Yay for holidays!

/ Second Appointment \\\

Danny looked in the mirror and smiled.

"It's a very handsome suit," the tailor currently double-checking his work said.

"It is."

"Are you sure you don't want a tie?"

"Positive."

"A suit this good deserves a tie."

Danny smiled. "I know, and normally I would be wearing one. But my…I've never felt that comfortable with fiancé – at least not for Steve. Anyway, Steve is a heathen who would be horrified if I married him in a tie so I'm doing this for him.

The tailor smiled. "My good wife Janie asked me to wear a powder blue suit to our wedding. Now, powder blue suits were always heresy in a tailor shop but I love my Janie so I wore a powder blue suit no matter how much ribbing my colleagues gave me."

Danny smiled. "I was worried he was going to suggest we get married in board shorts."

"He didn't though."

"No, thankfully. I think my daughter would have talked him out of it anyway."

Just at that moment the door to the tailor shop opened and a loud, "Danno," filled the shop.

Danny coloured. "And that would be my daughter."

Danny heard Stan tell Grace off for yelling in the store and he smiled down at the tailor.

"I will just let her in," he offered, standing up.

Moments later Grace rushed into the back room and then stopped and looked at Danny. "That's perfect, Danno."

"Thank you, Monkey."

Stan poked his head into the back room. "It is a very nice suit, Daniel."

"Thank you, Stan," Danny said, smiling.

"Not a problem. I'll see you tomorrow, Grace."

"Bye, Stan," she said waving at him. "Danno, where's your tie?"

"I'm not wearing one. You know how much Steve hates ties."

Grace shook her head at him with disappointment.

"Now, I'm getting fashion advice from you too?"

"Of course," she said, sitting down in one of the chairs.

Danny smiled at her. "What do you want to have for dinner tonight?"

"Pizza."

"Okay," Danny watched the tailor adjust the jacket and smooth out the material in the mirror. "You and Steve can buy the stuff while I'm at my appointment tonight."

Grace nodded and the tailor stood up to look at him one last time.

"Yes, I do believe you are ready to go, Mr Williams."

"Thank you."

Danny left the platform and changed back into his work clothes, handing the suit to the tailor with a smile. "You will be able to pick this up next week when we've had a chance to launder and press it."

"Thanks," Danny said holding his hand out to the other man and shaking. "I'll see you next week."

Danny walked Grace down the street, stopping at a shop for ice-cream, and then down to his car.

"Where are you going tonight, Danno?"

"I've got a meeting with my psychologist."

"Why?"

"Because I got very angry at work and had a fight with someone. I don't want to do it again."

Grace nodded. "It wasn't Steve, right?"

"No."

"Okay…or Chin, or Kono, or Max, right?"

"It was a criminal."

"Okay."

"It's not okay, and I don't want to be angry anymore. It's not okay to be angry at people all the time."

"I know."

Danny smiled; he wasn't sure how he got the best kid in the world but he certainly did.

Danny smiled as he walked into the Headquarters.

"Grace," Kono called out, "what are you doing here?"

"I'm here to distract Steve while Danno is at the psychologist's office."

Danny turned and gaped at his daughter. "Traitor. That is not why you're here."

"I'm also having a sleepover so that Mum and Stan can go to some gala."

"That is why Grace is here."

Kono and Grace shared a look.

"I'm surrounded by traitors," Danny said, throwing his arms up in the air and walking towards Steve's office. "Observant traitors."

Kono laughed behind him as he knocked on Steve's door. The other man was pretending to do paperwork. Danny knew because Steve didn't have that little wrinkle of concentration between his eyebrows. Danny's money was on internet gin rummy.

"Hey, Steve," Danny said walking straight into the room while Steve scurried to hide his computer program. "Gracie's here. She wants pizza for dinner, so can you and her go to the shop and grab the stuff we'll need on the way home?"

Steve frowned at Danny. "You have your next psych appointment today. I was going to take you."

"I know," Danny said with a shrug. "But, Rachel needs us to look after Grace."

"And you're taking advantage of this to distract me."

"Exactly," Danny said, darting forward to kiss Steve. "Do you want me to send her in here to help you win gin rummy?"

Steve flushed and Danny counted it as a win. "Send her in and she can do some homework while I finish this report."

Danny smiled and kissed Steve again. "I'll tell you all about it when Gracie's gone to sleep."

"This is manipulation, Danny."

"I know," Danny said, nodding, "but you get some more Grace-time so it's worth it, right?"

"You're playing dirty."

"Damn straight."

"I am displeased."

"I'll go swimming with you tomorrow to make up for it."

Danny could tell Steve was about to cave.

Grace chose that moment to bounce into Steve's office. "Hey, Steve."

"Hello, Gracie."

"I don't have any homework. Can we go home early and go snorkelling?"

Danny bit his lip to stop himself from saying anything.

Steve nodded and started turning the computer off. "That sounds great."

Danny smiled at them both.

"Surf afternoon," Kono yelled out in the hallway. "See ya later."

Danny knew she'd have disappeared before he made it out of the office. Chin wouldn't be far behind her.

"Excellent, want me to stop for the pizza things instead then?" Danny asked.

"No," Steve said, glaring at him. "We'll do it."

"Bye, babe," Danny said, kissing Steve and then dropping a kiss on Grace's head. "See you soon, Gracie."

"Good luck, Danno."

/\/\/\

Danny walked out of the psych's office and stared down at the sheet in his hand. "And I have homework."

He shook his head and walked out to his car, feeling much less wrung out than he had after the previous session. He still drove home the long way and tried to clear his head. He parked in the driveway and thought about the week before and the conversation he'd had with Steve out in the water. As soon as they had gone back inside Steve had acted as though it had never happened. Danny had taken him to the next meeting with Rachel where they had mapped out exactly when Grace would be with them and when she would be with Rachel. Steve's presence had made Rachel's lips purse but she had made them both tea and discussed the arrangements civilly. Steve had even managed to get Rachel to agree to these plans being final. Danny knew she was happy for him, happy that he had found someone like Steve who Grace loved and would protect their baby girl. He knew that but he also understood that in the end she hated Steve for giving Danny something she'd taken away from him when she'd taken Grace the first time. He had seen it so clearly that day over tea and in that moment he couldn't even dredge up the memory of his anger at Rachel.

Danny pulled himself out of the car and ducked his head out of the outside door. He could see the bright orange of Grace's rashie next to the blue of Steve's. They were still snorkelling so he had a little bit of time. He walked into the kitchen and pulled out everything he would need for their pizza. Between cutting the capsicum and the tomato he pulled out his phone and looked at the list working out what to worry about next. Then he made a phone call. He dropped his phone back into his pocket and whistled some Four Seasons as he finished doing the prep. He heard Grace and Steve come in from outside just as he finished with the onions.

Steve made it into the kitchen first smelling of soap and the ocean.

"How was it?" Steve asked, sidling over to Danny.

"I have homework."

Steve laughed.

"It's not funny, Steve."

"What's the homework?"

"I need to write down everything that annoys me over the next week."

"We'll need a big notebook."

Danny shook his head. "You just want to be the first thing on the list."

Steve kissed Danny. "I'll be the last too."

Danny shook his head. "You have weird priorities."

"Did you make your own dough?"

Danny shook his head. "Not tonight."

"Danno," Grace called out rushing into the kitchen. "We saw a string-ray."

"That is very cool, monkey."

She beamed at him.

"I'm just going to have a shower and then we can eat. Pick a movie, monkey."

"I have The Wedding Planner in my bag."

Danny turned and looked at his daughter. "I know we're getting married soon but we can watch a movie that's not about weddings."

She just smiled at him and Danny knew there was an ulterior motive. He knew it, but he couldn't work out what it was and Steve was making that face where he was about to jump to Grace's defence so he ignored it and turned for the shower.

They watched The Wedding Planner and Danny could see her eyes lighting with glee as she filed things away. He would need to have a word to her and his mother about not overdoing things. If there was ever a woman who would turn a relaxed beach wedding into something that could be in a magazine in less than three weeks it would be his mother.

/