Guardian

A/N: Surprise! I managed to get one more done before the trip.

For those interested and haven't yet found it, the additional McDanno scenes are up under the M rated title Guardian: Love Explored.

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 17

Walking into his closet, Steve took a deep, shuddering breath. Glad that what he'd said seemed to help Grace, putting so much of himself out there still wasn't something that came easily for him. He wanted to collect his thoughts and emotions before going down for breakfast. She didn't need to see how rattled he was.

He stared unseeing at the shelf of shorts and t-shirts in front of him. The Seal was so distracted, he didn't hear the sound of the bedroom door opening as Danny slipped in only a moment behind him.

Having made sure his little girl was settled and getting dressed, the Jersey native came to check on his partner. He'd been right about Gracie and was bound to be feeling incredibly exposed after the conversation in her room.

Following the abnormally uneven sound of the Seal's breathing, he quickly found him. Hesitating slightly at the closet door, he quickly closed the gap between them. After the morning they'd shared, he no longer felt the need to stop from wrapping the taller man in his embrace.

"Oh babe." His partner seemed to crumpled against him, long arms returning the embrace. "Please don't tell me you were trying to hide from me?"

"Not from you, Danny. Never from you. I just needed a few minutes to pull it together." Steve leaned back from him, straightening to his full height. "I'm okay. Just not used to… didn't expect…"

Placing one finger across his partner's lips, Danny should his head. "I know. That's why I came to check on you. I know you don't want her to see how much it takes you to put all that out there to help her, but that doesn't mean I don't see it." He hated the little bit of fear he saw in the Seal's eyes. "Steve, listen to me. What you did in there, everything you said to her, just gave me even more reasons to love you. It's okay that it wasn't easy. That just makes it all the more endearing that you did it."

Danny reached forward and gave him a quick, chaste kiss. "You, my crazy Super Seal, are an amazing man and an amazing daddy." Reaching around him, he pulled shorts and a t-shirt from the shelf. "Now get your gorgeous behind dressed so we can go have breakfast with our daughter and Mom."

"Yes, sir." Steve mock saluted him before passing him to reenter the bedroom, earning him a swift smack on the ass from Danny.

A few minutes later, the pair emerged just as Grace was leaving her room. They both noticed her arms wrapped around her body, hands rubbing her shoulders as if she were cold even though it was a perfectly beautiful Hawaiian day.

Having noticed she was wearing his shirt from Wednesday again this morning, Steve guessed it had acted as something of a security blanket for her.

"Hey Gracie," he lifted her into his arms and welcome the feel of her small arms wrapped around him. "Did I ever tell you how Mary used to raid our dad's closet all the time when she was little? She was forever running around in his shirts, said it made her feel like he was always right there, and reminded her that she was safe."

Both Williams faces turned up to look at him. "Since we haven't gone to get all Danno's clothes yet, would you like to raid my closet?" His idea was rewarded with two huge smiles and an enthusiastic nod from Grace.

Heading back into his closet, his newly claimed daughter still in his arms, he heard Danny murmur under his breath. "One more reason, babe, one more reason."

Several minutes later, their little girl was wrapped safely in a khaki color shirt and had stashed a few others in her bedroom closet for future use, the trio headed downstairs to find Mom sitting at the island with a huge breakfast spread in front of her.

"Hope you're hungry." She gestured to the pancakes, bacon, and juice. "Sit down and eat before it all gets cold."

Danny made his way to the stool next to her, leaving Grace and Steve to sit across from them. As the Seal piled the little girl's plate with food, Mom snuck a glance at her biological son.

His answering smile was all she needed to see. The new Daddy had managed to calm her. Albeit, this was only the first step in the process to see the little girl truly heal from the trauma.

"So, what's on the agenda for today?" Mom asked.

The men both looked to Grace. Though there were things that needed to get done in the coming days, they were prepared to let her set the pace for the day.

"Danno needs to go get his stuff from the apartment." She declared. The mention upstairs of his clothes reminded her that in some ways they were still straddling two places. She wanted them to be completely here, completely home.

"You sure you're up for that, Monkey?" Danny queried. That would allow them to knock out one of the things they needed to deal with. He could hand in his notice to cancel the lease. Though he wasn't looking forward to paying his way out of the remaining three months of agreement, he was more than willing to do just that. He knew Steve's house was long since paid for, so he wasn't even going to broach the subject of paying rent and offend the Neanderthal.

"Yeah, Danno, I'm sure. You need your stuff and then we don't have to go back there again."

Beth imagined this was a small way of putting a bit of closure on the chapter of her life that involved Daniel's small apartment and Rachel and Stan's house. This little step gave her some measure of control.

"I'll give Chin a call and see if they can meet us there with some boxes." Steve stuffed another bit of pancakes in his mouth, groaning at the small bit of heaven. Beth and Danny both laughed at him. "What? I don't get homemade pancakes often."

"Well, my dear boy, I'll be glad to cook you breakfast as long as I'm here." Beth reached across the island and squeezed his hand.

Danny turned to her and frowned. "Just remember, if you spoil him I have to live with the consequences. Be careful what precedent you set."

Steve looked from his partner to Grace, a pout forming on his face.

"Danno, play nice. You've had years to enjoy Grandma's pancakes. We still have to catch up." She gave the Seal a wink. She was taking Daddy's side on this debate.

Beth smiled at the three. She'd always been close to her eldest. The last couple of years, so far away, had been hard on her and her husband. She missed getting to see Grace grow up. They spoke every week, but it wasn't the same as being here for the little moments. Steven may have come into their lives later than the other two, but he clearly need the unconditional love and caring that only a mother could provide.

Seeing them here, she could see that Paul was right. Before she called him and told him to start making the necessary arrangements, she needed to speak with her sons. While she expected no resistance from them, she respected them enough to give him a say in the matter.

After they'd all eaten, far more than they probably should have, Grace excused herself to go brush her teeth, leaving the three adults sitting at the island.

"Boys, I need to speak to you about something." They both looked to her, waiting for her to continue. "Your father and I have been discussing making a change." Their faces both fell immediately. Reaching out to clasp one of each of their hands on the table, she laughed gently.

"No. No. Not that kind of change. We've been discussing relocating. With Great Aunt Meg finally passing away, there's no family left to hold us in New Jersey."

"Where?" Steve spoke first and neither Williams missed the hint of hope in his voice.

"Here. Not here in his house, but here on this island. Close enough to be a part of Gracie's life. Close enough to be a part of your lives." Daniel was still looking relieved that his parents weren't getting a divorce. Steven looked like a small child at Christmas.

"Really? You want to move here?" The Seal sounded like a kid being told he was having his favorite dessert.

"I wanted to talk to you about it first, both of you. While your dad and I have discussed the possibility and I know he's fully prepared to make the move, I didn't want you to feel like we were encroaching on your lives." She looked to Danny, as her eldest they'd always been close, but he'd always had an independent streak.

Realizing she was waiting for him to respond, he glanced first at his partner before looking to her. "We'd love to have you closer. We've created an ohana here, but having you and Dad close. Having you around for Grace, for us, would be wonderful."

As much as Danny was loath to admit it, he was tied to this island now more than he'd ever been. Rachel's death meant technically he could take Gracie and move wherever he wanted, but their life was here with Steve.

The Seal sat silent as the detective answered. It hadn't dawned on him until Mama Williams mentioned moving that Danny could have decided to do just that, pack up Grace and move back to New Jersey. That he was instead encouraging his parents to move here meant that this was finally becoming home in every sense.

Their eyes met across the island, an unspoken message shared, a reminder that what they shared wasn't just a fleeting, temporary thing, but a commitment to each other. A commitment to Grace and the family they created.

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