I do not own Hawaii Five-0 or any characters. No copyright infringement intended.

Notes: Happy New Year! On now to the great reveal ... the unwrapping of Steve. Yes to the guest, too,who mentioned chapters and such. That WOULD BE funny as I'm an unreliable sort with chapter counts. I don't know more than half the time what's going to happen ...

My thanks to all for such wonderful reviews. They each mean so much.

H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O

Danny put on his best face when Grace ran out to greet him at the car. Together, they woke Charlie from his impromptu nap and brought in all the bags.

"It's nice Grace ... better than nice," Danny said as he entered the house, pausing on the threshold to absorb how pretty everything looked. "And I'm okay. Really."

Based on her critical expression though, she still needed reassurance about him being fine. Grace wasn't convinced and Danny rolled his eyes towards the ceiling.

"Grace. Stop. I'm fine!" Danny insisted. What Charlie might not yet notice, his older sister easily honed in on and Danny'd taken too long, not only to get out of the car, but also to smile. Going under his teenager's microscope might be something Danny never got used to as she pursed her lips together quite unhappily.

"You're still mad at mom then? About the store...?" She asked next, looking worried. "Because it all worked out okay."

"It did work out and no, I'm not mad at your mother," Danny said patiently. At least not any more, he added silently and for his own benefit. He grinned to ease his daughter's mind and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. Now wasn't the time for any of his depressive thoughts.

"The house looks great," he repeated, and he honestly meant it. "Merry Christmas, monkey." He didn't often use her childish nickname anymore, but it was warranted. And this time, even her teenage nose didn't turn up in a snit. Instead, Grace beamed at him for the praise. It was all true though. After working himself up on the drive over, he hadn't expected to feel anything different, yet in the short time his daughter had been there, the house was already brimming with life. With the Christmas tree lights burning and the scented candles flickering, and with holiday music playing in the background, the atmosphere was nothing like he'd feared. The soft scent of brewing coffee only complemented the warmth of the house no matter the time of day.

"Merry Christmas, Danno," Grace replied, finally appeased, happily linking their arms together. "Hey Charlie? Santa was here ... he left you something super special." Needing no more encouragement than that, the little boy dropped his weekender bag. He was off like a shot towards the living room, leaving them both laughing.

"Grace!" Charlie gasped his sister's name a moment later. Already back, he was breathless from excitement and tugging hard on her hand, pulling her towards the tree.

"Easy, it's not going anywhere!" Danny had to laugh at his children's antics. This kind of different was good and he relaxed, chuckling at the sound of his son's excited shouts for him next.

"Hurry, Danno! He was here! Really here!"

"I know he was ..." Danny said as he rounded the corner, expecting to see not what he saw at all. "Oh ..." His voice trailed off instantly. This was ... different. Again.

"Noooooo! But look!" Charlie complained when Danny stopped in the doorway to the room. He grabbed at Danny's hand, dragging him closer, bags and all banging against his legs, towards the tree. "Look ...see! Santa was really really here!"

"Uhhh?" Danny made an ineloquent sound as he stared at the large box which his son was so excited about. The bags he'd been holding fell with a soft thud to the floor. It - this box - hadn't been there before and he glanced at Grace suspiciously, but his daughter was shaking her head. "Grace?" He gestured at the very large and extremely garishly-wrapped package. "So?"

"What? Me? It was here when I got here with grand-dad," Grace said, all doe-eyed innocence. "I just assumed ... you know ... "

"Nope," Danny said, as he recovered his wits. "Not buying it. Did your grandparents put you up to this ...because if that's a dirt bike or a surf board or some crazy, expensive ..."

"No. No. It wasn't them ... at least as far as I know," Grace insisted. "Grandpa left me off after I showed him how to use the GPS on his phone to get back to mom's house ... to drop off Mrs. Morrissey's stuff. I managed the alarm and ... well ... it was here. All I did was put the tree lights on and make some coffee."

"Uh huh,' Danny said as she piloted him towards the sofa. Briefly, he wondered if he'd need his weapon. If Grace was telling the truth and she'd no idea how the thing had gotten into the house ... then maybe this supposed gift wasn't exactly on the up and up ... but Grace was giggling and she'd pulled her cell phone out. Much like she'd just done to him, Danny pursed his lips into a thin white line. Her response to his unhappy expression was to laugh teasingly at him.

"Come on dad, it's Christmas ... not a bomb," Grace giggled.

"Says you," he muttered under his breath.

"Hey, maybe it's a pony," Grace offered slyly as she thumbed the video feature on to capture her brother's reaction to whatever was in the box. "Wouldn't that be cool?"

"Better not be a pony ..." Danny hissed quietly between his teeth as he watched Charlie start to rip the colorful paper off, bit by bit.

"What do you think it is, Charlie?" Grace gently coaxed while videoing. "What do you think Santa brought?" Danny frowned as he looked his daughter's way. Eyes shining in anticipation, Grace was focused solely on her brother so much so, that Danny was now firmly convinced that his daughter knew something.

"I dunno," Charlie whispered in a tone which Danny had never quite heard before. Danny narrowed his eyes, suddenly more interested than he had been originally. It was a tone full of wonder and hope ... as if his son might know or at least suspect what the box held. As he got down to the cardboard itself, giving a tug on a piece of duct tape, red and green tissue paper billowed out and Charlie not only looked over his shoulder, wide eyes searching for his father's face ... he gave out with a small cry of stunned wonder when he crouched down to look back into the box. This startled half gasp-part cry should have been Danny's first clue. But what got him moving was the way his son literally stiffened, his small hands suddenly tightly fisted.

"Charlie?" Danny blurted worriedly. Alarm at Charlie's first reaction quickly turned to shock of his own when something inside the box moved. The red and green paper tissue paper moved ... it was pushed out only to flutter to the ground ... as a hand emerged.

"Charlie!" Danny sprang to his feet, barking his shins so hard against the wooden frame of the coffee table that he yelped and promptly lost his balance. Everything was happening too fast then as a body followed that hand. "Owe! Shit!" Arms wind-milling and eyes wide, Danny stumbled over his own two feet. He sat back down on the sofa only to stumble right back up again as his son reached his arms out ... to ... his uncle.

"Steve?" Danny blinked, feeling dizzy and entirely confused. "Steven?"

"Language Daniel. What have you told me about little ears? Huh?" Steve reprimanded him gently as he gathered Charlie to his chest, already forgetting Danny for that special moment when Charlie wrapped his arms and legs around him. "Hey buddy ... Merry Christmas," he murmured to Charlie as he rubbed his back soothingly, still on his knees.

"S-Steve?" Danny stammered, his eyes as big as Charlie's now. "How?"

"Santa did it. He did it," Charlie said through a muffled combination of sniffles and hiccups. His face was buried in his uncle's neck and Danny wasn't even sure who Charlie was talking to. Maybe it was only to himself because that tone of awe and wonder was still in his voice. " Santa did it… he answered my letter. He did ... he did."

"Letter?" Danny whispered, feeling dizzy as he watched the incredible sight before him. He rubbed hard at his chest as his breathing faltered painfully. He stared at the box and Christmas paper, then at Steve. The mussed hair and the black tee-shirt; those damnable military fatigues. Trying with what was left of his buzzing oxygen-starved brain to understand and process everything all at once.

"Dad? Dad, go to him." Danny barely heard Grace's voice; he hardly registered her soft laughter or the fact that she was now videoing his stunned reaction. In fact, everything around him had reversed direction to tunnel to a pinpoint. At its center was just ... Steve. He moved though. Some part of him managed to get numb legs to cooperate until he was standing behind his son, staring down into Steve's face. Which was ... completely impossible? Wasn't it?

"Hi Danno," Steve whispered, his voice sounding hoarse from emotion. Shaking his head in awe, Danny reached his right hand out, curving it around Steve's cheek only to run his fingers through his hair. He paused in wonder as Steve looked up at him before he turned his head just enough to kiss the palm of Danny's hand. He got up then, his fingers somehow interlaced with Danny's, easily bringing Charlie up with him, too, the little boy doing nothing more than locking his arms around his uncle's neck and his legs around his waist.

"Surprise," Steve whispered softly, his lips curved upwards into a gentle smile. "Merry Christmas."

Danny blinked, not only incapable of speech but also of taking his eyes off Steve's face. He stood there stock-still as Steve released his hand only to grasp the side of his neck. The warmth of his fingers tangible, his thumb a solid presence which rubbed a short path along the bend of his jawline. And his subsequent laugh when Danny still didn't say or do a damned thing ... the sound of Steve's breathy inane chuckle? That at least made the fist inside of Danny's stomach begin to unravel, even if he still couldn't wheeze in a puff of air.

"Danny, you've got to breathe, buddy," Steve chuckled again at Danny's apparent non-reaction. But he was reacting. Steve had to feel the way Danny's heartbeat was pounding through the thin skin of his neck; hell, he could easily see that Danny was struggling just to take a single breath as his eyes began to water. Steve had to feel the way Danny was beginning to vibrate when he pulled him in. He had to see how Danny closed his eyes when he leaned down to kiss his forehead, then his cheek, his lips partly open as he struggled just to inhale.

"Hey buddy? Are you okay?" Steve asked a question which Danny was sure he didn't know the answer to. At least not yet because he was both okay and so not okay all at the same time. He couldn't quite grasp the fact that Steve was standing right in front of him, Charlie cuddled in his arms. His son's happy tears and soft sniffles clearly audible even if the blood was rushing through Danny's own ears and he thought he might still be dreaming.

He inhaled, promptly coughed, and tried to nod, but his head merely bobbled awkwardly on his neck. With his left hand splayed wide on Steve's chest, Danny opened his mouth. Steve was warm and apparently all right ... but ...

"Are ... are you hurt anywhere?" Danny wheezed. Dumb question. It was ... stupid. But he had to ask because - if this was happening - then why else would Steve be home? He blinked just as stupidly when Steve merely smiled at him. "Are you ...okay? I mean ... "

Danny was jabbering and breathing hard, but he couldn't stop himself. He couldn't because ... that's what happened in Korea ... it sucked Steve in and then it spit him out, sick and near death. It had happened before and could have easily happened again. So even if Danny knew his thoughts and the resulting questions might be idiotic at best, he had to ask ... he had to. Because Steve had to be injured. Danny's heart leapt upwards into his mouth as he raked his gaze over Steve from top to bottom, his fingers almost clawing the front of Steve's shirt. Feeling both sick and hopeful when he couldn't see a damned thing wrong, he managed to get his mouth to work again.

"... I mean ... they wouldn't have sent you home unless ... unless something bad happened. Unless you were hurt."

"Calm down. Breathe. I'm not hurt ... not even a paper cut. Promise ...," Steve whispered softly as he lovingly carded his fingers through Danny's hair. "Missions' over ... got home as fast as I could. That's all. It's that simple. Really."

As if trying to get Danny to follow suit, Steve inhaled deeply. But his gentle smile slowly became unsure. In kind, Steve searched Danny's eyes, his face. Apparently not wholly liking what he saw; possibly even shocked by the half-fearful look in Danny's eyes compounded by the stress lines which showed even more around his mouth due to the stark paleness of his complexion. Steve's lips quivered as he shook his head, too.

"I'm not hurt, Danno," Steve murmured. "But I was ... hurting ...on the inside. Until now."

Danny garbled a nonsensical sound which was meant to communicate that he agreed and felt the same way. He couldn't draw in a proper breath of air though. He'd no words inside his head that might work well enough either, so in silence Danny let his head fall forward. He let his hand relax on Steve's chest before snugging it around Steve's back, his other reaching around Charlie. Eyes closing as Steve's free arm pulled him in even tighter, Danny lay his head against Steve's chest.

"Grace ..." Danny heard Steve whisper. He rocked his head where it rested against Steve's chest, his view of his daughter a haze of pretty colors through the tears in his eyes. "Grace, come here."

As one, he and Steve moved just enough to bring Grace into the circle, allowing Danny the chance to press a kiss to the top of his daughter's head.

Steve, Danny. Charlie and Grace. And impossibly ... back to Steve.

Not wanting to move ever again in his life, Danny's fingers found purchase in the material of Steve's tee-shirt. Desperate to breathe and not knowing or caring where each of them began or ended, Danny gulped in a lungful of air when he felt Steve's embrace tighten, pulling them all in closer.

~ to be continued ~