All in a weekend

By

Landon Richardson and TealRose

Official Disclaimer

The characters of Lieutenant Commander Steve McGarrett, Lieutenant Chin Ho Kelly, Officer Kono Kalakaua, Agent Jenna O'Connor nee Kaye, Adam 'Toast' Charles, Kamekona and Governor Sam Denning do not belong to me in any fashion. I am merely using them for my own entertainment purposes.

The character of Lieutenant Danielle 'Danni' Williams probably can be considered to be mine by now. Although she was originally based on the male version of Danny, she soon evolved and became her own person. She has her own background, her own family and the history which goes with it, not to mention different character traits. That isn't to say that the Danny Williams we all know and love is completely gone, he still emerges through her at time. I like to think of female Danni as what Danny could have been like if everything in his life had gone his way. As in full custody of Grace and a decent relationship based in friendship with his ex.

The character of Grace has also changed slightly due to this change in Danni's character. Her surname for one is Taylor rather than Williams as this is her father's surname and was Danni's married name (Danni chose to revert back to her maiden name when divorced?. Her parents are also amicable which has also impacted Grace but never fear, she is still the sweetheart we all know and love, if anything she is even more of a character now.

The characters of Lieutenant Colonel David Williams, Supervisory Special Agent in charge Jack O'Connor, Lieutenant Commander Riley King, Lieutenant Louisa Palakiko-Cowan, Emily 'Emmy' McGarrett, James 'Jago' McGarrett, Oliver 'Ollie' McGarrett, Medical Examiner Rosamund 'Ros / Rosie' Lange and Lieutenant Shane O'Neill do all belong to me so please do not use without first asking permission.

Any other character who might pop up who isn't instantly recognisable from the show probably belongs to me as well!

Author Note

Welcome to the fourth chapter of 'All in a weekend'

For the sake of the story plotline we've pretended that Steve and Danni don't live on the same island as Pearl Harbor (Even though I'm sure they do) so please just suspend your belief for this small part of the story.

Also please be aware that this is a super long chapter so I hope you have a drink and some snacks ready for it.

You might notice that Steve and Danni tend to use different names for this kids, this is because Steve nearly always calls the kids by their full names while Danni tends to call them strictly by their nicknames, only using their full names when they are in trouble.

I'm such a sucker for writing the cuteness that is the McGarrett family.

Anyway please enjoy.

Official Story Summary

When the Governor of Hawaii insists that the member of the Five-O taskforce take a few days off, Steve McGarrett is determined to make the most of it by whisking his family off for a mini vacation, I mean it's just a vacation lasting four to five days, what's the worst that could happen, right? (McDanni, featuring a female Danny, standalone story)

Chapter Summary

The McGarrett clan embark on their vacation and a little competition is started up.

Official Romance mentioned in the story

Steven 'Steve' McGarrett / Danielle 'Danni' McGarrett (McDanni)

Riley King / Rosamund 'Ros/Rosie' Lange (Risie)

Chin Ho Kelly / Riona Kelly (Riin)

Adam Noshimuri / Kono Kalakaua (Adko)

Jack O'Connor / Jenna O'Connor (JJ)

David Williams / Erin Williams (Davin)

Sam Cowan / Louisa Palakiko-Cowan (Louam)

Aaron Roberts / Mary McGarrett (Maron)

Mentions of past Danielle 'Danni' McGarrett / Duncan Taylor (Dunni)

Mentions of past Steven ' Steve' McGarrett / Catherine 'Cath' Rollins (McRollins)

Romances mentioned in the chapter

Steven 'Steve' McGarrett / Danielle 'Danni' McGarrett (McDanni)

Aaron Roberts / Mary McGarrett (Maron)

Mentions of past Danielle 'Danni' McGarrett / Duncan Taylor (Dunni)

Warning

This story contains a female Danni Williams in place of the male Danny Williams. If this isn't your cup of tea then please hit the back button..

Secondary Disclaimer

I do not have a Beta so please forgive any mistakes which may creep into this story, I always do my best to edit the story and to double check it before uploaded one of my works but sometimes mistakes do creep in, this might also include me accidentally using an English word in place of an American word as my brain, being English, doesn't always pick up on it being incorrect.

The places which I have mentioned are either made up or have been obtained from google including any areas or addresses. One day I hope to go to Hawaii in person but until then I'll have to make so with using my imaginations to build the places in my mind.

Chapter Four

Friday Morning

"Mamma? Daddy? Wake up! Wake up please!"

Danni blinked slowly, groaning lightly as wakefulness flooded her system. She felt tired, her limbs heavy, telling her that she was up far sooner than her body had originally planned her to be. Forcing her eyes open, she lifted her head up from the pillow, twisting around slightly so she could look towards the doorway. She wasn't surprised when her eyes landed on Emily though she was surprised to see the small girl had her hands on her hips and a pout on her face making Danni wonder just how long the small toddler had stood there, calling out to them, waiting for one of her parents to wake up and acknowledge her.

"Emmy? What's wrong baby? Why are you up already?" Danny asked her quietly, knowing without even glancing to the other side of the bed that her husband was still fast asleep beside her. The activities of the night gone by, clearly wearing him out as much as they had worn her out though it had certainly been worth it in her eyes.

"Time to wake up Mamma?" Emily replied, tilting her head and looking towards the bed with a hopeful look on her face which Danni recognized. "Come up?" She asked, making it clear that she wanted to join Danni and Steve on the bed, no doubt for morning hugs.

It was a relief that they had pulled the duvet cover up at some point during the night so it was covering their nakedness from sight. Normally they locked the door during occasions like this to avoid a situation like the one she was currently experiencing from occurring making her wonder briefly what had happened and whether the lock they had was somehow busted, in which case they would have to make sure that they got it fixed ASAP.

She tilted her head to the side when Steve stretched out his body beside her with a loud, heartfelt groan, his eyes slowly opening before automatically squinting against the sunlight which was coming through the curtains which told her that it was no doubt later then she thought it was. She couldn't stop the smile which came to her face when he turned his head on the pillow and looked at her, his own mouth curling into a loving smile as he met her eyes.

"Danni" He murmured, his hand moving beneath the duvet to wrap around her waist, tugging her over to him so she was pressed up against his body.

"Now's really not the time for that Beloved, not when our three year old daughter is standing in the doorway asking to join us." Danni told him softly, watching as Steve stilled, lifting his head up and looking towards the door, taking in his daughter before he dropped back down onto the pillow with a sigh. He let go of Danni reluctantly, bringing his hands up to his face and ran them down it before he looked back towards her with an apologetic look on his face.

"Sorry love, I thought I had locked the door after the last time we fed James and Oliver but I must have forgotten to do it." He told her, his voice husky from a mixture of sleep and misuse, the tone causing her to shiver though she forced herself to ignore her reaction, reminding herself sharply that now wasn't the time for her to do what she wanted.

"It's fine Steve, these things happen and it's not a big deal. I thought we had somehow broken the lock so trust me when I say that your explanation is much better." Danni said with a smile. Steve raised an eyebrow, opening his mouth to respond when he stopped abruptly as Emily scrambled up onto the bed, clearly tired of waiting for an answer to her request. She looked between them both with wide grey eyes and a hopeful smile.

"Hug please Mamma?" She demanded hopefully, her eyes focusing on Danni with a look which reminded Danni of Steve when there was something which he really wanted. Emily had always insisted on starting her day off with a long hug from Danni and it was a tradition which Danni was more than happy to have continue for as long as possible. She knew that it wouldn't last forever so she was determined to make the most of it while she could.

"Of course you can have a hug my little butterfly." Danni replied as she moved up the bed, shooting Steve a grateful look when he automatically moved the duvet to keep her covered before she held out her arms to her daughter, laughing happily when Emily immediately scrambled into them, hugging Danni tightly, her face burying into Danni's neck for a moment. Danni held her back, savouring the moment before Emily leaned back and looked towards her father, holding her arms out to him. "Morning Daddy, hug please?" She asked happily.

"Always Princess" Steve stated as he sat up and took Emily from Danni, hugging her tightly to him unable to resist kissing her on the temple and simply enjoying their moment together before he glanced towards his wife, raising an eyebrow when he realized that she had laid back down on the mattress, her head nestling into the pillow as she yawned, clearly making the most of the quiet before the boys woke. "Are you ready for our big adventure today Emily?" He asked his daughter, turning his attention back to her when she leaned back from him and nodded, her wide smile turning into a grin at his comment which made his heart skip a beat at how happy she seemed.

"We'll have lots and lots of adventures Daddy, just like Peter Pan." She exclaimed excitedly, clapping her hands together.

Steve blinked at the comment, looking towards Danni when she suddenly laughed, tilted her head back so she could look towards him.

"Peter Pan?" He mouthed at her in confusion, trying to figure out how a Disney character could have ended up featuring in their conversation about their vacation.

"Daddy, Peter Pan." Emily stated firmly, reaching up and gripping his face forcing it back to her as she continued speaking. "He can fly and has tinker bell and…" She stopped when Danni seemingly took pity on Steve and reached over, placing her finger over their daughter's lip, stemming the flow of words with a gentle smile.

"Don't worry Emmy, your father is well aware of who Peter Pan is, your sister made him watch both the original movie and the sequel enough times in the past that he can probably quote certain parts of it word for word." Danni told her. "I think though that it might be time for us to get some breakfast. I don't know about you Emmy but I'm feeling pretty hungry this morning."

"Me too Mamma" Emily agreed, her smile coming back to her face at the mention of breakfast

"Good, I'm glad to hear it, now do you know if your sister is up yet?" She queried, tilting her head to the side, her smile widening when Emily responded by shaking her head, bouncing slightly up and down and causing her father to groan when she accidentally kneed him in the thigh.

"Her door was closed Mamma, I'll go and knock" Emily stated as she moved away from Steve and scrambled off of the bed, running out of the room without a backwards glance at them, leaving them alone with one another.

They shared a quick amused look with each other, knowing that they would soon be hearing the annoyed tones of their eldest child who had made her feelings of being woken up early by anyone abundantly clear in the past and who wouldn't take kindly to be woken up now.

"Emily really is fearless if she's willing to go into Grace's room this early in the day" Steve commented with a raised eyebrow.

"Not so much fearless, she's just confident of Grace's love for her." Danni remarked with a laugh. "Any fearlessness that she does get comes from you, I'm just saying, all her sensible qualities were clearly inherited from me." She stated as she rested her head back on the pillow.

"Why do you assume that she gets it from me hey Ku'u Lei?" Steve asked, rolling over and throwing his leg across both of Danni's, his arm wrapping around her waist as he pulled her closer to him, stopping her from being able to move. "you forget that I've been your partner for five years, I've seen you do some pretty fearless things yourself." He pointed out to her, nuzzling close.

"Yeah, when I'm on the job and trying to keep you from doing something incredibly stupid like rushing in without any form of backup at all, but not when I'm at home." Danni corrected him with a shrug before she rested her hand on his arm. "Besides out of the two of us you're the one who tends to jump into a situation without asking questions about it while I'm more of an ask questions and then think about jumping in if there are no other options available to me sort of girl." She stated. Steve opened his mouth to repute his wife's statement when he stopped, quietly admitted to himself that Danni may have had a point with her comment. He rolled his eyes when Danni laughed softly, each of them know that she had won that discussion. "While I remember, morning beloved." She stated as she leaned up and kissed him quickly, her eyes flickering automatically to the door to make sure they were still alone.

"Morning to you too, my Danno" He replied, stealing another soft kiss from her before he flopped back onto his back, pulling her with him so that she was plastered comfortably against his side, her hand resting lightly over his heart. She made sure to pull the duvet cover up again, aware of the fact they were both still currently naked. "Did you cover us up with the duvet last night because I'm pretty sure we weren't using it when we finally fell asleep last night?" He asked her, twisting his head on the pillow so he could see her face and quirking a questioning eyebrow at her.

"I'm not quite sure I would call it us falling asleep, I think we both passed out." Danni corrected dryly before she shook her head in response to his question. "It wasn't me though, are you sure it wasn't you? Still regardless, thank god it was covering us so the little one didn't see anything which would have scarred her." She pointed out with a laugh.

"She would have been asking us questions about it all week." Steve agreed wryly, glancing towards the doorway when a loud, outraged shriek came from down the hallway, the words which followed causing them both to laugh.

"Emmy what are you doing in my room? Go away Sis! In case it's slipped your notice it's a Saturday! No one gets up this willingly on a weekend, don't make me go and tell Mamma and Uncle Steve about it." Grace yelled, clearly irate at being woken up.

"But Gracie, it's adventure day and Mamma and Daddy are awake already." Emily replied back happily, clearly unbothered by her sister's tone and words. Danni shook her head and turned back to Steve who was still watching the door, clearly listening in and ready to go and save his daughter from her sister's rage if Grace continued to yell at the small girl.

"Grace went milder on Emily then I thought she would have." She commented lightly, her smile lingering on her face before she sighed. "Do you remember the days before Grace was a teenager when she would always be up before the two of us and sneak into our room?"

"How could I forget, we had to tell her about our relationship almost from the start because she kept catching us in bed together and asking why Uncle Steve was sleeping in Mamma's room when there was a perfectly good spare room or two which I could use" Steve said with a shake of his head. "Emily reminds me a bit of her, sharp and always asking questions that she wants the answer to which is how it should be. It makes me wonder how the boys will be when they are old enough to begin to really have their own personalities, right now they literally sleep, eat and shit, that is their lives." He remarked, his eyes narrowing in thought.

"Well think back to how you were as a kid and that is how James will be." Danni responded, almost wincing when she caught sight of the fearful look in Steve's eyes at her comment, she was aware that Steve's childhood with his parents wasn't exactly a fantastic one. His parents were there for him but from what he had said, they had blown hot and cold, some days being affectionate, other days barely talking to him. "Hey" She stated firmly, reaching up with her hand and tilting his face towards her so he could see her face. "I know where your thoughts are going, we are not like your parents, James will be well aware each and every day that he is loved and that his parents will be interested in everything he does and that we will be at all his games and events just like your Dad was, only difference is that we will be on the front line, embarrassing the shit out of him in ways that only parents can do." She said, relieved when her comment brought a wide grin to his face.

"I've already got t-shirts ready for that day." He admitted causing her to laugh. "And you're right, we're not like them."

Danni nodded, leaning forward and kissing him before she continued speaking.

"As for who Ollie with be like… well, that's a mystery." She said with a shrug, thinking briefly of her youngest son. "I feel like he may be a mixture of us both while Jago is your mini me."

"And Emily is yours" Steve stated.

"Possible, Gracie is definitely a mixture of both me and Duncan in personality which I'm happy about, she got the best of both of us." Danni remarked, thinking briefly of her ex husband before she glanced back towards the door when she heard the familiar sound of two pairs of slippered feet suddenly tearing down the bathroom towards the master bathroom.

"I'm going to take a wild guess that Emily has just reminded Grace that we're going on vacation this morning and she's now descended into panic mode." Steve remarked, kissing Danni's temple before he reluctantly moved away from her and sat up in the bed, scratching absently at his chest before he stretched both arms above his head, his eyes focusing on the doorway as Emily appeared again, rubbing at her stomach.

"Mamma! Daddy! I'm hungry, Please feed me, Mamma, oh, and Jago and Ollie smell really stinky." She announced, wrinkling her nose up in disgust as though she was remembering the smell.

"And just like that our time as a couple is over and our time as being parents has began again." Steve murmured, sounding a mixture of regret and happiness as he leaned down and gave Danni one last kiss before twisting away and picking up his pair of sleep shorts from beside the bed. He brought them underneath the duvet and quickly pulled them on before pushing the duvet off of him making sure that Danni was still covered by it. He came to his feet and shot his wife a questioning look. "How do you want to do this? Shall I deal with the boys while you get dressed and get breakfast started? We can swap when it's time for them to feed." He suggested, unsurprised to see her nod her agreement.

"But Daddy, you can't cook." Emily told him, sounding confused for a moment. Steve blinked at her, turning to look at Danni who had buried her face into her pillow, her shoulders shaking in a way which made it clear to him that she was laughing.

"Thank you for the confidence boost Emily." He remarked dryly, rolling his eyes when Emily merely smiled brightly at him before her eyes suddenly widened, the smile falling from her face so quickly that Steve found himself taking a step towards her in alarm. "Emily, are you okay?"

"Yes Daddy" She replied instantly before lifting her hand and pointed at him. "But Daddy you have an ouchie" Steve blinked at the comment, looking towards his shoulder, his own eyes widened for a brief second when he spotted the bite mark on it which he knew would perfect match his wife's teeth.

He glanced over his shoulder towards Danni, noticing that she was watching the scene with a look that was torn between amusement and embarrassment. He raised an eyebrow at her, waiting to see whether she would add any input about how they should deal with the situation.

"Well, hmmm…" Danni began to say before her voice trailed off leaving her looking at Steve with a helpless look which made it clear to him that she was relying on him to take the lead because she had no idea how to explain it.

"It's okay Emily, Daddy is fine, this is just something from work and it doesn't hurt at all." He reassured the small girl, silently asking for forgiveness for his white lie and comforting himself with the knowledge that he couldn't tell their small daughter that the injury came from her Mommy because she was biting him during the night, not unless he wanted to be bombarded with a ton of questions which he wasn't ready to answer yet and wouldn't be ready to answer for another fifty years if he had any say in it.

Emily tilted her head, lifted her thumb to her mouth and bit thoughtfully at her nail, her grey eyes staring at him thoughtfully as though she was trying to tell whether to drop the subject or not.

Using the distraction, Danni quickly pulled on her vest and her shorts before she climbed out of the bed, aware of both Steve and Emily turning to look at her. She quickly headed into the bathroom and used the toilet before brushing her teeth, taking a moment to glance in the mirror at her reflection, her eyes instantly dropping to the large bruise on her neck which meant that she would have to wear her hair down for the next few days to try and hide it. Rolling her eyes, she silently cursed her husbands desire to mark her each time they made love before she turned and headed back into the room surprised to see Steve and Emily still standing in the same positions.

She moved over to Emily, sweeping her up into her arm and resting her against her hip taking a moment to kiss her on the cheek before she moved back and shot her daughter a thoughtful look, sometimes it was hard to remember that their baby girl had only turned three, four days before, something which she placed down to the fact that Emily had always been advanced for her age when it came to talking though everything else about her, from her slight frame and height to her emotions were that of a young toddler.

"So then Emmy, we still have a really important decision to make today." Danni stated, swiftly changing the direction of the conversation and her daughter's mind away from the mark which Danni had left on Steve. "What exactly are we going to have for breakfast today? Any thoughts?" She queried as she brushed another kiss against Emily's cheek.

The small girl remained quiet for a moment, clearly giving Danni's question some consideration if the way her nose had scrunched up was any indication before she spoke.

"Juice… no, no… smoothie please Mamma?" She asked, giving Danni a hopeful look.

Danni watched her for a second longer before she sighed and turned her attention to Steve shooting him a pointed look which faded into a smile when he merely grinned at her and gave her a shrug in response, looking extremely smug at Emily's response.

"Well there is no denying that you are most definitely your father's daughter Emmy" she told Emily who beamed at her in response, clearly happy with the comparison.

"That's my baby girl." Steve said as he leaned down and kissed Emily on the top of her head before looking at Danni. "Just going to take care of business then I'll get the boys." He told her, waiting until she nodded at him before he headed into the bathroom, going through his morning routine. He exited the room, unsurprised to find that it was empty and quickly got dressed into a pair of cargo shorts and a blue t-shirt before he left, moving down the corridor and into Emily's room, moving immediately over to the Moses baskets.

James was wide awake looking around him happily while he moved his legs and hands in the air, clearly fascinated by both things and the fact that they moved when he wanted them to. Oliver, on the other hand, was crying quietly, tears streaking down his youngest son's small, red, scrunched up face making it extremely clear that the small boy was incredibly unhappy about his current predicament. The mere sight of it tearing at Steve's heart in a way that made him bringing his hand up and rub absently at his chest.

"Hey, hey my baby boys, James I'm going to leave you for a moment conducting your orchestra and deal with your baby brother" He told James who tilted his head to one side, looking at him for a moment before looking away and continuing with what he was doing. Satisfied that his eldest son was fine, Steve turned to Oliver and spoke. "Don't be sad little man, Daddy is here with you." He told him as he leaned down and picked the small baby up, holding him close to him, his hand stroking down his back in a soothing manner as he moved over to the changing mat which they had set up on top of the dresser for the evening. It still surprised him to see a baby who cried as quietly as Oliver tended to, Emily had been fairly quiet as well unlike James who tended to scream the place down every time he wanted something.

He placed Oliver down on the mat and quickly stripped him out of his baby suit and used nappy and set about cleaning Oliver up, ignoring the strong smell as he placed on a clean nappy, pulling faces at his son as he worked, thankful to see the tears dry up to be replaced with a smile as Oliver stared up raptly at him, his chubby legs kicking at the air when Steve leaned down and blew some raspberries against his bare tummy.

"Mamma wanted me to let you know that your coffee is ready downstairs in the kitchen for you, Uncle Steve." Grace said from the doorway, grinning at him when he glanced over his shoulder towards her before she disappeared from sight again, clearly intent on getting somewhere else now that her task was completed, though where that was he didn't know. It was always hard to tell what was going on in his step daughter's mind these days, something which he blamed on her becoming a teenager.

"Thanks for letting me know Grace" Steve called after her before focusing his attention back on Oliver, dressing him in the pair of short and the blue t-shirt which he realised with a grin matched his own outfit. "Right, that's one man done, just one more to go." He stated to Oliver before picking him up and placing him back in the Moses basket.

He turned his attention to James, picking him up and went through the same routine as his brother, only this time he noticed that Danni had picked up a bright orange t-shirt for him to wear, he shrugged as he put it on and picked up James, resting him against one shoulder before he went back to Oliver and picked him up as well, adjusting them so they were comfortable.

"It's a good thing Daddy is strong" He remarked, smiling when both boys burbled back at him as though they were replying to his comment, he kissed them both on the temple before turning and leaving the room, heading down the stairs, intent on getting to the kitchen as quickly as he could. He sniffed the air in appreciation as he entered the room, glancing around him before he spoke. "What is for breakfast today then?"

"We are having smoothies like Emmy requested which for the record you're making and then we're going to have some oatmeal as well which is in the process of cooking. I get the feeling that we're probably going to need to have energy for later on today." Danni answered him in a brisk manner as she waved her hand towards the blender which she had clearly set up for him to use.

Steve grinned when Emily shot him a pleading look from where she was sitting in her booster seat, sipping at her bright pink cup which he could see had milk in it. He stopped beside Danni and kissed her before he handed Oliver over to her, his grin widening at the squeal of delight with escaped the small boy at the sight of his Mamma.

"Leave the smoothies to me." He stated, waiting until Danni was comfortable before he passed her James and moved towards the fridge and freezer, pulling out what he needed from both of them before stepping over to the blender and added the ingredients to it. He hit the power button and waited, eyeing the mixture closely so he could stop it at the exact right time. The mixture of yoghurt and fruit was always a family favourite so the sound of the big blender roaring into life every weekend was not an unfamiliar sound to them.

"Did you add strawberries to the mixture Uncle Steve? The smoothies are never the same if you don't add them in right at the start, at least not for me." Grace commented as she entered the kitchen, her voice raised so she could be heard over the noise.

"What? Do you think that I'm suddenly an amateur at making this Gracie? Of course I added the strawberries to it first, I know what my girls like." Steve replied, glancing towards Danni when Grace gave a little cheer, noting that Danni had placed both boys in the two Moses baskets which they kept in the kitchen and was stirring the oatmeal before she suddenly stopped and looked over her shoulder as James made a small, demanding sound.

"Right, Gracie, would you mind taking over from me with stirring the oatmeal, I know you know what to do. Steve don't forget to save me a smoothie, I'm going to head up to the nursery and get these two little men fed." She announced, passing the spoon over to Grace with a kiss on her head before she picked up both of the baskets and headed up to their room. She went over to the old rocking chair and picked up James, pulling her top down and giving him what he needed, wincing slightly as he clamped on.

She had just finished feeding and winding him and had just started with Oliver when Steve entered the room, holding a full glass which he placed on the small table beside the rocking chair.

"I offered to take over the oatmeal from Grace but she stopped me with this look like I had offered to poison her and told me that she had everything under control and that anytime I tried to make it, it always ended up too lumpy." He stated.

Danni made a sound of amusement at the tone of outrage which had come to his voice and looked up in time to see the disgruntled expression he was sporting which looked remarkably like a pout.

There was no doubt that Steve was amazing when it came to the grill and during BBQ and he was wonderful at making them a selection of extremely tasty smoothies and milkshakes but the simply matter was that he wasn't that skilled when it came to cooking, something which they had learnt the hard way in the past. She knew that all it would take for him to be able to cook as well as she could was time and a willingness to learn but time was the one thing they never had and he seemed more than content to leave the majority of the cooking to her.

"Well I hate to be the one to break the news to you beloved but when you make oatmeal, you do tend to make it lumpy." She pointed out, shrugging one shoulder making sure that she didn't disturb Oliver as he continued to feed. "You end up getting impatient with it and as a result you A, don't let it cook for long enough and B, you don't continually stir it, which for the record is a must." She told him.

He shrugged with a sigh as he watched her feed their youngest, knowing that what she had said was true.

"I think it tastes okay when I make it, I think the real issue if that we've all been spoiled by how well you cook so nothing ever tastes as good." He replied, his eyes soft as he looked at her before he changed the subject. "So, are you ready for the fun to begin later on?"

"Well that would all depend on the type of fun which you're referring to because the answer for both scenarios would be a resounding yes." She answered him with a wink, her heart soaring when she heard him laugh in response to the comment.

"Right now I'm talking about the fun which can be enjoyed by everyone in the family, not the fun which is strictly between you and I." He clarified with a grin.

"Then the answer is yes though I am curious about what kind of family fun you have planned for us while we're over there." She remarked, shooting him a questioning look.

"Well there's the tour of Pearl Harbor for one which should take a couple of hours, my friend Shane is giving us an exclusive tour and taking us to the places where normally the public aren't allowed to go and see." He said, excitement coming to his voice.

"I'm guessing Shane is someone you served with?" She asked, unsurprised when he nodded at her.

"He was part of my unit for a couple of years before he was injured, he lost his leg so they sent him home and stuck him behind a desk, he works as a guide at Pearl part time as well. He's a great guy, I keep meaning to invite him around for dinner with us." He said, his face becoming blank, the same way it always did when he spoke about his past.

"Having him around for dinner when he's next over here sounds like a great idea to me, find out what his favourite meal is and I'll make sure I cook it for him." She said in a brisk tone.

"He'd like that." Steve said, quickly leaning down and kissing her before he continued to speak. "After Pearl would be the best time for you to take Grace shopping because she will probably be desperate by that stage and I'll take Emily and the boys down to the beach and wait there until you're both finished. That's the plan for today at least, the rest we'll decide as we go." He told her.

"All that sounds great, I can't wait to get started." She admitted, leaning back and resting her head against the chair with a thankful sigh, her eyes still fixed on him. "I feel like we really need this vacation, it's been way too long since we've managed to do something with the kids which hasn't ended up being interrupted either by the job or someone needed our help with something. I just want some family time." She stated as she glanced down at Oliver when he let go of her nipple clearly finished with his feed.

Danni adjusted her top, taking the blue towel which Steve passed over to her and placed it against her shoulder, lifting Oliver up and placing him against it as she began rubbing her hand up and down his back, trying to dislodge any wind which he might have had.

"That's true but it's only because we're currently in the middle of saving up for that big vacation at the end of the year, we just got to remember that we'll be gone from here for six week where we can just be a family together and no work issues will be able to reach us because my work cell phone is definitely being turned off during that whole time period." He stated as he leaned down and kissed the top of her head. "You finish up here with the boys while I go and check on Grace and Emily, once we've eaten the oatmeal, we should get the people carrier packed and head off."

"Sounds good to me, I should be down in about two minutes so do you want to bring my smoothie down with you since I'll have the boys." She said, watching as Steve glanced towards it.

"You said James is done right?" He asked, waiting only until she nodded before he reached down and scooped his eldest son into his arms and headed out the window, leaving Danni to shake her head.

For the next hour, the house was a flurry of activity as they finished their breakfast, washing up the spoons, bowls and glasses they had used before bringing down their belongings to their dark blue people carrier which Steve had insisted on buying once he realised there would be six of them. They checked the house and their bags three times just to be sure they had everything and spoke to their neighbours on either side of them, telling them that they were going away and eliciting a promise from them that they would keep an eye on the property and report anything suspicious directly to Chin. Finally all that was left was to set the alarm system and bundle into the car with Steve behind the wheel, he reversed out of their driveway and took the direction which would lead them to the marina.

Danni sighed happily as she rolled down the window, enjoying the warm breeze against her skin for a moment before she turned to look at her husband, pleased to see the tension easing out of his face making him look years younger then he was, not that he was exactly old since he was only thirty eight. He would never admit it out loud but she knew him well enough to know just how much he had needed this break away from all of the responsibilities he carried around on a daily basis as the head of Five-O but at least for the next five days he could focus his attention solely on being a husband and father.

She glanced over her shoulder towards the backseat, her smile softening when she saw that Grace was entertaining Emily by pointing to things outside of the window and explaining to her what they were in a quiet voice while James and Oliver say in their car seats, James clearly attempting to keep his eyes open while Oliver was already asleep, the soft vibrations from the engine clearly contributing to his current state.

Grace glanced up and caught her eyes with a thoughtful look which translated over to the tone of her voice.

"Mamma, do you mind if I ask you something?" She queried, shifting in her seat slightly.

"You can always ask me anything Grace and I'll do my best to answer you, you know that." Danni responded instantly.

"I've just been curious about why Uncle Steve is always the one to drive the car when you're together in one? I mean you drive as well but you never seen to anymore unless he isn't here and I guess I don't really understand why that is. Most of my friends parents take turns doing it" Grace stated, looking at her with an expectant look on her face.

Danni blinked at her eldest child, taken momentarily back by the randomness of the question before she turned to look at Steve, sharing a look with him before she nodded at him, picking up on the expression in his eyes which told her that he wanted to be the one to answer the question, something which Danni was more than happy to let happen.

"I feel more comfortable when I'm in the driver's seat of any car Gracie, it's nothing against your mother's driving because as much as it pains me to admit it out loud, she's a very good driver. On top of that I tend to get car sick if I'm in the passenger seat but Danni doesn't. We don't want to start the vacation with me throwing up everywhere do we?" He pointed out, grinning when Grace laughed at the comment.

"I think I speak for everyone Uncle Steve when I say that you being sick would be the last thing any of us would want to see." Grace replied with a wealth of feeling before she shook her head and pulled out her iPod from her small bag, switching it on and placing the earbuds into her ear, making it clear that the conversation was over in her eyes.

Danni shook her head as she turned back to the front, glancing towards Steve when he reached out and took her head in his, interlocking their fingers together and resting them on his thigh, his eyes never moving away from the road and the steady flow of traffic surrounding them. There was no denying that Steve was normally a reckless driver, fast and focused on his target, a target which more often than not was a criminal they whey were hunting down but that changed the minute one of the children were in the car with him. At that point he would obey every single road law there was, keeping well within the speed limit and never taking any unnecessary risks. If Danni ever needed something to make her laugh then she would simply picture the faces of their team mates the very first time that one of them had been in the car when he had picked Emily up from kindergarten or had one of the boys with him for some reason.

An expression of sheer shock and disbelief was the best way to describe it as far as she was concerned.

"Daddy will we go swimming?" Emily suddenly asked from the backseat.

"Not today sweetheart" Steve answered, glancing back at her using the mirrors. "We're going to have enough on today to keep us busy but we will go swimming one day while we're away. You'll get to see plenty of big boats and ships today though and then afterward you, me and your brothers can go to the beach and build sandcastles on them. How does that sound to you?"

"With shells" She replied excitedly with a clap of her pudgy little hands, her mind no doubt already imagining all the ways which she could use the shells to decorate their sandcastles.

"With shells and anything else which we can find, we'll have the boys with us so they are a little too young to help much but between the two of us I'm sure we can manage and once your Mamma and sister join us again then we can show them what we've done." Steve promised, glancing towards Danni.

"I definitely want to see your sandcastle Emmy." She told her daughter before lowering her voice so only Steve could hear her. "I wish I knew where this artistic side came from, I can write but I can't draw to save my life unless you count stickmen as drawings." She remarked with a grin.

"Yeah I've seen your drawing and that side of creativeness has just passed you right by." Steve agreed, squeezing down on her hand at her sound of outrage. "But in fairness it's not like I'm much better. I think she gets it from Mary"

"Mary? As in your sister?" Danni said giving him a look of surprise.

"Yeah, I remember when we were kids before everything went… well you know… she was really good at drawing, like always top of that class, my Mom hung up one of her drawings in the living room though I don't know where it's gone, maybe my Dad put it away somewhere after we were sent to the mainland, perhaps it was too much of a reminder." He commented with a frown.

"Maybe we could find it and put it back up on the wall." She suggested, smiling when he looked over at her and nodded at her.

"I'd like that, we could keep it a surprise and see if she recognises it when she next comes over for a visit, it must be nearly time for that." He said thoughtfully. "I'll have to make sure that I show her and Aaron that video of Grace's other science project, the one she did four months ago, Aaron will get a kick out of it when he sees it." He stated, speaking of Mary's soon to be husband.

"Are we talking about the experiment with the multicoloured goo that ended up exploded everywhere? The stuff even hit the ceiling Steven and was an absolute nightmare to clean up, not to mention the fact that the explosion sound it made almost sent me into premature labour." She grumbled, a hint of disapproval to her voice which Steve clearly picked up on.

"I helped clean it up and the boys were more than comfortable in you Danni, they weren't going anywhere early, besides Grace did end up getting an A for that project so the means justified the end, right?" He countered serenely safe in the knowledge that she couldn't argue that point if she tried.

"That is true and she did have fun with it." Danni admitted with a smile, glancing back once more at her eldest before she turned away and focused her own attention on watching the scenery and cars pass by her window, her mind running through all the things which they could do over the next five days which would keep everyone suitably entertained.

She blinked when Steve parked up the car at the docks and spoke.

"We're here now guys." He stated, letting go of Danni's hand and killing the engine before he pushed his own door open and climbed outside, keys in hand as he headed around the back in the direction of the trunk. Danni followed him out of the car, moving to the backdoor and opened it, leaning in and unclipping Emily from her car seat. She lifted the small girl into her arms and stepped back hugging Emily close to her, she buried her nose into her daughter's dark hair for a moment before dropping a kiss on the top of it and smiling when Emily responded by throwing her arms around Danni's neck and snuggling closer to her. "So, there she is, our home for the next five days. What do you think?" Steve asked, a proud tone to his voice as he waved his hand to the side of him.

Danni glanced around her, her eyes widening when she saw that he was indicating a yacht beside them, a yacht which was large and spacious from the outside indicating it would be comfortable on the inside.

"Wait, are you being serious right now Steve? Who does this yacht belong to?" She asked him, her eyes narrowing when she caught sight of the smirk on his face.

"Does it matter who it belongs to Ku'u Lei, all that matters right now is that it belongs to us for the next five days." He told her firmly. Grace looked at the yacht, a rare look of awe on her face before a sound which sounded remarkably like a squeal of delight escaped her mouth as she turned and ran towards it, clearly intent on looking at it up close. Danni continued to stare at Steve aware that Emily had tilted her head back to look at her curiously. "Everything we need on the trip should already be on board so we should be good." Steve added as he headed back to the car and lifted out both boys, holding them in his arms easily.

Danni stared at the yacht again before she moved towards him, stopping in front of him and came up on her tiptoes, wrapping her hand around the back of his neck, pulling him down so she could kiss him gently on the mouth before pulling back reluctantly aware that their three youngest children were still with them while their eldest was running around happily on the deck of the yacht, clearly waiting for them to join her so she could go and explore the rest of it.

"This is incredible Steve, thank you for doing this." She said with a smile.

"Anything for you and the kids, Ku'u Lei, you know that." He replied softly, leaning back in so he could kiss her again. "I'm guessing from your reaction that you liked the first of the surprises which I've arranged for us?" He asked her, grinning when she nodded at him with the same look of awe on her face that had been on Grace's faces moments before though Danni tried to suppress it slightly so she wasn't gawking.

"When you mentioned you had taken care of where we were going to stay for the trip, this wasn't quite what I was expecting. Who owns this boat? Is it someone you know or did you just hire it from someone?" She queried curiously, sighing when Steve simply shook his head at her.

"I think I'll keep that answer to myself for the time being." He replied with a wink before he held out James to her. "You take this little man and I'll join you in a moment with Oliver and the bags, once we're on board we can set off. Take the time to explore the place if you want, everything should be unlocked and open for us and I can easily find you once I'm done." He said, waiting until she nodded and took James before he turned round, still holding Oliver close to him and headed towards the back of the car, clearly putting his words into actions.

"Let's go Emmy and Jago and see what we have." Danni said as she turned and headed up the ramp onto the yacht, looking around the large deck carefully before she headed towards the door where Grace was lingering impatiently by, the manners which Danni had painstakingly spent years installing in her, holding true stopping her from investigating further until she had permission. Danni smiled at her before she spoke. "Shall we go in and see what the inside is like then?" She asked Grace, nodding towards the door.

"Sounds like a plan to me Mamma" Grace responded, pushing the door open and holding it so that Danni could moved past her with Emily and James. They headed down the shallow stairs, looking around them as they did before coming to a stop by the first room which led into a bedroom with two twin beds.

"It looks like this room is for you and Emmy, Grace," Danni commented, noticing one of Emily's cuddly toys on the bed nearest the door while Grace's old toy dolphin, the one which she pretended that she wasn't bothered about anymore, was on the other bed.

"It looks like it is, don't worry Mamma, me and Emmy will have lots of fun sharing a room together, I'm sure." Grace said in a brisk voice, clearly pushing aside any disappointment that she may have been feeling at having to share a room with a three year old.

Danni smiled as she placed Emily on the floor and moved towards Grace, pulling her into a hug and kissing her on the temple, her heart aching when she realised that Grace was now officially taller than she was.

"Thank you Gracie." She murmured quietly in her ear before pulling back and giving her another warm smile, making a mental note to buy Grace something extra when they went out later on.

"So, what do you think?" Steve asked from behind them, attracting their attention, a laugh escaping him when Emily immediately ran over to him and hugged him before being joined a moment later by Grace. "I'll take it from the hugs that you're happy." He said when Grace moved back, allowing him to put down two of the bags which he was holding in one hand, his other arm still supporting Oliver.

"We'll leave you to unpack your things if you want." Danni said, her eyes dropping to Emily before she looked back at Grace. "Will you be okay with Emily staying with you while I sort out the boys?

"Yeah of course Mamma, I can take care of Emmy, we'll meet you upstairs shortly." Grace assured her, giving her a small nod.

"Thanks Grace" Steve said as he moved to the door, waiting for a moment for Danni to join him before he led the way out of the room and down a short corridor which he pushed open, gently ushering her into what appeared to be the master bedroom.

"Where are the boys going to sleep?" She asked him, her eyes scanning the room for any sign of a Moses basket or a cot.

"They'll be through here." He told her as he placed their bags beside the door and waved his now free hand towards the door which she noticed was attached to their room. Danni moved towards it, opening the door, her face breaking out into a smile when she saw that two Moses baskets had been set up and that some of the twin's favourite toys and blankets were ready for them.

"How did you get all of their things here? I know you didn't leave the house earlier on so someone must have been helping you." She remarked thoughtfully, glancing behind her as she placed James into the Moses basket, watching him for a moment when he shifted around his new surroundings, his small face falling into a slight frown before he suddenly yawned, his eyes drifting shut. Danni raised an eyebrow before shrugging, glancing to the side of her and spotted a baby monitor which she turned on before picking it up. "Sleep well Jago, sleep well Ollie" She said, noting that Steve had placed Oliver down as well. She turned and headed back into the main bedroom noting that Steve was in there and had brought both of their suitcases up onto the bed and was in the process of unzipping them. "Steve, did you buy us this yacht?" She asked him, unable to let the thought go, something which she blamed on her Detective instincts being aroused.

"I would have told you if I had gone and bought us a yacht Danni, not only that but I would assume that you would have noticed if the money for it had come out of our joint bank account." He pointed out dryly.

"True" She said reluctantly. "So, if you didn't buy it for us then you must have borrowed it from someone who would have something like this, someone like Governor Denning maybe?" She pressed, making a sound of frustration when he merely looked back at her with an unreadable look on his face.

"You can ask me all the questions you want about it Danni but you'd merely be wasting your time because I'm not planning on telling you anything. It's fun for me watching you try and wrack your brain over it though. Can't you just let it go and relax?" He said, straightening himself and changing the subject. "Can you finish the unpacking for me while I go and make sure that everything on the deck is good to go? The less time that we waste here, the more vacation time we get."

"What are we doing about the car?" Danni asked him, blinking when he stopped in the doorway and looked back at her.

"I've already taken care of it, I gave the spare key to it to Jack yesterday when we were at work, he's agreed to come down and pick it up and drive it back to his place. When we're on our way home, I'll call him and he'll drive the car back for us. Trust me Ku'u Lei, I've got everything under control." He stated, blowing her a kiss before he left the room behind him and closed the door, leaving Danni standing in the room alone

"You always do." She murmured to herself quietly before she looked around the room, taking a moment to appreciate how gorgeous the room was before she focused her attention back on the task which Steve had set her.

Thirty minutes later, Danni came up to the desk having unpacked and changed into a light dress, the baby monitor held securely in her hand. They had been moving for about twenty minutes and it was creating a pleasant breeze. She glanced to the side of her, unsurprised to see that Grace was already making the most of the sunshine and was lying on her back on one of the deckchairs which were set up to the side, her face turned upwards to the sky with a wide, happy smile on her face which warmed Danni.

"So, I've now had a look over the whole of the boat and it's amazing, I mean the sheer amount of space which is available to us when this is a yacht is insane." Danni remarked with a shake of her head as she moved towards Steve, smiling towards Grace as she passed before she came to a stop beside her husband. "And I'll admit that the fact that I don't know who owns this or how we ended up with it with such short notice is driving me crazy which I'm sure you already are well aware of and are enjoying immensely."

Steve glanced at her, his eyes drifting over her face before he suddenly grinned.

"Absolutely no idea what you could mean Danni, you're my wife, there's only one way I want to drive you crazy and it can't be done in front of our kids or other people." He replied serenely, the tone ruined by the leer he shot at her before he lifted his hand up and pointed out to the distance in front of us. "We should be docking in another thirty minutes or so, so you should take this chance while the boys are asleep to just sit back and relax and enjoy the breeze Ku'u Lei."

"What happens when we dock? I know we're going to Pearl" She asked his curiously, looking at where he was pointing before focusing back on him.

"It will take us around fifteen minutes to walk over there so you'll be able to see some of the sights they have to offer, we can also decide what we want to eat once the tour is over because I have no doubt we'll be starving by that point, or at least claiming to be starving."

"Sounds good to me, Grace will hopefully see some shops on the way that she wants to look at, otherwise we'll have to go further in and that may take a while." Danni commented as she moved behind him, slipping her arms around his waist and resting the palm of her hands against his bare stomach as she placed a single, lingering kiss against his back.

"Come here" Steve muttered, twisting around slightly so he could bring her to his side, ducking his head down towards her and kissing her, deepening the kiss and humming at her familiar taste, one which he could quite happily admit in his own mind that he was addicted to. He reluctantly leaned back, meeting her hazy eyes with a smile. "If I don't stop now then I won't" He admitted, the comment causing her to laugh softly.

"I know that feeling." She murmured on a sigh before she rested her head against his side, content to simply lean against him as she looked at the view, a smile coming to her face when Steve pulled her closer, kissing the top of her head.

Danni opened her eyes, not realising that they had drifted close, when she felt a small pair of arms wrap tightly around her knees, pulling her head away from Steve she glanced down to see Emily smiling up at her, an eager look in her grey eyes.

"Hey my little Emmy bean, did you get tired of your toy? Is there something which you need?" She asked her youngest daughter, surprised when Emily shook her head.

"Hug please Mamma?" The small girl asked her, a hopeful tone in her voice which Danni couldn't have said no to, even if she had wanted to.

She let go of Steve, aware of him immediately turning to look at her, and leaned down, picking Emily up and cuddling her close before she began dancing around the deck with her revelling in the sound of her daughter's happy laughter.

Steve glanced around, watching them for a moment before he shook his head and focused on the driving, once again kicking himself for not coming up with the idea of going away sooner, he hadn't realised until now, just how much Danni had needed this break away from everything as well. He blinked, becoming aware of the sound of Danni and Emily whispering together and turned around just in time to see Danni walking back to him, Emily still held securely in her arms looking as though there was nowhere else she wanted to be, a sentiment which Steve could understand all too well.

"Daddy" The small girl said the minute that Danni came to a stop beside him.

"Yes, baby girl?" He replied, his heart already melting at the wide-eyed look which she was giving him. There was no doubt which parent she took after the most in her features and facial expressions and it certainly wasn't him. She looked just like her mother did when she was a child and had clearly inherited her small frame and build as well. He reached out, running his hand over the top of Emily's dark wavy hair as he waited for her to speak.

"Who boat is this?" She asked him, both her and Danni giving him identical innocent looks at the same time, Danni's eyes twinkling with suppressed amusement.

"It's a secret Emmy but what I do know for sure is that for the next five days it belongs to use to use however we want. Being on a boat is exciting right?" He asked, happy when she immediately nodded at him before she glanced over Danni's shoulder.

"Can I see Jago and Ollie?" She asked them hopefully.

It was no secret that Emily was fascinated by the two small babies still and was slowly beginning to understand her new role as a big sister, often telling anyone who they met that she was one now. It was been a relief to them both that she had taken to it so well when she could have easily have become jealous over them and the attention they received.

"They are both asleep right now Emmy so we should leave them to rest." Danni told her gently.

Emily's face dropped at the news before Grace suddenly called out, clearly having kept a ear out on the conversation.

"Emmy, why don't you come and hang out with me, I've got something to show you and now seems like a good time." She said, sitting up and patting the space beside her. Danni smiled as she felt Emily's body nearly vibrate at the offer, she adored Grace but rarely got to spend time with her since Grace, while an amazing sister, was ten years older and had little in common with the small girl yet though Danni had no doubt that by the time they were both adults they would be close to one another and hopefully friends as well as sisters.

"You best go Butterfly and see what your sister wants." She stated as she lowered Emily to the floor, keeping an eye on her as she ran across the deck to her sister before turning back to look at Steve, immediately rolling her eyes at him when she saw the smirk on his face.

"Danni, Danni, Danni" He tutted with a shake of his head. "Who knew that you had it in you to be so sneaky, I mean trying to use our daughter to get the answer you wanted, that sounds like something I would do rather then you."

"When you made the decision to turn this into a game, you didn't state that there was any rules therefore I can use whatever method I want to find out including utilising our daughter's cuteness if that what it takes." Danni replied as she stepped closer to him, noting the way his pupils flared with arousal as the breeze hit him with her scent. "And I do mean any method my love" She whispered before stepping back a few steps and turning to look at her two daughters. "Can you guys see anything yet?" She asked them in her normal tone as though the conversation between her and Steve hadn't happened.

"I think I can Mamma, there's definitely buildings so we must be nearly there." Grace replied back, coming up on her knees on the deckchair so she could see, absently lifting Emily up to give the small girl a clearer view as well.

"I think you're right Grace, it might be time to get ready to go to shore so make sure you have everything which you need, we won't be able to come back here until later on today." Danni said to Grace who nodded at her.

"I'll go now and get my bag then and get changed. Come on Emmy, you best come with me in case you need the potty." Grace said, glancing at Emily before coming to her feet and moving over to the door, disappearing inside.

"Do you think…" Danni began to say, stopping abruptly when Steve swept her up in his arms and kissed her hard, biting down on her lip before soothing it with her tongue, dipping into her mouth when she gasped, her hands clinging to him. They kissed for a minute or so before Danni pulled away, pulling in much needed breaths of oxygen as Steve slowly lowered herself down to her feet, his arm wrapped around her, keeping her stead.

"If you want to play this game with no rules Danni then we can do that, just be prepared for me to do anything I can to put you off." He stated, his words making Danni shiver before her eyes narrowed.

"That's fine." She agreed with a single nod before her mouth tilted up into a smirk. "And when you lose Sweetheart, just remember that you asked for this, not me."

Author Note

Thank you for taking the time to read my story, it's much appreciated. An especially big thank you if you left a review, a favourite or a follow. It means a great deal to me.