Guardian
A/N: Another slightly longer chapter, but hopefully you'll understand.
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters and make no money doing this. I'm just having fun playing with them although it's starting to feel like I'm torturing them.
Chapter 14
Pulling up to the house, Chin grinned at Danny's mom. "You head on in. We'll get the stuff."
She started to argue, but the silent shake of his head made her smile instead. She'd learned on the way here that one of her priorities on this trip was to knock some sense into her boys. Everyone except the two of them appeared to agree on this point.
The cousins made it clear that they were prepared to be delighted for Danny and Steve and that Grace clearly wanted it. They were both concerned that the unresolved emotional tension was going to boil over soon. Once the pair was headed in the right direction, they were convinced the road to Grace's full recovery would be far smoother.
Armed with this information, Mama Williams headed toward the house.
Having heard the car pull up, Grace flew out the door to greet the older woman. "Grandma! You made it."
Leaning down to embrace the young girl, she grinned. "Of course I came. Your Danno was so worried when he left that I just had to follow." Lowering her voice to a rather conspiratorial whisper, she continued. "And from the sound of things, it's a good thing I didn't wait."
Grace leaned back a bit to look at her Grandma's face. "You have no idea. I think Danno almost made Daddy cry." It was clear that Gracie was not happy about that and her grandmother was inclined to agree with the cousins; letting this drag out wasn't going to help her.
"Ah, I see that piece finally sorted itself out." Grace had explained the Daddy conundrum to her one evening when she called while Stan and Rachel argued.
Nodding her head, the little girl smiled as she looked out to where the Seal was swimming. "Yep. It was kind of an accident, but turns out Uncle Steve really wanted to be Daddy. He said he was really happy I wanted to keep him."
"Oh, Sweetheart, I have no doubt that he is delighted with that." The two watched as Steve emerged from the water. Seeing the pair, he waved. "Why don't you go see if Chin and Kono need any help? I think I need to go talk to him?" She pointed a thumb in Steve's direction.
Receiving a quick smile and thumbs up from Grace, Beth Williams paused on the lanai to kick off her shoes and headed toward the Seal.
Steve's heart melted seeing the little family reunion. He was glad, for all their sakes that she was here. He wondered if they'd be able to convince her and Danny's dad to move out to the islands. With Matt off the grid and Susan having moved to Texas with her husband, very little was holding them to Jersey.
"Welcome back to Hawaii, Mom." Steve gave her a broad smile as she approached. "I'd give you a hug, but I'm all wet."
Ignoring his statement, she walked right up and wrapped her arms around him. A petite five foot and two inches, the Seal towered over her. "A little salt water isn't going to hurt me and you, young man, needed a good hug." She squeezed him a bit tighter as she spoke.
"You've got me there." When they finally let go, the smile was still on his face, but she could see something different in his eyes. "You didn't have to come out here to say hello, I would have been back to the house in a few minutes and you're bound to be tired after your trip."
"Actually, after spending all day cooped up on a plane, a short walk on the beach would do wonders for me. Care to accompany me?" The look she gave him didn't really leave him an option.
They walked in silence for a few moments, following the same path he'd taken with Grace earlier in the day. He wondered just what revelations might come with this walk.
"It's always so beautiful here." Mama Williams leaned her head back as the breeze lifted her hair. "But I didn't drag you out here to talk about the scenery or the weather."
Direct and honest, he appreciated those particular Williams' traits even though they sometimes scared him.
"Steven, Chin and Kono filled me in on the drive from the airport. I can't imagine how difficult the last two days have been for you, but seeing Grace when I got here, hearing her calling you Daddy at last, you can't imagine how incredibly grateful I am that you found your way into our lives."
The Seal looked down, meeting her eyes. He wasn't sure what to say, knew he'd never really get across how he felt. "I could say the same about all of you. What you've given me, this family, is more than I ever imagined. I just…" He stopped himself, unsure of how to continue. Unsure of how accepting Danny's mom would be when she learned just how much he loved her son.
"Steven, listen to me for a minute and I mean really listen. I want you to know that Dad and I both will always consider you our son no matter what your relationship is with Daniel. I may live 5,000 miles away, but I talk to both of you boys and Grace all the time. I'm not oblivious. All we want is for both of you to be happy."
The Seal couldn't hide the look of complete surprise that covered his face. "You mean… you know? How?"
"Oh, Steven. I honestly think you and Daniel are the only two that have taken this long to figure it out." She couldn't help but shake her head at him. Gracie was right boys were incredibly stupid sometimes.
"But he…."
"Is being just as foolish and stubborn as you are. One of you is going to have to make the first move." She turned to head back toward the house. After a moment, where he was still too stunned to move, he jogged to catch back up.
When he drew even with her, she wrapped an arm around his waist, leaning in a bit closer as he wrapped his around her shoulders. She treasured this latest addition to her family. The lost little boy hidden in the body of one of the strongest men she'd ever known.
When they finally entered the house, Steve gave mom a quick kiss on the top of her head before slipping upstairs to throw on some dry clothes.
Danny turned as she entered the kitchen, "Now you come say hello to your first born." He teased. "I was starting to think I'd been replaced." He knew he was in for it if Steve was still upset.
"Impossible, Daniel. You could never be replaced and a mother is capable of loving all her children." She teased back. "Now, what can I do to help with dinner? Steven just ran up to change, so why don't you go light the grill?"
"Yes, ma'am." He mock saluted is mother and headed out to the lanai. She hadn't lectured him about his careless remark to Steve. He hoped that indicated the Seal was feeling better.
Chin, Kono, and Grace all turned their eyes to her, curiosity burning bright in all of them.
"We're making progress. If I can get some time alone with my eldest this evening, I think they'll be well on their way." Small cheers erupted from each of them, especially Grace.
Picking up the knife Danny had left on the cutting board, Beth jumped right in to helping with dinner as the others resumed their tasks.
"Chin and I won't stay too late. Just long enough to help clean up." Kono offered.
"What do you think, Gracie? Think you can find a way to keep Super Seal out of the way?" Chin queried. She nodded.
"Actually," Beth answered first. "I don't want you guys to run off, but I'm going to insist that we put off cleaning up until later. Then I think my darling son can help me with that while Gracie gets Steven to read her a story before bed."
"And that, Mrs. Williams, is why you are the genius of this operation." Chin laughed. He had a feeling at some point down the road the story of getting Danny and Steve together was going to an often told and much loved tale among their ohana.
A few minutes later, Steve reappeared in the kitchen. Giving mom and Gracie both a hug, was surprised not to see Danny.
"He's outside." Mom pointed him in the right direction. "The grill should be almost ready."
Grabbing the platter of steaks in one hand and two beers in the other he retreated toward the door.
"Danno, grab the door." Everyone in the kitchen smiled as he called to his partner.
Jumping at the sound the Seal's voice, Danny hurried to comply. Opening the door, he accepted the offered beer and followed him back toward the grill. He wanted to ask if they were okay, if he was forgiven, but 'grab the door' was a far cry from 'let's sit down and talk'.
"Relax, Danno. We can talk later." His partner seemed to read his mind. "The swim helped. Let's just enjoy dinner with our ohana. I, for one, could use a good night's sleep before I get into any more deep conversations."
"Cheers to that, babe. Cheers to that." Clinking the beer bottles together, they each took a long drink. For tonight, it was enough to know that they were all together.
Checking the grill, Steve carefully arranged the steaks before sitting down in the chair next to the grill and right across from Danny. Leaning back into the chair, he realized just how exhausted he really was. Closing his eyes, he relaxed to the sound of the waves hitting the shore.
It wasn't until he heard his partner get up to check the steaks that he realized he'd dozed off. Starting to get up, he felt Danny's hand on his shoulder.
"Stay put, Superman. After everything you've done, the least you can let me do is finish the steaks so you can rest." As their eyes met, Danny fought the urge to reach up and wipe the stray eyelash from the Seals face. "I've had those nights on the couch with Gracie when she's sick. While I wouldn't trade a single one of them for the world, I also know they are anything but truly restful."
"Thanks, Danno."
An hour later, they all sat around the dining room. As promised, Mrs. Williams had ensured that no one decided to jump up and start cleaning up the dishes.
Everyone seemed perfectly content to relay all the funny stories since last they'd seen her, which in Chin and Kono's case had been quite some time. The shared looks between her to boys as the cousins told of some of the pair's more risky endeavors warmed her heart even as she reminded herself that she shouldn't scold them for their more reckless behavior.
Even though it was only about eight in the evening, everyone was quickly showing signs of being tired. For two older members of the Williams clan they were fresh off the Eastern Time zone and even having slept on the planes, their bodies weren't adjusted yet.
The cousins said their farewells and promised to check in the next day, likely around lunch again, but they would call first.
Once the door was shut, Grace smiled across the table to her grandmother. "I'm gonna go take my shower." She knew she needed to get that out of the way before she could convince Steve to read her a bedtime story.
"You have what you need, Gracie?" The Seal asked.
"Yeah, Daddy, I put everything where it belonged yesterday."
Watching her disappear around the corner, the adults remained quiet. Mother and son weren't quite sure what Steve was listening so intently for, but he clearly was and they weren't going to startle him.
A few moments later, he heard the bathroom door pull to, but not quite latch before hearing the water start.
Looking back at Beth and Danny, he realized they were both watching him with slightly puzzled expressions.
"She didn't quite close the door, but it's not wide open like it was last night."
Danny cocked his head. "You got all that from what little sound she made?"
"Yes, Danno. I'm trained to pick up things that others might not notice and I've lived in the house long enough to know that you can hear that door when it latches closed."
Seemingly satisfied with that answer, Danny continued to watch his partner, expecting an answer on why this information was so important.
"Yesterday when we got home, she got spooked when I suggested she take a shower. It made sense; she'd just spend two nights locked in a bathroom. I didn't want her to freak out, so I promised I would stay downstairs while she showered. That way she could leave the door open if she felt more comfortable."
Understanding dawned on both faces as they continued to watch him. Earlier today, when she bolted from her room," he gave Danny a pointed look, "she actually closed the door all the way. Tonight she pulled it too, but didn't quite close it. Maybe it has something to do with how long she'll be in there. Heck, I don't know, but its progress, right?"
"Very true, son. That was quick thinking on your part."
He smiled at the simple confirmation that he'd handled the situation well.
The three sat chatting casually around the table, until Beth heard the water turn off. It was time to start her part of the plan.
"Why don't you boys help me clear the dishes so we can get the kitchen cleaned up?" Rising from the table, they were both quick to comply.
They'd barely gotten all the dishes into the kitchen when Gracie appeared in the room. She gave Grandma Williams a hug first, and then moved on to Danno. When she reached the Seal, she gave him a big hug.
"Daddy, can you read to me before bed?" Steve's eyes flew to his partner's worried that on his first night back Danny might resent being ousted from story time.
The detective shooed Steve up the stairs with Grace before turning to his mother. "Why do I feel like this was a carefully orchestrated effort to get me alone?"
"Good catch, Detective Williams." His mother laughed.
"Am I still in trouble for earlier?" He started washing dishes. It didn't matter than he was a responsible adult, getting scolded by his mother still hurt.
"Daniel, you are not in trouble. I don't believe you intentionally tried to hurt Steven and neither does he."
Grabbing the dishtowel, she passed behind him to start drying the dishes.
"Why do I sense a but coming?" He looked toward her.
Still holding the plate she'd already dried, she stood to face her son, watching him dutifully scrubbing dishes.
"Daniel, is there a reason you haven't told Steven how you feel?" This dish in his hand slipped back into the soapy water.
"I…. We…. Uh…. How?" The normally verbose man suddenly couldn't form a sentence.
Trying to stifle a laugh, Beth shook her head. "Daniel, you have no reason to be embarrassed. Your father and I and I both love you no matter what and we both adore Steven."
Turning to face his mother, his hands started gesturing even while the words stuck in his throat. Finally, he managed to get a coherent thought out. "How did you know?"
"Just because I'm a country a way doesn't mean I don't pick up on things. Based on this evening, I believe the only two people around here that haven't figured it out are you and Steven."
He turned back toward the sink, leaning forward, his elbows resting on the edge of the counter. "I don't know what to do, Mom. He means everything to me, but I'm so afraid that's not what he wants. He has most of the women on the island throwing themselves at him, why would he need me."
She wrapped her arm around his shoulders. "Just trust me. Give yourself a chance. Give him a chance. You might be surprised."
Hearing footsteps on the stairs, mother and son quickly returned to washing the dishes.
Less than a half hour later, the dishes were done and the exhausted trio was headed to bed. Giving each of the boys a hug, mom turned to head into her room.
"Steven, make sure you get your workout in tomorrow morning. We'll all still be here when you're done and you'll feel better."
"Listen to Mom, Steven. She's usually right."
Disappearing into their rooms, both Danny and Steve leaned back against the shut doors. Taking a deep breath, they considered mom's advice.
/
A/N: Please take a second to review.