AN: Okay. Here it is. The final chapter. It was longer than I expected, but, as always, the fingers moved and moved on the keyboard. I want to thank everyone who read and commented on this story. I love you guys... your words encouraged me to continue. This is, by far, the longest story I've ever written. I loved every moment of this and liked the final result. I hope you share the feeling. Please enjoy and tell me what you think.
CHAPTER 21. This is your family now. (Part II)
In the kitchen, Rachel looked at Danny with fire in her eyes; The veins in her neck throbbed with anger and she was breathing hard. At that moment, Grace came running, stopped next to Nanna and said sobbing "Danno...!"
Danny looked at her and asked, "What...? What's wrong, Monkey...?"
Grace was crying when she said, "Uncle Steve... he's gone... When he heard the argument between you two, he... left, Danno... I tried to stop him, but he said he'd call you later." Danny ran out of the kitchen, without looking at anyone, crossed the living room, opened the door and went out; There was no one on the street.
Frustrated, he went back into the house. Rachel was standing by the kitchen door, Danny walked over to her and said scornfully, "Well done, Rachel! Now, I think you should go."
She reacted and yelled, "Don't you dare blame me for this, Daniel! All I wanted was to make sure my son is safe!"
"Listen to me, Rachel..." Danny said in an unusually calm voice; after his gaze focused on all the other members of his family, who looked at him in silence. "That man you think can be dangerous to Charlie... that man is a hero! You understand? All the problems he has now are the consequence of having dedicated his life to making sure this country is a better place to live... You have no idea what he has lost because of that; for him, the suffering didn't stop when he stopped fighting in the most dangerous places on the planet, defending this country from situations that your limited mind cannot even imagine... nor did it stop when he quit a job he loved, because he simply couldn't handle more death or more losses in his life..." He paused, sighed in frustration, and said, "For God's sake! All he wants now is some peace!"
Danny took a few more deep breaths and said, "Steve is able to neutralize a criminal in less than a minute, with his bare hands; but he's also the kindest man I've ever met. He's a loving uncle and a loyal friend; for ten years he has gone above and beyond to make sure that Grace and Charlie are safe and that I come home alive at the end of the day."
He reached into his pants pocket and pulled out his phone; He looked at the screen for a few seconds, before looking back at his family, "I'm so sorry you witnessed this... and you..." He fixed his gaze on Rachel, "I think you should go... Charlie will stay with me tonight. I'll let you know what time you can pick him up tomorrow."
She knew Danny well enough not to argue further; This apparently calm Danny didn't bode well. So, she gave up, bowed her head, and whispered, "Okay... Excuse me." She went to the door and left the house without another word.
When the door closed, Danny walked out into the garden, sliding his thumb across the phone screen and pressing the speed dial button. Outside, the kids played and scampered around the lawn, unaware of the drama that had developed inside the house. Danny walked to the wicker sofa and sat down, waiting for Steve to pick up the phone.
"Hey..." the deep voice answered after the second ring.
"Hey... It's me… Listen... I'm so sorry about what Rachel said! Are you okay?"
Danny listened to Steve as he replied in a raspy voice, "Don't be, Danny... I'm fine... plus she's right."
"No, Steve... she's a manipulative woman who wants to control every minute of my children's life and mine... not anymore... I've had enough of her outbursts over the years...! First, she did it with Grace, now she uses Charlie as a pretext. But it's over now, I'm not going to bear it anymore."
Steve's voice was calm when he said, "Listen, Danny. I know you're mad at her, I get it... Hell! I'm mad at her for ruining Thanksgiving for your family! But think about it for a moment, will you? What do you need the least now is to engage in another battle with her... also, as I told you, she's right."
Danny tried not to lose his patience, "In which universe would she be right about this, Steve?" He asked.
"She's worried about Charlie, Danny... Everybody knows that PTSD makes people do or say things they wouldn't normally do or say... and I'm a dangerous guy... you've told me that a lot of times… Although I want you to know that what you said is true… I'd never do anything to hurt Charlie or any of you."
"Of course you wouldn't!" Danny said softly, "You don't need to say that, Steve... I know because... I know you."
At that moment, Danny could hear through the line, the noise of a car door closing. Suddenly, the sound of traffic was louder. "Where are you?" he asked worried.
"I'm home." Steve replied; Danny could hear the noise of the keys and the door when it closed, all the sounds in the surroundings were off.
Guessing the answer, he asked, "Want company?"
"No, Danny... Listen, I know you're worried, but don't be, okay?" Steve let out a sarcastic giggle, "I'm not going to rip the curtains off or break anything, okay? I promise. Just stay with your parents and try to rescue the celebration for the kids and your family... It's not fair for them that everything is ruined... I'm fine, I'm calm... I'll just go to bed and I'll see you when you get home... I promise you won't find an apartment in ruins when you come back, okay?"
Danny was silent for a moment. On the one hand, his brain told him that Steve was right. It was the first time in many years that his entire family had come together for Thanksgiving… the last time Matty had been present. His mother had organized the party, excited to have them all together, it wouldn't be easy to reunite them again.
On the other hand, his heart was pulling him hard towards Steve… as he said that morning, the man was his main reason to be grateful this year. He was in love... he couldn't remember feeling like this since... never. Steve's voice on the phone snapped him out of his thoughts, "Danny...?"
"Yes... I'm here, but... I don't know, Steve. I don't like the idea of leaving you home alone, not how you feel right now. I'll talk to Mom, I'll leave Grace and Charlie here to celebrate with them and then I'll go home, okay?"
"Please, Danny… don't do that. It will only make me feel more guilty for ruining everything… Please stay there, have dinner with your parents, try to celebrate and I'll see you later… Anyway, I'm going to sleep now… do it for me, will you?"
Danny sighed, he knew he wasn't going to convince Steve, so he said, "Okay... but we'll be leaving after dinner... we'll be home soon, okay?"
"Please, take your time," Steve replied, "Enjoy dinner and your family... and Danny?"
"Yes…?"
"Please tell your mom I'm sorry...!"
After the call ended, Danny stared at the screen for a minute until the light went off. The sound of footsteps on the grass made him look up. Clara sat next to him and asked, "Did you talk to him? Is he okay?"
Danny took a deep breath and said, "Yes Ma… he's fine. He's at home."
Visibly moved, Clara asked, "Will you go see him?"
"Later..." Danny replied, "He wants me to stay here with you... he said he already felt guilty enough that the party was ruined, so he asked me to try to fix things and asked me to tell you he's sorry... "
Clara let out a bitter laugh and said, "What a fool...!"
Danny smiled, "Yeah ... I know he's a fool, and he knows too, Ma... but you can't stop being who you are from one day to the next. The guy is so used to bearing the blame that doesn't fall to him, that it has already become a habit... but he's right. Let's try to celebrate, let's not let Rachel's stupidity end up saddening us all. Grace is here now, and she'll only be staying a week before the semester begins. Erick will be back in Hawaii on Monday… we all managed to get together this year, so let's thank for that…" Danny thought for a few seconds and said, "Listen... I was thinking... May I ask you for a favor? Can the kids stay here tonight?"
Clara drew a knowing smile and replied, "Sure!" Then, she lowered her voice and said confidentially, "Don't let your ex ruin what you have with Steve… hold on to that with everything you have, Daniel, because it's the only thing that can make you happy now. After dinner, go home and show him that you two can be thankful for having each other, I'll take care of the rest."
Danny blushed to the ears, "Okay, Ma… since you expressed it so… so well. How about we go to dinner and try to make sure everyone has a good time?"
Steve leaned his back against the door after closing it and took a deep breath. He was determined not to let what happened slow his progress... there was little he could do about the nightmares or residual depression from his strenuous sessions with the group. But this, he could control it. He couldn't help but smile when he remembered Sam's words at the end of one of their meetings:
"In this country, the military does a job that will always be under the scrutiny of the people, Steve. And I'm not talking about the high command... I'm talking about men like you, I'm talking about all those who are on the front lines, risking their lives day after day. Some will call them heroes, others will call them assassins or madmen and will abandon them to their fate... most of the time we can't control the narrative and that terrifies us. One of the main things we fight for is the right of people to express their own opinion, so we must expect and respect when they do that, even if some don't have an idea of what they're talking about. But neither can we let their opinion destroy us... we're not here to be Miss Congeniality, we were trained to defend those who can't defend themselves... we have to do a job that no one else can or wants to do... and we face painful emotional, family and social consequences for doing that job."
Sam had walked around the room as he spoke, and Steve stared after him the entire time, "I'm not saying that what people say or think shouldn't affect you… you'd have to be a robot or a psycho to stop that from happening... But this is where the rational part comes in. In my opinion, everything focuses on two aspects: On the one hand, discerning whether the fundamental principle that guided your actions is morally correct... that, only you can judge it; During each and every one of your missions as an active SEAL and leading your task force, you did everything possible to control all factors and prevent all scenarios, even when time was of the essence; but sometimes, and you know it better than me, the missions go sideways for a thousand aspects that we can't control."
Sam had taken a sip of water and then spoke again, "On the other hand, you need to detect the intentions of the people who talk about you or your job and then decide whether to give them enough credit to think twice about them . When you decide it's not worth it, just let to the words to be taken by the wind. There will always be people who think before speaking, but there are also many others who will speak without knowledge or who simply want to hurt you, venting frustrations or seek selfish purposes with their words... those opinions are a burden that you must drop, or they will end up sinking you."
He entered his room while taking off his shirt. He tossed it aside and sat on the bed, deep in thought, trying to analyze what he really felt.
Of course, the first feeling was disappointment... and sadness because the dinner Danny had hoped would be fantastic was ruined before it started. Then he analyzed the two opposing opinions he had heard that night.
On the one hand, Rachel, as always, had spoken before thinking about the impact her words could have. He wasn't surprised… she had done the same thing over and over again the entire time since he met her… Rachel said it herself in a voice full of sarcasm, the first day he met her, while Steve and Danny were conducting surveillance from the master bedroom of her luxurious mansion, "Sometimes, I let my emotions get the better of me." Ten years, and everything that had happened with Grace and later with Charlie, had proved the truth behind those words.
Most of the time, Rachel spoke and acted on impulse; So it was during all the legal battles over the custody of Grace, the reasons for hiding that Danny was Charlie's real father, the constant deceptions and lies that led to her divorce from Stan; and even her failed attempts to revive her unhealthy relationship with Danny. It was also shown that, later, life would take care of punishing her transgressions at the highest price... Steve sighed thinking that this time wouldn't be the exception.
The other opinion, Danny's, was diametrically opposite. As with everything he loved, Danny had defended Steve fiercely. "You're assuming something without having the complete information… First of all, he didn't push me, I lost my balance. Secondly… listen to me carefully, because I'll only say it once… Steve would cut off his hand before doing something that could hurt Charlie, you understand?"
He wondered how much of what Danny had said was influenced by the love between them. In the end, he decided that, as always, Danny's words had been honest, and had reflected the truth… Perhaps they had been spoken with more passion than usual, due to the new circumstances, but they had not been less truthful for that reason. Actually, he would cut off a hand before hurting them, that was an indisputable fact. Also, Danny always said what he thought... the good and the bad. Even after their relationship changed, he hadn't stopped saying it when they had different opinions. There was something that everyone who knew Danny Williams agreed on. He was always frank, open, and, if necessary, brutally honest.
He got up and walked to the drawer to get some shorts; Despite the cold outside, the heating kept the apartment warm and cozy. As he undressed, he thought Sam would be proud. He had done exactly what he was supposed to do. He had allowed himself to feel... then he had analyzed his feelings, without denying them, and in the end, he rejected Rachel's impulsive words. Seven months ago, he'd have let those same words sink like daggers into his defeated spirit... Today, he decided that he wouldn't allow that to happen... For Danny, for the kids, for himself. That was progress, wasn't it? Now, he'd just have to deal with the shame of having unintentionally ruined the Williams family celebration.
He picked up his phone and made sure that, next morning, Clara received the largest bouquet of flowers he could find.
Dinner was quiet. Nothing to do with the overflowing happiness Danny and his mother had planned for that night, but it wasn't bad. Danny smiled as he saw his mother's joy, when she finally sat at one end of the table and looked at her family. He was sitting near Clara, with Charlie on one side and an empty chair on the other. He felt a pang of sadness that quickly faded when he had to clean the kid's face that was covered in chocolate.
After dinner, as everyone toasted and engaged in their own conversations, Bridget got up from her chair, walked around the table, and sat in the empty chair next to him. "Hey ..." she said with her usual smile.
"Hey..." Danny replied, taking a sip from his glass of mineral water.
She clinked her glass against his and said, "Happy Thanksgiving, big brother!"
Danny smiled and said, "Happy Thanksgiving to you too." They both drank in silence. A moment later, she asked, "Is Steve okay? I guess you couldn't convince him to come back…"
He shrugged and said, "I couldn't have convinced him even if I had tried… he was right to leave, Bridget. The atmosphere was too tense, and he has some trouble dealing with emotional situations. He's home now… embarrassed, but he'll be fine."
She took another sip from her glass and said, "I'm glad Danny… really. Steve is a good guy, he doesn't deserve what is happening to him," she paused briefly and then asked cautiously, "how's therapy going?" She knew he wouldn't talk about it easily, so she decided not to push him too hard.
But Danny smiled again, "Things are going well... a little slow, but that's how it is. All that shit accumulated over twenty years isn't going to go away overnight, you know?"
"Yeah, I guess. Listen to me, Danny. I understand what you said there a little while ago. I know most of us can't fully imagine what Steve is going through... what you two guys are going through. I mean, how could we understand? None of us have faced life and death situations like the ones you face daily... Not to mention what Steve may have experienced while he was an active SEAL." She visibly shuddered and spoke after a few seconds, "It must have been horrible… facing life and death like this… just must give existence a whole new and surreal meaning. Having to deal with it every day, in places where freedom is just a utopia... see men, women and children die... friends or enemies... and live and accept the possibility that, perhaps, you won't be there to see another day."
Danny looked at her intrigued and said, "I couldn't have summed it up better. The problem here is that the real torment began when, instead of dealing with the emotional effects of all that, he bottled everything and kept it as he was taught to do."
She reached out and took his hand, squeezing it, "Yes... but what matters is that he's dealing with it now... You yourself said it is a gradual process, and he has us to help him."
Danny squeezed her hand and said, "Thank you... I know and he knows too."
She smiled and said sarcastically, "Rachel outdid herself this time, huh?"
He sighed and said, "Yes... she tends to do that." Then he looked at his watch for the tenth time in the last five minutes.
"Come on Danny!" She leaned down and kissed him cheerfully on the cheek, "Get out of here and take care of your boy... Tell him we all love him."
When Danny put the key in the lock it was after midnight. The apartment was completely dark and silent. He carried a bag, lovingly prepared by Clara, with a bottle of red wine, two plastic containers filled with slices of turkey with cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, and a huge slice of apple pie.
He stopped by the living room, long enough to take off his coat and shoes, uncork the bottle and pick up two crystal glasses; then, he walked silently to the bedroom and stood by the open door; The room was lit by the dim light coming from an almost full moon. Steve was lying on his back, apparently asleep. His right hand rested on the pillow, next to his head, his left was on his abdomen, which rose and fell to the rhythm of his breathing.
Silently, he put the bag, the bottle of wine and the glasses on the dresser and walked to the bed. He sat on the edge for a few minutes, looking at his partner. He let out a sigh of relief… a part of him had feared that Steve wouldn't be able to sleep after what happened that night, but, on the contrary, he really seemed to be resting; It was a pleasure to see his calm and relaxed expression. Danny smiled to himself, in the past few months, he had really become addicted to seeing Steve while he slept.
"You were right..." Steve said in a sleepy voice.
Danny laughed, "About what?" he asked.
"It's kind of creepy when someone looks at you intently while you're sleeping, Danno. Steve finally opened his eyes, smiled and slid back onto the bed to sit, resting his back on the pillows.
Danny looked at him. His concern was still not entirely gone when he asked, "Hey... are you okay?"
Steve rubbed his eyes, yawned and said, "I'm fine, Danny, but I really regret what happened tonight."
"Come on! It's not your fault".
"I know..." Steve answered and Danny couldn't help but make an expression of surprise, "Do you?"
Steve smiled, "Yes, Danny. I was thinking... a lot. There really was no way I'd have guessed that Rachel would say everything she said… But I can't help but think that… I mean, I was the subject of that discussion and… I'm a little… embarrassed."
The look in Danny's eyes was intense when he said, "I understand… and my family understands too. No one blames you, Steve… Everyone blames Rachel for being so incredibly stupid."
The man smiled, "Yep ..." he said, "Sometimes she's not very clear on her ideas, is she? I mean... she's entitled to her opinion. But expressing it the way she did… of all nights, choosing precisely tonight to do it, spoiling everyone's moment… it wasn't the smart thing to do."
Danny shook his head, "No… it wasn't… Can I ask you a question?" Steve nodded and Danny asked, "If you really know it wasn't your fault, why did you say on the phone that she was right?"
"Because she is, Danny. At least in part... She's worried about Charlie, you should give her that... She has seen and read all those horrible stories where some guys hurt their families... or worse. I can imagine what she must have thought when Charlie told her what happened the other night…"
"But she... how could she think that you...?"
Steve cut him off, "She doesn't know me, Danny... She thinks she does, but she doesn't... I mean, she doesn't know who I am or how I feel about you... or about Grace and Charlie. She just believed that I could hurt you or them. Without a doubt, the fact that she still loves you and she's jealous makes everything much worse. She thinks I am, as you always kindly say, like a mad neanderthal; put all that together with all those sinister newsreel images... She really believed that you and the kids were in danger with me. I hope she has understood the message, and that she knows, by now, that I'd rather die before do something like that."
Danny reached out and stroked Steve's cheek as he said, "If she didn't, the kids and I will make sure she will, don't worry..." After a pause, he asked, "Did you take those sleeping pills tonight?" Steve shook his head and said, "Not yet... I wanted to wait for you to get home."
"Excellent!" Danny said as he got up and walked to the dresser; He took the bottle and started pouring the wine. He walked over to the bed and said, "Because I was thinking... maybe we can get something good out of all this..." He gave Steve a glass of wine, which clinked when it lightly hit Danny's.
Steve smiled, took a sip and asked, "Oh yeah? What do you have in mind?"
Danny sat back on the edge of the bed and said, "Well… We have wine, the atmosphere suggests some romance… You're there, in bed, barely dressed, which reminds me of the main reason I should be thankful for this year... So, I think this could have a happy ending. Don't you?" Danny took a sip of wine and said, "It was actually my mother's idea… that we have our own… celebration."
Steve choked on the wine, coughed a little, and asked, " Was it your mother's idea that you seduce me with a dose of wine and romance to celebrate?"
Danny laughed out loud, "Okay, when you say it like that, it sounds pretty weird ... she didn't get to that. She just packed some food for you and suggested the bottle of wine... I guess the rest is my idea. What do you think?" He leaned out and kissed Steve softly. A nice heat wave settled in his stomach... he didn't know if it was because of the wine or because of the intoxicating sensation of tasting it directly from Steve's lips. The other man smiled and without moving away, he said "That could be..." another kiss, "the best idea you've had... in a long... long time."
Almost a month later, they were there again; The festive atmosphere flooded the Williams house, the gifts were piled under the tree and the kids were running and laughing all over the place. Steve and Danny entered the living room and stopped by the stairs to look at Grace, who was walking through the house with a small branch of mistletoe in her hand, placing it over the head of her uncles and aunts, to force them to kiss each other. As she approached her dad, the gazes of all the family members focused on them, as Grace waved the mistletoe branch over Danny's head and kissed him warmly on the cheek, "Merry Christmas, Danno!"
Danny smiled and kissed Grace's cheek tenderly, "Merry Christmas, Monkey!" He replied.
Then she walked over to Steve... she huffed a little when she stood in front of him. She stood on tiptoe and tried to raise her hand over the man's head. "You really needed to be so tall?" she asked frustrated. Determined not to make things easier for her, Steve smiled and crossed his arms.
But, like her old man, Grace was a resourceful girl; she thought about it for a second and surrounded him; She climbed a couple of steps and waved the mistletoe over Steve's head, giving him a loud kiss on the cheek. "Mele Kalikimaka, Uncle Steve!" she said.
Finally, he gave up, laughed and hugged Grace, "Mele Kalikimaka, honey...!" he said, as he kissed the girl's head. When they moved away, Steve started to walk towards the couch, but Grace yelled at him, "Nop. Not yet...! You're not going to go away that easy. Come back here."
Obediently Steve came back next to her. Grace put the sprig of mistletoe over Danny's head again and said, "Now it's your turn." Steve smiled at the girl's naughty look, leaned down, and gently kissed Danny's lips, saying "Merry Christmas Danno!" Danny smiled and replied, "Merry Christmas to you too, babe." His answer was silenced by applause and whistles from all members of the Williams family.
May was unusually wet in Los Angeles that year. The tropical storm had passed a few days earlier, but had left behind some residual rains, as it entered the continent and faded. Through the window, Steve watched the rain hit the surface of the airstrip, as they waited for the control tower to give them green light to take off. Next to him, Danny took his hand and squeezed it gently. He turned his head and looked at him, smiling.
"What are you thinking?" Danny asked.
Steve thought for a few seconds and replied, "I was just thinking... things have changed a lot last year, right?"
Danny nodded, "Yeah… I suppose they have… My flight a year ago was full of uncertainty… I wasn't sure if we would be able to make it through."
Steve remembered the moment he got on that plane 13 months earlier. "Yes ..." he said thoughtfully. "At the time, all I wanted was to escape, not understanding that no matter where I went, all the problems would go away with me. Now…"
Danny smiled and waited, but Steve didn't finish the sentence, so he asked, "Now ... did you find the peace you were looking for?"
Steve slowly nodded and said, "You know what? I think I did…" He tightened his grip around Danny's hand and said, "I think I found it sooner than I thought… Peace was by my side all the time, only I couldn't see it at the time…"
"You needed a fresh start… we both did. If we hadn't left Hawaii, we probably never would have seen it. Also, I think Sam was essential in solving the mess in our heads."
"Yes... he was," Steve replied, remembering his last session with Dr. Robbins.
In February, the frequency of therapy sessions decreased to once a week for each of them, and their joint session was held once every month. In early April, the medication was gradually discontinued, and the sessions were reduced to once every two weeks. Sam wanted to watch Steve's reactions without the anxiolytic and his periods of sleep without pills, before taking the next step. Either way, Steve kept the near-full bottle of emergency pills in his nightstand drawer, just in case. He hadn't needed them in over six months.
On April 20 they finally started talking about going home: That day Sam had told them that the follow-up phase would start in early May. They should meet him once every two months to discuss their progress. That night, Steve lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling. Danny's gaze traveled over the bare skin of his chest and shoulders. The tan that previously colored that skin had almost completely faded. Steve's work at the community center and the strenuous therapy session schedule, made it nearly impossible for them to spend a day at the beach swimming or surfing. However, they had tried it several times and, although they had a good time, Danny realized that Steve missed the waves at Pipeline or Waimea Bay.
There were other details that revealed Steve's homesick. Like that time, when the man had sighed for a Longboard in the middle of a picnic at Bridget's house backyard, as Danny gave him a bottle of light beer; or the time he talked to Clara for almost two hours about Kamekona's endless variety of recipes for cooking shrimp.
That night, Danny took his hand and asked, "So, what do you think, babe? We go back home?"
Steve looked at him in surprise, "But… this is your home, Danny. I… I didn't think you'd want to go back to Hawaii… And I don't want to go back there without you."
Danny smiled, "Why wouldn't I want to go back, Steve? My home is where you are... To tell the truth, I miss Hawaii a little, although you'll never hear me say that out loud again... Plus, Charlie keeps telling me that he misses his school and his friends, this morning he told me that it was enough vacation in Jersey, and he wanted to go home. What about you? Do you want to go back home?"
"Well… yes... I'd like to go back. I think I'm ready. I've been thinking about some things we could do there."
"Oh yeah? I think I'm afraid to ask... What kind of things?
Steve hesitated for a second and said: "I don't know ... maybe open our own diving school ... where amateurs can learn to dive in a way that respects the culture and traditions of the islands, and be friendly to the environment, but also offering certifications, reef diving excursions ..." He leaned over Danny and kissed him, before saying, "romantic boat tours under the moonlight... things like that."
Danny looked at him amused, "Our dive school? But you know I don't dive, Steve."
Steve laughed out loud, "You don't dive yet… You could be our first student… what do you think? Is it too crazy?"
Danny seemed to consider it, finally he said, "I think it's not crazy… in fact, I think it's a great idea. You could take advantage of all your Aquamán Ninja skills."
Steve leaned in again and kissed him, as he said with a smile, "Yeah! And we could call it, 'Danno's diving' What do you think?" He laughed louder, when Danny pinched his butt.
They decided to keep the apartment. Grace had decided that, for her third year, she no longer wanted to stay in the campus dorm. That way, they would save some money and have a place to stay when they came to town for their follow-up appointments.
Steve opened his eyes just as the Captain announced their arrival at Daniel K. Inouye International Airport. It took them a few minutes to get to the gate, and finally, the passengers started to walk to the exit. They waited until the plane was almost empty before getting up, so it would be easier to take care of the children.
Rachel stayed in Jersey to finish her job, so she would fly back to Hawaii a few weeks later, so Danny took Charlie's hand as Steve pulled the duffel bags out of the overhead compartment. Then he took Joannie, who was sound asleep, in his arms and walked behind Mary toward the exit.
The meeting with his sister had been emotional, to say the least. Danny had a hard time getting Steve to muster up enough courage to call Mary... it was difficult at first, because they both had a lot to say, questions to answer and wounds to heal, but for the past five months, they had talked on the phone every week.
It was a last-minute decision: On their way home, Steve and Danny would make a stop in Los Angeles and Mary and Joan would join them in the second part of the trip for a long and well-deserved vacation in Hawaii.
When they finally reached the beach house, they were greeted with a great uproar. They were all there. Eddie lunged at Steve, licking his face with great affection, as the man scratched his ears and said, "Eddie boy! Did you miss me?"
Junior and Adam hugged them tightly; Tani, Quinn and Noelani greeted them with leis and kisses; Kamekona, Flippa and Nahele with huge bags of shrimp and helium balloons. Lou and Renee were also there; Cole and Duke; Erick and Jerry.
Steve and Danny hugged each of their friends with great affection. Then Lou walked over to Steve and hugged him one more time, as he said, "Welcome home, chief. I missed you." Steve patted Lou's huge back and said, "I missed you too, brother."
When they finally moved away, Lou asked, "So… did you find the peace you were looking for?"
Steve looked away to see Danny who, dazed, listened to Jerry's talk about his new book... he looked at Lou again and said, "Yes... I did... or perhaps it would be more accurate to say that he found me."
Lou smiled knowingly and said, "I'm glad, man... you two deserve to have something good in your lives." He pointed to Danny who, by that time was looking everywhere, asking for help. The captain laughed and said, "You better go rescue him and I'll distract Jerry."
When everyone finally left, Danny went to the guest room to take Charlie to bed, Mary and Joan said good night and went up to the other room. Steve opened another beer and headed out to the beach, followed by Eddie. The cool night breeze caressed his skin as he closed his eyes and listened to the incessant and calming sound of the waves. He took a deep breath... He was home! He sat down in his wooden chair and started scratching Eddie's neck, drinking his ice-cold Longboard.
Ten or fifteen minutes later, he heard the familiar footsteps approaching across the lawn. Eddie got up and started running down the beach, just as Danny was putting two glasses and a bottle of whiskey on the table and said, "You told me we'd drink it when it was all over, so..." Then, he knelt in front of Steve, reached up to his neck, and took off a metal chain hidden under the collar of his shirt.
Slowly, he passed the chain around Steve's neck, until the dog tags rested on his chest, and he said, "I told you I'd give them back to you the day we drank that bottle, remember?" Steve stroked the metal, warm from the contact with Danny's skin. He took off the chain from his neck, kissed the dog tags, and placed the chain around Danny's neck again, while saying, "I also told you this is a part of me that would be with you... I want you to keep them."
Danny smiled. He leaned forward and kissed Steve, then he got up to drop into his chair when Steve lifted the bottle and read the label smiling, "Okay..." He poured the whiskey and handed Danny one of the glasses, as he said, "Okay... let's toast... to you!"
Danny collided his glass with Steve's and said, "No... to us!"
AN: As some of you may have noticed, I borrowed an idea for the boys' new beginning. I wanted Steve to do something that, while taking advantage of his special abilities, was in no way related to the violence and death that haunted him for most of his life. So I took a page from Alex O'Loughlin's book and decided that the boys would do something similar; Therefore, I allowed myself to borrow the idea of Trident Adventures. There is no intention to offend Alex or any of the other co-owners of that company, Stephen Kaplan, James Beck or Beulah Koele. In fact, I admire what they have done with Trident Adventures, as an alternative to an adventure on the islands, respectful of the environment and Hawaiian culture.
Having said that. Thanks for reading and see you later!