Thank you all for reading. Here's the next chapter.

/././

"You haven't decorated."

Danny stepped back as if noticing for the first time. The small functional kitchen was bare of anything vaguely Christmas. Really, it was just empty. Kinda lonely. Only the essentials. A French press and coffee mug, a bowl and plate and a set of silverware all sat by the sink. Ready for action. He wondered what Steve had in the cupboards. He'd save the snooping for later.

Only it wasn't snooping when you were part owner. Danny and Steve had signed the documents, financing the remodeling and solidifying their bond. Joe had set up the paperwork for transfer of the deed for the property in the week before he died. This was their cabin now.

There'd been a lot of work done. The floor plan had been opened up. New windows and reinforced walls. A fortress dressed as a simple cabin. Any evidence of what had transpired, the scars of battle, had been covered up or removed. He wondered what Steve had done to the weapons room. That was a question for later. He knew Steve wouldn't endanger the kids. But he also knew you could not take the SEAL out of his best friend. He scanned what he could see of the simple space. It looked normal. Homey even. Steve was a closeted softie, sentimental to the core. The house felt like it was waiting. Waiting to be filled.

His eyes watered when he noticed the fridge. Artwork and photos plastered the front of it. A ray of sunshine amidst the clouds.

"Charlie will be so happy when he sees this." Danny pointed and then straightened a colorful drawing of the ocean and what looked like their beach, chairs included. He strained to listen for the Grace and Charlie. They were checking out their room. Bunkbeds. That's all Steve had to say to rev Charlie's engines. Danny was just waiting for a screaming match over who got to sleep on the top bunk.

Steve replied, "He's talented, Danny. I keep his drawings in a scrapbook."

"He has sent you a lot." Danny chuckled. "He said you needed them. I never asked him to explain why. Looking around this place, he was right."

Steve bit his lip and looked at the floor. He shook his head, "No, I haven't decorated. I've been busy."

His words hung between them for a few seconds before Danny shoved his hands into his pockets. They didn't harp on one another anymore. They'd nudge or ignore, depending on what was going on, but they accepted each other's habits and patterns. They were there for one another – no matter what.

In this case, Danny got it. Steve had a lot going on here. Between memories and remodeling, his best friend had his hands full.

"Well, you're in luck. Grace has bags filled with twinkle lights and other decorations." Danny peered around Steve into the open space he assumed was the family room. "Do you have a tree?"

"I figured we could cut one." Steve's eyebrows lifted a little with the question.

Danny nodded, considering the idea. But just for show. He loved the thought of cutting a tree, involving the kids. "Great idea. We could make it a family tradition."

"Seriously? You're not gonna give me grief?"

"This tree won't be cut from a national preserve, right?" Danny asked, cracking the slightest grin.

Steve twitched and replied, "You can't let that go, can you?"

Danny's eyes said – you love it – while his mouth said, "I practically had to bribe Pua not to take my tree."

"He was an easy mark." Steve held his resolve, keeping up his act. "And Kono was a good sport."

Danny winced at the mention of Kono. They all missed her. She'd gone down a rabbit hole, chasing demons who never died. You arrested one trafficker and another popped up in their place.

"Have you heard from her lately?" Danny asked.

Steve replied, "No."

Both men went quiet for a bit. Kono might always be a painful subject. Didn't matter if they understood what she was doing. At least Adam seemed to have moved on.

Steve dried his hands and pulled on his coat. He didn't say a word as he slipped out the door. Danny followed. Refreshed by the cold air.

Opening the back hatch of Danny's rental, Steve checked out the bags and their contents. He froze and took a visible, deep breath.

"Hey, babe, you okay?" Danny asked.

Shaking his head, Steve said, "You brought it all, Danny."

"Brought it all?"

Steve motioned to the boxes and bags.

Danny nodded, "Yea, I guess we did. The kids. They wanted you to have Christmas. And Grace, in her infinite wisdom – how did she get so grown up? She knew you wouldn't decorate. So we packed it all up."

"This is from your house?"

"Yup, that's what brought it all means."

"So it's not decorated? Your house."

"Nope," Danny said. He thought for a second. "Well, there are paper snowflakes on the windows. Imagine that. Snow in Hawaii."

"The Big Island."

"Maybe we'll go there to see the snow."

"Charlie's never been?"

Danny answered no as he moved closer. He took his hands out of his pockets and grabbed Steve's coat.

"Danny, Danny, Danny." Steve whispered before they kissed.

/././

"Ew!" Charlie giggled.

"Get a room!" Grace growled, rolling her eyes. Which Steve saw over the top of Danny's head as he pulled away. He almost laughed. This was both comical and mortifying to him. These kids were his kids, too. They had been forever.

Navigating this new terrain with Danny challenged everything Steve knew. No training could ever prepare him for this. The heat of their attraction. The usual pull they could now indulge. Plus the extra weight of actually being a parent to Grace and Charlie. It all seemed more real.

Danny snaked his arm around Steve and pulled him flush against him. "Knock it off, you two."

Charlie danced around them, kicking up snow. Grace nudged her way in and picked up a bag. "Let's get this show on the road."

She trudged away from them. Her enthusiasm had dimmed ever so much. Steve watched her with concern. Until Danny punched his arm. "Don't take her personally. She's not happy about being away from her boyfriend for the holidays."

Steve flashed a smile and said, "Okay. I'll work on that. I just – I don't wanna screw this up."

"Welcome to my world. Doesn't matter how old she gets." Danny sighed. He grabbed two bags and headed for the cabin.

Steve found a bag perfect for Charlie. "Hey tiger, take this one, please."

Charlie didn't say a word. He took the bag and skipped off after his dad. Steve let a tear slide down his cheek. Balancing a box with one arm and his hip, he closed the hatch so blowing snow wouldn't get the other decorations wet. This was what he wanted. What he needed. No matter what the awful voice in his head sometimes said. This was his family. The ghost of Doris was jealous, but most of all, she was in pain. Steve wished he could have helped her.

Shaking off the past, Steve followed his family into their Christmas future.