncan Taylor / Danni Richardson (Dunni)
Mentions of past Steve McGarrett / Catherine Rollins (McRollins)
One sided Eric Russo / Ronnie Chen (Ronnic)
Chapter Romance
Steve McGarrett/ Danni Richardson (McDanni)
Another note
Please keep in mind that I don't have a Beta for this story so the odd mistake may creep in without me meaning it to. I have also never been to Hawaii so all locations are either from the show, google or made up in my own mind.
Chapter Eighteen
"For the love of God Steven, will you please just calm down, take a moment to breathe and just stop with all the pacing. I mean, I like a good pacing session as much as the next person, love it even, but with the rate you're going you're actually going to end up wearing a path through the actual floorboards. Also, for the record, all the pacing can't be good for your injury."
Steve stopped his pacing abruptly, turning to look at Danny with a glare on his face which grew in intensity when he realised that the younger man had taken advantage of Steve preoccupation with his thoughts and made himself comfortable on the couch, his legs stretched out in front of him with his socked heels resting on the coffee table.
"Firstly Daniel." Steve said, taking two large strides over to the blond and reaching down, gripping his feet and shoving them off of the surface, taking some satisfaction that the abrupt movement jerked Danny out of his sprawled-out position. "Get your smelly feet off of my coffee table. You regularly call me an animal but perhaps you should be calling yourself it, have you ever thought of that buddy? I'm not the one after all who goes around someone else's house and places my feet, the same feet which have been stuck in shoes all day, on the table which they use for drinks and food and stuff." He stated as he crossed his arms over his chest, resisting the sudden urge he had to place his hands on his hips, just like his Aunt used to do when she was lecturing him or his cousins about some various misdeed they had done.
"Are you actually for real right now?" Danny spluttered in disbelief. "You come around my house constantly and do that very same thing all the time, with your bare feet I might add, and when I tell you politely to get your feet off my table you merely say that you deserve to rest your feet due to the day you've had. I mean seriously McGarrett, if you're going to bitch to me about something, at least make sure that its something which you don't do yourself on a regular basis."
For a moment Steve simply stared at him, his eyes narrowing when he realised that he didn't have a counter argument for Danny's point, a fact which left him feeling even more unsettled.
"Regardless of that, the second point I want to make is the fact that I didn't ask you to follow me home tonight, in fact I have a very distinct memory of telling you and the others not to follow me home." Steve remarked, uncrossing his arms briefly so he could jab his finger at Danny who responded to the action with a roll of his eyes.
"Yeah, like I was going to pay attention to that today. Anyone with a functioning pair of eyes could see that you haven't been yourself today and while they might not realise the reason behind your change in attitude, I do." Danny told him, a confident tone to his voice which matched the expression in his blue eyes.
"Is that so? Well feel free to share your knowledge then Danny." Steve replied.
"It is so" Danny responded with a nod, clearly unfazed by Steve's tone. "You've spent the whole day quietly, and at times not so quietly, freaking out about your date with Danielle this evening. You know deep down that after what happened the last time you attempted to have a date with her that if something was to go wrong again then that would be it, your chances would be gone. Danielle seems like the type of woman who wouldn't give you a third go and I know you well enough to know that you think that she might end up being someone special to you."
Steve stared at him.
"That's… that's not…" He began to say, stopping when Danny spoke over him.
"It really is and we both know it. You're on edge because you're worried that the same thing that happened before will happen again. You'll be all ready to head out to meet Danielle and then someone from your past will appear at your door with a sob story which involves needing your help as for some reason you're the only person who can help them, which for the record is ridiculous and that's why I'm here, to ensure it doesn't happen this time around because if you lose Danielle then you will be unbearable to be around."
"And that's why you're here?" Steve repeated as he finally gave into the niggly residual pain in his thigh and sat down on the couch beside his partner. "And here I was thinking that you came here simply to annoy me." He muttered.
"It was mainly for self-preservation but annoying you is always an added benefit. Just think of it as pay back for work." Danny admitted, flashing him a grin which lessened the harshness of his words. "But before you burst a blood vessel, I'm here as your bodyguard, my sole purpose is to get you successfully out of the house and into the car so you can be on your way. If someone knocks on your door then I'll be here this time around to cover for you."
"Danny." Steve began to say, stopping when Danny spoke over him.
"Nope, there is nothing going on that needs you or is so important that it can't manage without you for a few hours while you enjoy a good meal and some great company. Literally the only thing would be a nuclear explosion and if that was to happen then it probably would be worth bringing Danielle and her family back to headquarters and into the bomb shelter." Danny remarked thoughtfully, tapping his fingertip against his chin.
For a moment Steve was tempted to point out to Danny that if there was a nuclear explosion then it wouldn't matter where he was because they would be wiped in an instance but he resisted. Danny was negative most of the time without Steve adding addition anxieties to his mind.
"Fine, I accept your reasonings for being here but I'm warning you now Danno, if you put your feet back on the coffee table then I'll throw you out myself." Steve grumbled as he leaned against the back of the coach.
"Noted" Danny replied, tilting his head to the side so he could still see Steve with a thoughtful look which Steve had seen more times he could count, though normally it was during a case.
"Spit out whatever it is you want to say to me Danno." Steve told him on a sigh when the silence between them continued.
"It's just surprising to see you like this over something like a date Buddy. I mean I've seen you in several different kind of situations; I've seen you shot at, fighting people you considered to be friends, having to deal with family issues and yet I've never seen you even remotely this on edge." Danny admitted with a shrug of his broad shoulders.
"Is there a question in there?" Steve demanded, frowning when Danny shook his head at him.
"No question, just merely an observation Buddy, nice to occasionally see that you're as much a mess as the rest of us when it comes to mundane things." The blond replied before he brought his arm up and looked down to the watch on his wrist which Steve knew had been a gift from Grace. "You know, if you want to actually be on time for this date then you should probably go and get ready unless you're planning on going to wherever you're taking her in cargo pants, a sweat stained t-shirt and smelling, quite frankly, ripe."
Steve rolled his eyes at the comment before pushing himself to his feet with sigh.
"The wit you constantly demonstrate never fails to amuse me Danno." He replied sarcastically before he twisted to the side and picked up the remote control from the couch, throwing it at Danny who caught it with one hand. "There you go, keep yourself entertained while I get ready."
He turned and headed across the room and up the stairs, quickly having a shower and a shave to freshen himself up before heading into the main bedroom, thankful that it had taken the time that morning while he had been waiting for Danny to pick him up to pick his outfit for the evening. It was the same as the first time they attempted a date only this time the shirt was a shade of green he knew from various comments and compliments suited him.
A glance in the mirror showed that he looked good which helped ease his nerves slightly. His partner had been right when he had said that Steve had been on edge all day, he just hadn't realised how badly he had failed at concealing the fact.
"You've got this McGarrett" He murmured to himself, giving his reflection a nod before he turned and left the room, his suit jacket in hand and made his way down the stairs, his eyes automatically going to the large TV as he picked up his shoes from near the front door. Danny had managed to find an Ice Hockey games which was playing on one of the various sport channels which came with Steve's package deal. It wasn't a surprise, if there was one thing his partner likes it was professional sports of most kinds.
"Hey looking good babe. I always forget that you can clean up nicely when you have to." Danny remarked, giving him a quick searching look before his eyes moved back to the TV when the roar of the crowd grew indicating something had clearly happened.
"No need to sounds so surprised." Steve responded, his eyes still on the TV as he pulled on his suit jacket. "I wasn't aware that you were a fan of Ice Hockey." He lowered himself onto the couch, resting his shoes beside him as he pulled the first one on.
"Don't tell me that you're actually admitting out loud that there is something about me which you don't know?" Danny responded with a grin before relenting, "Actually, truth be told, I'm not the greatest fan of the sport but if its on and nothing else is then I'll watch it." He admitted. "You know who does like Ice Hockey though? Your potential girlfriend."
"Danni?" Steve said in surprise as he looked at Danny who nodded.
"Yep, at least that was they said back in PD in New Jersey." Danny confirmed.
"Ice Hockey hey." Steve repeated thoughtfully as he finished tying his shoes and came up to his feet, his eyes flickering over to the clock on the mantelpiece. "Time for me to go."
"Good, now go and have a good time with Danielle. God knows this date has been a long time coming." Danny said, his eyes still on the screen as he waved his hand in Steve's direction.
"What are you going to do? Are you planning on staying?" Steve asked, raising his eyebrow when Danny nodded at him.
"Yeah, I'm comfortable and I've got no plans for the rest of the evening for once so unless you really object to me being here then I'm just going to stay here, drink your beer, either cook something or order in some takeaway if your kitchen is in the usual state it normally is. This game has just started and there's bound to be some football on afterwards." He remarked.
Steve stared at him for a moment before he shrugged.
"Sure, knock yourself out, you know where the spare room is if you end up sleeping over here. Since you're staying, I'm going to take the Camaro for tonight." Steve said, nodding his head in the direction of the stair.
"Yeah, I suppose for once I can let you use it. The keys are on the side table, I'm guessing that you're not planning on bringing Danielle back here tonight then?" Danny queried in a mild tone.
"I get the feeling that Danni isn't the type of woman who would do that on a first date." Steve answered before he turned and headed to the front door, stopping briefly to pick up his wallet, cell phone and the two set of keys he needed, pushing away the strong sense of Déjà vu from his mind. "I'll see you later Danno."
"Yeah. Yeah, off you go and remember not to do anything that I wouldn't do."
"Yeah, well don't burn down my house if you try to cook." Steve retorted as he opened the door, relief moving through him when he saw the front step was empty of anyone. He let out the breath he was holding and closed the door, moving swiftly down the driveway to where the Camaro was parked and unlocked it, climbing into the driver's seat and pulled away from the curb, taking the road which, he knew would take him to the restaurant.
He had made the decision for them to go to a different restaurant, not wanting there to be any reminder of their first failed attempt. Kono had been the one to recommend it, popping into his office during the week to give him the suggestion with a wide grin.
It took him twenty minutes to reach the restaurant and find a space before he stepped out of the car with a glance around him, trying to see whether he could see Danielle's red mustang before moving into the restaurant, his eyes sweeping the foyer to see if his date had arrived though it was swiftly apparently that she hadn't yet.
Pushing away the small trickle of fear that Danielle had changed his mind he headed over to the woman who was standing behind the small desk and spoke.
"I have a booking here under the name of McGarrett" He announced. "I just want to make sure that everything which I requested has been provided?" He asked her, ignoring the way her brown eyes seemed to longer on his face before she answered him, a flirty undercurrent to her voice.
"Indeed, it is Commander, we have a table for two booked, situation by the window and overlooking the ocean just as was requested." She advised him
"Good" He stated with a nod, thankful that, that aspect of the date had gone to plan.
"Would you like me to take you to your seat? You companion hasn't arrived yet but I can bring them over to you once they arrive?" She offered with a wide smile.
Steve went to decline when he heard the front door open behind him, he glanced over his shoulder, his eyes widening when he saw Danielle standing in front of it. She looked gorgeous in a simple, knee length black dress with her hair done up in a complicated style which left her neck bare.
"Actually, my date has just arrived so being seated right now would be good thanks" He said to the hostess before he moved over to Danielle, a smile coming to his face. "Danni you made it; did you find the place okay?" He asked her as he reached out and took her hand, leaning towards her and kissing her cheek, noting absently to himself how soft her skin was. He leaned back and met her eyes. "You look beautiful."
"Thanks, you're not looking to bad yourself." She responded with a smile, her eyes flickering up and down him before she met his gaze. "I found the place fine; my brother has apparently been here before which I had no idea about so he gave me some directions. I might have got lost if he hadn't" She said with a laugh as Steve led them over to where the hostess was waiting for them, two menus held in her hand.
"If you'd both like to follow me, I'll take you to your table." She stated, her eyes moving between them before she turned and led them through a door and into the main area of the restaurant. Kono had been right when she said that the décor and atmosphere of the place would be perfect for a first date. They came to a stop beside a table set away in enclave giving the illusion on privacy. "This is yours." The hostess said as she placed the menu down on the surface. "Kyle will be your waiter tonight and he will be with you shortly to take you drink orders. Please enjoy your evening." She told them, her eyes linger on Steve's face again before she turned and left them alone.
"Let me" Steve said when Danielle made a move to pull out her chair, he moved to where she was standing and pulled out the chair for her, waiting until she was seated and had thanked him before he pushed it back in for her and took his own seat, taking a moment to appreciate how beautiful she looked in the candle light.
"This place looks lovely; did you know about it before?" She asked him as she picked up her menu and opened it, her eyes lowering down to look at it.
"Actually, I didn't. Kono heard that I was looking for a place to take you and she suggested here, I think it's probably her go to place for dates but she says the food is amazing and she's rarely wrong when it comes to food. Do you like Thai food?" He asked, suddenly realising he had never asked her what kind of food she actually liked to eat.
"I'm a fan." She assured him with a smile. "Though I don't get to eat it often because of the kids, either my twin or I normally end up having to cook for them each evening. I try and make their food varied, introducing spices so they can get used to them but Thai food is probably a little too spicy for them at this moment." She told him.
"Lucky them because I've tasted your food, or at least your baking, and it was amazing, I can only assume your cooking is just as good. If you're that good why pay money to have it done for you?" He remarked, smiling when she grinned at the comment.
"I mean I appreciate the vote of confidence but occasionally it's nice to get a takeaway for that very reason, just to have someone do it for me to give me a break from doing it." She said, tilting her head slightly as she watched him. "What about you? Are you someone who cooks or do you prefer a takeaway?" She added.
"Don't get me wrong, I do love cooking but I just don't have the time to do it, most of the time by the time I get home from work its too late in the evening to cook something properly so I tend to throw something on the grill or call for a takeaway. It's not exactly the healthiest lifestyle I could have at the moment but I figure that I get enough exercise on the job to keep off the pounds." He told her.
"I bet it definitely helps, I've heard many a story about you and your team and the way you work." Danni replied. "My job is pretty good for that as well, I'm on my feet all day so it does tend to burn off the calories."
"Whoever it is who has been telling you stories about me and the taskforce have no doubt been exaggerated things, we're really not as bad as people make us out to be. Everything we do is to keep the islands safe from harm." He assured her, watching as she raised a thoughtful eyebrow at him.
"What about when the stories are coming from your own partner? Are they exaggerated then?" Danni asked him mildly.
"Especially when he's the one telling the story." Steve responded almost instantly. "You worked in the same area as Danny, I'm sure that you can remember what he was like when he was telling people about a case or something that had happened."
"I remember that he certainly had a flare for storytelling." Danni admitted with a soft laugh. "Do you know what you're going to order yet?" She asked, changing the subject.
"I think I'm going to have the fried crab wontons to start with and then have the red curry roast duck as my main." Steve told her after a brief look at the menu. "What about you? Anything on there which takes your fancy?"
"That is a very good question." Danni said as she nibbled at her lower lip, the simple action attracting his attention for a moment before he forced his eyes back up just as she began to speak. "I think I'll skip the starter and just have the drunken noodles for my main. I think I'll have an orange and lemonade as my drink as well. I drove here so I don't want to drink alcohol." She commented.
"Sounds good to me" Steve said, turning just as a man approached them, he swiftly gave him their order before he turned back to Danielle. "So, tell me how your day has been today? How are things going at the bakery?" He asked her, watching with a smile as her face brightened as she launched into a story about one of her employees and a mishap with flour.
Steve sat there quietly, making the odd comment here and there, merely content to let the soft sound of her voice wash over him. One thought going through his mind on repeat.
He didn't want this connection he had to Danielle to end.
Author Note
Thanks for taking the time to read. An especially big thank you if you have left me a review, favourite the story or decided to follow it.
I really appreciate it
