/ Birthday, Grace version \\\

Steve smiled as he pulled the silver car into the parking spot in front of Grace's school. She waved and ran towards the car, waving goodbye to her friends on the way.

"Happy birthday, Steve," she said, opening the passenger side door and leaning over her father.

Steve leaned over and accepted a kiss on the cheek.

"Do you have to go back to work?"

"No," Steve said. "Our case is wrapped so we're going home."

"Cake and dinner and presents," Grace said, closing the door and yanking open the back one so she could climb in.

"Seatbelt," Danny said.

"Done, how was your day, Steve?"

"Good, we went out for a plate lunch with Chin and Kono, then we just did a bunch of paperwork and got everything ready for us to take holidays for the wedding and while Lizzie and everyone is here."

"It's going to be amazing," Grace said. "It's been so long since I've seen them."

"They are looking forward to it as well," Danny said.

"What time are they getting in?" Grace asked.

"2pm, if it all goes well Steve will come and get you from school while I get everyone to the hotel and Steve will bring you there. We'll have dinner and I'll take you home."

"It's so exciting," Grace said.

"Just ten more days until the wedding," Danny said.

"Still too long," Steve said, wrapping his hand around Danny's wrist and squeezing for a beat.

They arrived home and went down to the beach, swimming for hours until the sun started to lose its heat and Danny decided it was time to go up. He sent Grace and Steve off to have their showers while he turned the oven on.

"Danno," Grace said in a whisper, sneaking into the kitchen.

"What's up?" Danny asked, matching her tone.

"I need to talk to you about something."

"Of course, Gracie, what is it?"

"I want to ask Steve something."

Danny frowned and nodded. "You can ask him whatever you want, monkey."

"I don't want you to be sad about it though."

"What is it?"

"I want him to have a name."

Danny frowned and sat down. "I don't know what you mean."

"I want to have a name to call him. I don't want to call him Uncle Steve anymore but I don't want to upset you by giving him a name."

"I think that's a great idea, monkey."

"Are you sure?"

Danny nodded and pulled Grace into a hug. "And I think Steve will absolutely love that."

"Yeah?"

Danny nodded and kissed his daughter on the head, the smell of salt hitting him.

"I want to talk to him alone about it, is that okay?" Grace asked.

Danny nodded. "I will take some extra time in the shower to let you talk to him about it."

"Thanks, Danno."

Danny kissed her on the head again and sent her off to have her shower. He turned back to the oven and slid the lasagne he'd prepared earlier inside. He went upstairs to find Steve already out of the shower and scrubbing at his head.

"Thank goodness that grew back," Danny said, he tugged off the rashie he'd been wearing and threw it into the laundry basket they used for swim things.

Steve scratched at his scalp. "You really hate the short hair?"

Danny shrugged. "Hate is a heavy word – I'm glad that this haircut and the grey is back for the wedding."

"And if I cut it all back off after the wedding?"

"It's your hair, it's your choice."

Steve shrugged. "Except for the wedding?"

"If you really wanted the short hair for the wedding, you'd have kept it."

"You don't like it."

"I don't like it as much, that's not the same."

Steve sighed. "You can't just say you hate the short hair."

"I prefer this – it's not the same as hating it…you go blond and we'll have a talk about hating hair."

Steve laughed. "Want me to organise the garlic bread with Gracie while you're in the shower?"

"Yeah, thanks, babe."

Danny turned and walked towards the shower, he was curious what name Gracie and Steve would come up with but he loved that Grace wanted to have this with Steve, that she wanted to plan this with him.

Downstairs, Steve heard Grace's shower still going so he went into the kitchen and pulled out a baguette Danny had purchase especially for this and started cutting it in long lines. He grabbed the al foil and started mixing up the garlic butter. When he was done, he left it there, cleaning up the crumbs and waiting for Grace.

"Steve," she said, catching him off guard while he thought about tomorrow and that this was the last night it would just be the three of them before the wedding.

"Yeah, Grace?" he asked, turning around.

"Can we talk?"

Steve nodded and sat down at the kitchen table. "Is anything wrong?"

Grace shook her head and sat across from him. "In a week and a half you're going to be married to Dad."

"Yes…you're still, you're still okay," Steve asked, swallowing thickly, "with that, aren't you?"

"Of course," she said, grinning at him. "But when you're my step-dad I want to have a special name for you. If you want, I understand if you wouldn't want to."

"Of course I want to," Steve said, unable to hold in a grin at the idea of a special name…Grace's special name for him.

"You do?"

Steve nodded emphatically.

"What do you think it should be?"

Steve sat back to think. "I don't know."

"Me either," Grace said with a sigh.

Steve sat forward. "What about Step-Steve?"

Grace frowned. "Danno calls Stan Step-Stan when he's annoyed at Stan buying me things."

"Yeah."

"But you like it?"

"Your mum called me Step-Steve once and I like it…I like that I'm going to be your stepdad."

"Are you sure?"

Steve nodded. "We can keep thinking but if we don't come up with anything else I'm happy to be Step-Steve."

"Okay, Step-Steve."

Steve grinned at her. "Should we make some garlic bread, Gracie?"

"You can call me Step-Gracie," she said with a cheeky grin.

"Can I stick with Gracie?"

She nodded. "I was joking, Step-Steve."

"Step-Steve?" Danny asked, walking into the room.

Steve laughed. "That's going to be Grace's name for me when we're married."

"Unless we come up with something better, but Step-Steve said he's happy with it."

"I can tell that," Danny said, looking at the smile on Steve's face. "Steve looks like the cat that got the canary."

"The Danny and Grace," Steve said. "It's a pretty awesome package."

Danny walked over and slid an arm over Grace's shoulders, pressing a kiss to her wet hair. "We get Steve so, what do you think, monkey, fair trade?"

She nodded. "Yeah."

Steve looked even more pleased with himself.

"Now, someone better sort out this garlic bread."

"Yeah," Grace said, pulling away and reaching for the bread.

Danny knew Steve would be happy that Grace asked but the name did surprise him – he should eventually accept that there were always going to be surprises for him in this life he'd chosen with Steve. Steve pressed into him, arms settling around his middle and fiddling with the drawstring on Danny's pants.

"Are you okay?" Steve asked.

Danny twisted and frowned at Steve. "Of course."

Steve tipped his head towards the door. Danny nodded and followed him out of the room.

"What?" Danny asked as soon as they were a few steps out into the living room.

"Grace calling me Step-Steve, do you mind?"

Danny smiled and pulled Steve close. "She checked with me first and I am so happy she wanted to do it…it was all her, babe."

Steve's body twitched in what Danny could only assume was happiness.

"Do you need to run it past Rachel?"

Danny shook his head. "Grace's chosen a name for you herself; I think that's enough."

"Stan doesn't have a special name."

"Could you be any happier, babe? You look like you're going to vibrate out of your skin."

"I'm Step-Steve…I'm her step-parent."

Danny kissed him. "Grace can choose to call Stan something else if she wants to but I'm always going want her to make decisions like that for herself – she didn't choose for Rachel and I to get divorced and she likes Stan and she loves you but she didn't get to choose you both either so what she calls you is her choice."

"That's very rational of you," Steve said.

"Therapy," Danny said with a shrug.

"Then it's good for something?"

"It's good for lots of things," Danny said.

"Yeah," Steve agreed, "I'm glad you went."

"Me too, it's helped but I'm going to stick with it for a while after the honeymoon."

"Yeah?" Steve asked, spine stiffening a little.

"Yep, I can talk to you too but it's nice to talk to someone who doesn't love me."

Steve frowned. "That makes no sense."

"Sure it does, I love you so I'm always on your side and I'm always going to support you but the doc's job is to question the stuff we don't want to poke at too hard."

"Why would you want to?"

"Because otherwise I'm worried I'll do something like what I did before or maybe I'll do something worse and all that anger will cause issues with us."

"I wouldn't let it."

"Contrary to popular belief, babe, you're not actually Superman and I want to be the best Danny I can for you."

Steve grinned widely, eyes crinkling.

"Garlic bread's ready," Grace called out.

"Coming," Danny said, turning around and walking back into the kitchen. They wrapped the bread up in al foil and Danny checked the lasagne. "Not quite yet, should we do presents and then dinner?"

"Yes," Grace said, running out of the kitchen.

"Go and sit down," Danny directed. "I've got to go and get your present."

"But you got me one already."

"I'm spoiling you," Danny said, pushing Steve towards the door.

Danny came back down to find Grace holding a gift wrapped in glittery paper and Steve looking unsure what to do about all of this 'birthday' business.

"Here," Grace said, thrusting her gift into Steve's hands and bouncing with excitement.

"Thank you, Gracie."

"Open it," she said.

He pulled the paper off slowly, and shook out the black cotton. He smiled and turned the t-shirt around and laid it against his chest. On the front was a picture of two people surfing – one who looked like Steve and the other looked like Grace.

"That's awesome, monkey."

"They have this program that creates them, it's a cousin of Kamekona's shop and she just needed a photo of Steve. Mum bought me one too."

"Excellent," Steve said, pulling the shirt on over his pyjama top. "I love it, Gracie."

She beamed. "I knew you would."

"And now my turn," Danny said, handing Steve the flat box.

"A painting?"

"Yeah," Danny said, "I know I've done it before but I started it before the idea of the skydiving."

"And the waffles, you didn't need to."

Danny looked at his daughter. "He just doesn't get it, does he, Gracie? We do this because we want to not because we need to."

"We'll teach him," she said.

"I do have the rest of my life to try and convince him," Danny said. "Now open it."

Steve pulled the paper off and frowned when he saw a piece of paper tapped to the back of the frame. He pulled it off and looked at Danny.

Grace laughed.

"Do you know about this one, Gracie?"

"Yes, Step-Steve, it's going to be so much fun."

"What is?"

"Can I suggest you read the paper, Steven?"

Steve rolled his eyes and unfolded the paper. "A hot air balloon trip?"

"We are not taking Gracie into the plane and allowing her to jump out of it so we're going to take her up in a hot air balloon instead."

Steve smiled. "That's great."

"It's going to be so much fun," Grace said. "I cannot wait…no one else in my class has ever been to New Zealand and it's going to be the best thing ever."

"Definitely the best thing ever," Steve agreed. He flipped the frame over and grinned – it was a painting of the three of them, sitting on the couch and watching a lightning storm. "Definitely the best thing ever."

"I thought it might be a nice partner to the one of your family," Danny said.

"Then we need one of your family too."

"I'll paint something after the wedding," Danny agreed.

"Good," Steve said, staring down at the painting with Grace curled against his arm.

"Happy birthday, babe," Danny said, standing up. He kissed Steve and then went to put the garlic bread in. They ate and then had cake and curled up on the couch to watch a movie before Grace went to bed.

"There is one more thing," Danny said, he took Steve's hand and pulled him up the stairs.

"What?"

"A drawing…I believe you're familiar with them."

Steve's eyes brightened and he hustled Danny up the stairs.

/