Guardian

A/N: If you are following Guardian: Love Explored the chapter that posted on 11/16 (Ch. 5) is a lead in to this chapter.

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters and make no money doing this. I'm just having fun playing with them. I should also note that I have no beta on this story. All mistakes are entirely my own.

Chapter 28

Working together to prepare the tiramisu, Beth watched the man standing across from her. They'd maintained a casual conversation so far, but she knew it wouldn't be much longer before the others started to rejoin them.

"Governor Denning," she waited for him to look up at her, "I have to ask, why the change of heart with Five-0. I talk to my boys and Grace all the time and unless I missed something, they had no indication of anything more than a hesitant acceptance of their existence from you."

He looked rather taken aback by her forthright question.

"I apologize if my asking seems rude, but that team is like family to me. Those are my kids in every way that matters and I don't want to see any of them get hurt."

He held up a hand to stall any further explanation. "I'm sure I would feel much the same way in your position. I know it took me a while to warm up to them. What I eventually came to realize is that McGarrett's unorthodox approach to things is actually highly effective. He was also smart enough to surround himself with a team that balances him. From a professional perspective that has worked well for them. Add to that the fact that they operate with closeness akin to a SEAL unit and they seem to be virtually unstoppable."

He paused and smiled at Beth. Her grin told him that he could sing the team's praises for hours and she would gladly listen.

"I think, most importantly, I realized that they do what they do because they genuinely care about the safety and welfare of others, often above their own. When I figured that piece out it made it impossible to hold their unconventional techniques against them."

Covering the tiramisu and slipping it into the fridge, Beth laughed. "I'm glad you figured that out. I've always known Daniel was that way and it didn't take long to realize that Steven may actually be worse. I swear that boy gives no thought to his own safety if he thinks he can save someone else."

The governor laughed loudly at that comment. "I do believe you are right about that. I gather Danny and Grace are often the only reason he does consider his own well-being."

Pulling out the vegetables that would eventually go on the grill with the chicken, Beth decided to ask one more question. "You weren't surprised by the new nature of their relationship?"

Picking up a knife to start working, he laughed again. "Not a bit. I've been waiting for one of them to make a move for months."

The sound of Kono's laughter preceded her into the room. "You and half the rest of the island, I think." She gave Beth a quick hug before grabbing a glass of water. "What can I help with?"

/

Pulling a clean t-shirt over his head, Steve watched his partner staring at his own pile of shirts. "Danny, relax. I don't think Dianne is going to care which shirt you wear."

He closed the distance between them and wrapped his arms around the bare torso. The closer they got to her return, the more nervous the shorter man seemed to get.

"I know. I'm glad she's coming over to spend more time with Grace, but it's a big adjustment. For years, our relationship has been icy at best and hostile at its worst. This afternoon was a huge revelation for me. The idea that she isn't nearly the tyrant I always assumed."

Steve reached forward and plucked a nice royal blue t-shirt from the pile. "I know, but I'd imagine she's feeling more nervous than you are. She's being forced to re-evaluate the preconceived notion she held that you were nothing more than a dumb cop and she has the disadvantage of being in potentially hostile territory. We've all agreed to give her a chance, but I'm sure she realizes that any misstep on her part will spell trouble."

Danny laughed as he accepted the chosen shirt. He could only imagine the hell there would be to pay if she stepped out of line with Grace or him.

"I'll admit it's nice to know I have backup this time." The detective donned the shirt before smiling up at Steve.

Pulling Danny to him for a quick kiss, Steve grinned as he pulled back. "As long as I'm alive, you will always have backup."

"I know. I love you." He hoped the Seal really did understand just how much he meant that.

"I love you too. Now let's go check on Grace and see how dinner prep is going." He grabbed his partner's hand and pulled him toward the door.

Knocking gently on the door to Grace's room, Danny called out. "Hey Monkey, you awake?"

"Yeah, Danno. Come on in." She answered quickly.

Pushing the door open the two men filed into the room. "You look a bit more awake than you did." They found her looking through a drawer of shirts.

"I didn't mean to fall asleep." She started to apologize.

Sitting on the edge of her bed, Steve shook his head. "It's okay, Gracie. This way you won't be so tired for dinner." Seeing her biting her lower lip, he turned his gaze to Danny.

"Are you nervous about this evening?" Danny moved to sit on the bed next to the Seal.

"A little." She admitted as she finally settled on a shirt. "I want her to like everyone so she'll want to spend more time with us. I love having Grandma Beth around and it doesn't seem fair that I've never gotten to have Grandma Bradley around because she and Mommy always fought."

Reaching out, Danny grabbed her hand and pulled her onto his lap, so she could see them both. "Monkey, I promise we'll all do our best to make sure she enjoys her visit. Tonight is going to be a little weird for all of us, but we know that your grandmother very much wants to get to know you better and spend more time with you. She will have to go back to England at some point, but we're going to start doing video chats with her like we always did with my parents."

Looking up at her father, Grace smiled. "Really? I'll still get to talk to her?"

"Absolutely, sweetheart. After all, she's family." The Seal reassured her. He only hoped that dinner really did go well. Things had ended on a positive note when Dianne left, but it was going to take a bit more time before he felt truly at ease in her presence.

Steve turned slightly, angling so he could wrap father and daughter in his long arms. "I love you two." He couldn't resist telling them both.

"I love you too, Daddy. You too, Danno." Grace giggled from her spot squished between her two favorite men.

"I love you both, too." Danny smiled as he tried not to laugh in response to her giggles.

Letting them go, Steve rose from the bed. "We should probably let you finish getting ready." When their daughter climbed out of Danny's lap, Steve extended a hand back to pull him up and out of the room.

"We'll meet you downstairs, Monkey."

Shutting the door, he heard her call out that she'd be right down.

The pair made their way to down the stairs. Hearing the sound of laughter from the kitchen Steve stopped a step below his partner and turned to face him. "Remember, you have backup, lots of backup." He pointed toward the kitchen. "For Grace's sake we're all going to do our best to make Dianne welcome and help them build a relationship, but do not ever doubt that the people in this house have your back."

Taking advantage of their position, Danny reached out and kissed the Seal enthusiastically. Breaking away to catch a breath, he finally answered. "I promise, babe. I will remember that." It was amazing how much life had changed since he'd first come out to this pineapple infested island.

When they finally entered the kitchen, Chin handed them each a Longboard. "Took you two long enough." He joked. When Danny opened his mouth to explain, he just shook his head. "Brah, we really don't want to know."

"The tiramisu is setting in the fridge. I'm afraid we'll have a late dessert tonight since I didn't think to put it together earlier. We're just getting the rest of the prep work done." Beth gave them a quick status update.

"Leave anything for us to do?" Steve questioned.

"Just drink the beer, boss." Kono pointed to the drink in his hand. "Actually, why don't you guys go see if there's a game on while we finish up." The kitchen was getting a bit too crowded for anyone to get anything done.

"But…" Steve didn't want to feel useless.

"Out." Beth pointed to the door and laughed. "You can start the grill and handle that part when it's time."

Knowing it was pointless to argue with mom, Danny and Steve turned for the door. "Come on you two. If we don't go know they'll remove us by force."

The governor and Chin followed obediently behind the pair. "She doesn't leave much room to argue, does she?" Denning asked the other three.

"Trust me, she's mellowed out. You have no idea what it was like growing up with her." Danny groused, his grin giving him away. He adored his mother.

Grabbing the remote off the coffee table, Steve sat on one end of the sofa. Grabbing his partner's hand, he pulled him into the seat next to him. As they got comfortable, the Seal shot a nervous glance at Governor Denning. Spending an entire afternoon together, he imagined the other man had figured things out, but he didn't want things to get awkward.

Seeing the look from Commander McGarrett as he was taking his own seat, Denning gave a reassuring smile. "I'm glad to see you two finally worked things out."

Danny looked up, startled by the politician's words. Looking from his partner to their boss, he raised an eyebrow in question.

"Relax, Williams. I could see the look when McGarrett realized just how cozy you two look together. As I told Kono earlier, I've been waiting for this development. You'll hear no complaints from me as long as it doesn't impact your performance and knowing the two of you I suspect it will be more likely to improve it."

Chin chuckled from his chair. "You're probably right. Speaking of work, when do you want us back on duty?"

"I don't have a firm timeline for that. At a minimum, I expect you to be left alone through Tuesday." There was no way he'd allow the team's family time to be interrupted before the funeral was over. "At that point, I think we can play it by ear. Until Grace has gone back to school, I don't expect to see all four of you in the office at the same time."

Leaning back against Steve's arm stretched behind him, Danny was glad to hear that. "Thank you, sir. I really appreciate you being so understanding."

"You've sacrificed enough time and blood for the benefit of the state, I believe we can allow you adequate time to grieve and care for your daughter."

The four fell silent for a few moments until Steve flipped on the television. Finding a random game, they kicked back to watch, enjoying a few moments of seemingly normal life.

/

A/N: Reviews are greatly appreciated.