I do not own Hawaii Five-0 or any characters. No copyright infringement intended.
Notes: oh Phoebe you and your "oh so very cool" ideas!. And sorry for the delay on this story ... I was driven to finish Mindgames.
H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O
The first wedding was done in the privacy of their home. A simple affair because Danny was still healing and wheel-chair bound. If given his druthers, Danny would have preferred to wait until he was back on his feet and nary a blemish on his face. But time was of the essence when it came one very specific cause: C.J.'s petition for formal adoption. And really, it wasn't that they needed to be officially wed to adopt the boy; they both simply wanted to be. Dotting all the i's and crossing each t seemed like a necessity from soup to nuts. Everything had to be done perfectly, absolutely ... one thousand percent ...correctly.
So they did move ahead with the event, quickly and on the sly, knowing that there would be a second wedding. A larger affair, maybe not grand but all-inclusive of their closest family and friends. And during that fine day, their plan would be to also announce C.J.'s permanent adoption into their family. Until then though, Grace and the two little boys were sworn to secrecy about the private wedding. Danny learned that he needn't have worried at all about the slip of a tongue or two from either of the boys ... now that they were secret brothers ... it was all the better since the keeping such enormous secrets made it all the more fun.
If anything, C.J.'s and Charlie's finger signing abilities had escalated tenfold. Where tongues might not have wagged, little fingers flew through the air at warp speed amongst other adults clueless about the intricacies of sign language. Sometimes even he and Steve had trouble deciphering the silent conversation taking place between their two sons.
Now though, it was time to finalize the adoption. With Emily's blessing in hand and the date now set, he and Steve had one thing left to do: agree on C.J.'s new formal name. The convention of which had become a full-on bickering match.
"Conor James G. W. McGarrett," Danny insisted two weeks into their private marriage as they stood next to each other over Steve's desk in the study. With the date for the adoption now set thirty days out, their second wedding could be similarly set in stone. But he and Steve were arguing the finer points around C.J.'s paperwork: how to manage his soon-to-be, new official name.
"No, I like McGarrett-Williams and we discuss how we incorporate Gardner," Steve argued back. "And why using any initials at all when his first name has defaulted to that nickname? Spell it all out! Not only does it sound better, it's alphabetical that way. How often is he really going to have to spell the whole thing out anyway?"
"Well ... I'll tell you when and where! On any application he's got to fill out ... drivers license ... credit cards ... a ton of stuff as he gets older! I'm telling you, it's too long and his given name is long enough already!" Danny said with a pained noise of discontent. "Emily wants to keep his original family name somewhere in the mix. He really has to for the Gardner inheritance when he's of age. So how the heck is this going to work? He sounds like a Duke!"
"A duke?!" Steve sputtered and then laughed out before bussing a kiss to the side of Danny's head. "You're crazy, you know that?"
"Really?" Danny grinned even if he was a bit annoyed, entwining their pinky fingers below the edge of the desk. "Conor James Gardner Williams-McGarrett? You try writing that out as a seven year old. How would he even sign all that? His fingers will cramp up."
From the opposite side of the room, Grace giggled. "It sort of does sound like some kind of royal pedigree, Uncle Steve! But I agree with you because McGarret-Williams will be easier to explain to the boys and they so want to be real brothers on paper now too. If C.J.'s his last name doesn't end in Williams, then the boys will get confused and there will be an argument. I think you're both going to be stuck with changing his name to Conor James Gardner McGarrett-Williams. In school now, he'll just be C.J. McGarrett-Williams and when he's older, he can do whatever he wants."
"I'm opposed to taking your name out of the picture, Danno," Steve said as he kissed the side of Danny's head again.
"But he would be part Williams too; the 'W' is just fine."
"Nope. I don't like it," Steve was determined. "He's yours - mine and ours - and Grace is right, so two against one, pal. He's a McGarrett-Williams. Hell, he can even just be just Williams at school if it's easier and makes both boys happy. They'd understand that."
"What!? No way!" Danny just about squawked his objection, making both Steve and his daughter laugh. "Your name isn't optional either! If you think C.J. wouldn't understand the brother thing, he sure as heck wouldn't understand why he isn't a McGarrett."
"But he would be ...," Steve interjected only to get interrupted again, the tone just as indignant.
"On paper!"
"I think you just answered your own question, Dad," Grace said with a huge smile. "So that's it. Thank Emily for agreeing. File the darn papers, he's a McGarrett-Williams in public, and confirm the court date with the lawyer so we can have the official wedding!"
"There you go," Steve said, tugging Danny close as an excuse to kiss the top of his head this time. "Conor James G. McGarrett-Williams. We spell out Gardner only if Emily wants; but I don't thinks she's as persnickety as you," he gently chided.
"Persnickety?" Danny grumbled, not meaning it all as he turned into Steve's one-armed hug. He leaned up to ask for a kiss and Steve huffed a warm laugh as he readily obliged.
"Yeah, you're completely and utterly ... persnickety," Steve doted on him. He made a very small circle with his thumb and forefinger. "Just a little bit. But ... it's cute."
"Cute? You've gone from bad to worse," Danny mock-glared, completely oblivious to the fact that his daughter had giggled her way out of the room.
H5O* H5O
Grace tried to stay quiet as she watched the wheels chugging along inside her brother's head. She knew that something was up - something big- because he'd been thinking way too long. She smiled when he made a face much like their father when he was confused.
"But, if Danno and Uncle Steve adopt C.J. and he's half a Williams ...," Charlie began, pausing as he tried to puzzle out his question just the right way. "... then, he's only part my brother because Uncle Steve is my uncle ... but he's going to be C.J.'s daddy like Danno is my daddy. And ... and C.J.'s not gonna have just Uncle Steve's last name. He's gonna have two last names! And ... and I can't and ... it's not fair cause Uncle Steve isn't my daddy, so me and C.J. ... we aren't really gonna be brothers."
Grace closed her eyes as she tried to put all that together. Telling Charlie what they planned to do about the adoption had gone down a path least expected. Not once had any one of them wondered if Charlie might care about a hyphenated last name. His argument was unexpected. Oddly, it was sort of a sound argument even if his explanation was a jumble of words. Taking a deep breath, she tried to offer the simplest explanation possible.
"No, you are brothers already because Danno and Uncle Steve got married secretly," Grace tried to explain for the hundredth time. "So that makes both of you my brothers and I'm C.J.'s sister as much as you are. They are just going to adopt him and the adoption is a legal thing. So it's a little bit more complicated ... so you don't have to worry so much. It's has to do with the law ... and how his Aunt Emily wants things, too."
She thought that she had done a good job, yet Charlie only pursed his lips into a thin, firm line. Grace wasn't sure he understood a thing about what she'd just said or if he was just digging in harder for his own reasons. For a minute he was quiet, then he was completely disagreeing with every single thing she'd just said.
"No. You're my sister and only part his sister, cause Uncle Steve isn't your daddy either. He can't be our dad if he's our Uncle!"" Grace sighed loudly. This discussion was getting out of hand and far too deep for an almost seven year old. Charlie wasn't going to let it go though as he picked up speed.
"I want him to be my whole brother," Charlie was almost whining now, his eyes big and pleading for Grace to come up with the right answer for them. "If he's a McGarrett-Williams, then I wanna be one, too! Why can't he adopt us, too? Why can't I be a McGarrett-Williams, too?
"Charlie ...I don't know; maybe we already are because Danno and Uncle Steve got married. But as an adoption? I don't think Uncle Steve can adopt us because ... because of our mom and dad. We have parents already." But Grace truly didn't know. She hadn't really thought about any of this at all. Apparently though, it was now a big deal to Charlie and maybe even to C.J. Right then, Grace was flat out flabbergasted as her little brother just stared at her as if she could solve this entire dilemma he'd conjured up. She had no idea what to say at all.
"Can we adopt Uncle Steve to be our daddy?" Grace blinked wildly, not sure she'd heard him right.
"What?"
"Well, if he can't adopt us cause he's our uncle ... and we already have a mommy and a daddy which means he can't adopt us ... then ... well," Charlie began slowly and then sped up as his idea gelled. "Well ... why can't we adopt him? If we adopted him ... then he would have to be a Williams, right? So then, we'd be McGarretts."
"What? I'm not sure that makes sense ... how can kids adopt an adult?" Grace's mouth fell open in surprise as her brother began to smile. The smile grew bigger and bigger as he bought in, hook, line and sinker to his very own little plan.
"I bet we can," Charlie began to insist. "We can adopt Uncle Steve and make him a Williams ... and that's gonna be our big secret!"
"Secret?" Grace was still trying to absorb this crazy idea. An idea that was suddenly tickling her funny bone and drawing her in, too. Adopting Uncle Steve. It was a cute idea and maybe possible even if it wasn't entirely a legal thing. Maybe. For all she knew, it could be a real thing.
"Can we do it Gracie? Can me and you adopt Uncle Steve?"
"I don't know Charlie," she replied in all honesty. She was thinking though and Charlie knew she was thinking by the way he was smiling up at her.
"Can we do it?" Charlie's plea was hardly necessary. Grace was already trying to figure out how might be able to help her out with some kind of protocol. Even if what they did wasn't exactly legal ... not really above board ... something that wouldn't hold up in a court of law ... it needed to be as close to that as possible.
"Grace?"
She nodded, beaming when her little brother threw his arms around her waist.
"Can we?" He stared up at her, ever hopeful and Grace laughed out loud. She liked this idea. She liked it a lot.
"Yeah, buddy. I'll figure it out."
H5O* H5O
"Mom?" This was the last person Grace ever thought she'd go to. Yet, here she was broaching a very delicate subject to her mother. She needed an adult though for advice and some guidance. Especially if she and Charlie were going to surprise Uncle Steve ... and their father. The thing was though, Grace had no idea what her mother thought of this adoption. She didn't know what her mother really felt inside about her father's relationship with his one-time work partner. Not really ... even if her mother had never once shown a single sign of disapproval about either of the things.
However, her mother was an exceptional poker player at the worst of times; hence her parents divorce in the first place. Grace was worried as she interrupted her mother's quiet time on the lanai.
"Hmm? Is everything alright Grace?" Completely pre-occupied, Rachel Edwards once Rachel Williams, nee Hollander, asked but never looked up from the novel she was engrossed in.
Grace toed the floor feeling every bit as young as her baby brother. She waited as her mother thumbed the corner of the next page, flipping it to continue reading. "Have you ever heard of an adult adoption?" Well that got her mother's attention. Grace was startled when her mother's eyes flew up from the page she'd begun to read.
"I'm sorry, Grace. What did you just ask me?"
"Adult adoption," Grace repeated as calmly as she could. "I found some stuff online but not enough to understand it. So I was just wondering if you had ever heard of it ... or know anything about it? Not the adult adopting the kid part; but the kid maybe adopting the adult?"
"Kid or ... kids?" Rachel asked ever savvy as her eyes narrowed, but her lips twitched upwards. With a soft slap, she closed the book she was reading to give Grace her full and undivided attention.
"Kids," Grace quietly confirmed. "Kids ... I guess. I guess me, too." She wound up staring at the floor again, for some reason, afraid of her mother's reaction despite the glimmer of a smile. She had expected to ease into the conversation a bit longer. She hadn't expected her mother to catch on to the idea so very quickly.
"I don't know a thing about it," Rachel said. "But Grace? I'd be happy to find out for you. I think Steve would be ... over-joyed. Come and sit down; tell me about what you're thinking."
"Really? You don't mind?" Grace asked, finally looking up. Her mother was smiling. A happy, bright smile and Grace relaxed. Braver now that her mother seemed to get it and even approve of the idea, Grace sat down next to her on the sofa. Knee to knee her excitement began to bubble over. "It was all Charlie's idea ... he wants to really be C.J.'s brother. When I told him what Danno and Uncle Steve plan to do about C.J.'s formal name, Charlie got all upset. I'd never thought about it before. I mean, things are fine right now and I don't really care about my last name or changing it. But the more I thought about the idea and what it would really mean? Well, the more I think Charlie is right. Not just because C.J. would really feel like his brother. But because it's right for Uncle Steve ... to thank him. To show him how much we love him, too ... as a family."
"As a family," Rachel repeated after a brief, thoughtful pause.
"Mom?" Grace hadn't meant to hurt her mother's feelings. "I'm sorry ... " But if Rachel's feelings were injured, she didn't show it. Instead she smiled again, as warm as ever.
"No. No, sweetie. I think it's a nice gesture; I think it's special and I think I can help. You don't happen to have the name of their lawyer do you? The one managing C.J.'s adoption? I don't know if an adult adoption is a legal thing or not, but we might as well start there, with him. And even if not's a real thing ... I bet the lawyer can help us with a real enough sounding letter."
Utterly relieved, Grace threw her arms around her mother to pull her close. All of them would be a full family; even her mom would be included by default. As she bussed a big kiss to her mother's cheek, Grace felt the happy tears welling in her eyes.
"I'll get it and thank you and ... and I love you," Grace gushed. "Thank you, mom, so so much ... this is going to be so great!"
~ to be continued ~
