I don't dance

Oh snap! Guess who's back after another extremely long hiatus? I just realised it's been almost a year and a half since my last update and that is crazy. Because it feels like just a couple months. I'm not gonna go into detail as to why you only got two updates after my last hiatus before I disappeared again. The only thing you need to worry/be excited about is that I'm back. I will not promise this and that many updates a week as I do have school and work, but I will get back to update this story. I hope you can forgive my absence and that you like this new update. Lots of love from me! :)

Scanning the reflection looking back at her in the mirror, Grace takes a deep breath. The beige nude material that cling to her waist and hips like a second skin flows into a slight mermaid shape at her mid thighs. Small crystals cover the dress, making it look like she's surrounded by a golden aura and the thin straps wrap around her shoulders and crosses at her back as it descends and reconnects to the dress right at her lower back.

Her hair is in a carefully but not perfected bun, but it feels unnatural. She'd never do her hair like that, but Tommy's girlfriend Macy had insisted. Apparently it's in.

Grabbing her shoes of the floor and her clutch of the nightstand she walks downstairs to wait for Steve. For some reason she's not sure of, she feels nervous. Like it's her first day of school and she doesn't know any of the other kids. To cool her nerves she pours herself a glass of the wine she has standing on her living room table and takes a large sip. She sits down in the nearest chair and start to put on her shoes to reoccupy her brain who's currently going a hundred miles per hours.

As she checks the time for the tenth time in the last hour her phone starts to ring and she quickly grabs for it without checking who's calling. "Hello."

"Hi Cece, long time no talk." The person on the other side of the line greets her and she freezes as she recognises the voice.

"Rhys?" she asks, needing to be sure that it's him.

"The one and only."

Realization hits her like a wave of panic and she feels the need to run away and hide. Getting up from her seat she starts to pace while trying to control her anger. The last time she saw or spoke to her brother was at Christmas two years prior. Sean had been keeping her up to speed on anything important that happened, but other than that he hadn't crossed her mind in a very long time.

"How are you?" How have been?" she asks him, unsure of what to say. She can hear him sigh on the other side and that makes her feel better. He's struggling just as much as me with this. "I'm good, I've been good." He answers her, hesitantly. Grace couldn't really remember when her relationship with her brother got to the point where neither of them knew how to talk to each other, and it made her both sad and angry. She loved her family, unconditionally and no matter what. That was her curse in life.

"That's good, I'm glad." She mumbled. "I'm sorry I haven't been in touch much for a while, there's just been a lot going on and to be completely honest it's been nice to have a break from everything back home."

"I get it. And besides the phone works both ways and I haven't exactly been calling you day and night either, have I?" he says, trying to make her feel less guilty. Which she did. "I know we have our differences, but you're still my little sister and I just wanted to make sure you're ok after the whole thing with Rupert."

Not knowing how to respond to his unnormal affectionate behaviour, Grace struggled to answer him. Wanting to talk about so much and yet so little with her brother, her thoughts were cut short by a knock on her door. "I'm alright, and I'm glad you're doing good. I would talk some more, but I have to go, I have somewhere to be." She quickly explained before giving him a short goodbye and hanging up.

She walks over to the door and takes a deep breath to calm herself down as she turns the doorknob. Standing on the other side of her doorstep was a smiling Steve. Overwhelmed by how he looked in his tuxedo, she had to concentrate on not stumbling over her words.

"You look beautiful," Steve manages to get out without sounding like he's struggling. Because he is. Grace always looked beautiful, but this. Right now. The thoughts running through his head was were no longer coherent. Her dress left both nothing and everything to the imagination and he wanted to tell her that. But with their agreement to take it slow while getting to know each other, that could seem inappropriate.

"You clean up pretty well yourself," she told him with a smile lingering on her lips.

As the driver pulled into the hotel where the fundraiser was held, Steve quickly got out of the car and walked around it to open the door for Grace. She smiled to herself at the notion, liking the gentleman side to him. "Thank you," she smiled at him as she took his hand and stepped out of the car. Pushing her normal independence down she let him escort her into the hotel and toward the ballroom without pointing out that she could do it on her own.

There had already arrived a good amount of people when they walked in. "I'll be right back," Steve told her as he headed over to register their arrival and getting their table number.

"Well don't you look nice." The sound of Tommy's voice made Grace roll her eyes. "Wish I could say the same about you," she shot back at him as she turned to greet him and Macy.

Tommy had met Macy not long after they'd moved to Hawaii and according to him it was love at first sight. For her it was more like love at fifth sight. Grace gave Macy a hug and said thanks for the help with her hair before turning to Tommy who gave a small kiss on the cheek like he always did.

"What's wrong?" he immediately asked as their eyes met and she mentally cursed herself for not being able to hide anything from him. "Nothing," she said nonchalantly while giving Macy a small smile. "Don't believe you," he pushed. "Don't" Grace pleaded with slight panic in her eyes as she saw Steve walking toward them I her peripheral. "Everything is fine," she tried to assure him in a hushed tone as Steve reached them.

After dinner and entertainment the bidding started and all the guests were encouraged to walk around and look at the different items up for auction. Currently Steve and Danny were in the middle of an argument in which Danny accused Steve of being a sore loser since he bid one dollar over Danny for season tickets. It was highly entertaining. As their bickering continued Grace took the opportunity to carefully sneak behind Steve and out down a bid for the tickets herself. Kono gave her an amused smile when she noticed what Grace had done and they shared a small laugh as the two men were still going at each other.

"You know what, I'm gonna go do something less draining than talking to you." Danny finally said to end the argument and turned to Kono. "Like to dance?" he asked her. She accepted his invitation and took his hand, following him onto the dancefloor.

People had started dancing not long after dinner and the Governors speech. Steve wasn't the biggest dancer himself, but when the occasion called for it he always seemed to end up on the dancefloor in one way or another. Looking over at Grace who was observing Danny and Kono and the other guests he decided this was one of those times when the occasion called for a dance. "Dance with me?" he asked, turning her attention to him and his outstretched hand. She raised an eyebrow at him and smiled. "I don't dance," she told him. Now it was Steve's turn to raise an eyebrow. "And why is that?"

"No particular reason, Commander. I just don't dance. Not since I was thirteen anyway."

"Come on," he said and reached his hand even closer to her. "It's for charity."

"Using sick children to get me to dance with you. Do you really think that would work on me?" she asks him, amused. "I don't know. Is it?" he asks back, hoping the answer is yes.

Letting out a small breath of frustration she gave in and took his hand. "You are an awful, awful person Steve McGarrett." He can't help but smile at her statement as he leads to the dancefloor. "I know."