Guardian
A/N: Don't forget to check out the latest post in Guardian: Love Explored that falls between this chapter and the last.
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters and make no money doing this. I'm just having fun playing with them.
Chapter 37
Waking up with Danny's arm slung across his chest and one leg tangled with his own, Steve seriously contemplated closing his eyes and trying to fall back asleep for a while. As it was he took a moment to just enjoy the warmth of his partner pressed against him and the sound of his deep, even breathing.
Running his fingers through the blonde hair, the Seal grinned as the touch seemed to make him snuggle closer.
"Shouldn't you be out finishing a triathlon or something?" Danny murmured against his chest.
"Actually I was contemplating a short biathle this morning." The Seal smirked, knowing his partner couldn't see his face and tried not to laugh.
"Okay Super Seal, you've got me. What the hell is a biathle?" From the tone of his voice he clearly thought McGarrett was messing with him.
"Running and swimming, no cycling. If you don't believe me I can look it up." Steve reached one hand for his phone where it was charging on the nightstand.
"Nah, I believe you. When it comes to that stuff I'm willing to concede you know far more than I do." He absent mindedly ran his hand over the hair of Steve's chest as he spoke and for a brief moment thought the taller man might start purring.
The quietness of the moment reminded him of the vow the three members of the Williams clan had made to indoctrinate the Seal into the family one small act of affection at a time. "Would you like me to come run with you?"
"Really?" Steve lifted his head to really look at Danny's face.
"Well, by with you I mean you can speed off on your stupidly long legs and complete the ridiculous number of miles you like to do and then meet back up with me on the return trip and we can finish the rest together." He knew he needed to get back in to his own workout regimen. Though he'd never really enjoyed the process it was one he knew he had to endure for the sake of his career choice.
"You'd really do that?" Steve still sounded shocked.
"Yes, Super Seal. I'd really do that. If I'm going to spend the rest of my life keeping up with you I might as well start training for it. Something tells me I'm in for one hell of an endurance sport." Lifting himself off Steve, he moved to get out of the bed. "Come on. If we're going to do this we should get going."
Danny watched his partner nearly spring out of bed, a huge goofy grin spread across his face. Hell, had he known offering to go for a run with the guy would produce that kind of result he would have done it months ago.
The pair got ready in an easy silence. Despite Danny's penchant for ranting and talking so much of the time they were actually quite comfortable simply sharing the same space.
Heading downstairs and into the kitchen, Steve seemed less surprised to find the towel and note than he was the previous mornings. He quickly read the simple note before grabbing a second water bottle to fill with ice and water for Danny.
Before heading out, the Seal jotted his own note to Mama Williams letting her know Danny was with him for a run so she wouldn't worry if she came down to find the towel and water gone and him not on the beach. He'd already figured out she was watching from the kitchen window during some part of his swim. He'd felt the eyes on him yesterday morning, but instead of being bothered it simply made him feel cared for. She cared enough to look out and make sure he was there and safe.
/
Waking in her granddaughter's bed, Beth felt the little girl's back pressed against her side and heard her quiet breathing.
A moment later she heard what sounded like two sets of footsteps headed downstairs. Glancing at the clock she was surprised that her son was up and moving this early. When she heard the back door close a few minutes later, she decided to get up and go make some coffee. Either Daniel was sitting downstairs alone and she could join him or he'd gone outside with Steve and she'd have time to enjoy her first cup of coffee alone. Either prospect was welcome.
Slipping from the bed, she pulled the blanket more snuggly over Grace to offset the now missing body heat before sneaking quietly out of the room. She suspected today would be a bit hard on everyone given that the funeral was tomorrow. The dread of what was coming was almost inevitable.
Twenty minutes after the boys had left, Beth finally headed down to the kitchen dressed and ready for the day. She immediately noticed Danny didn't appear to be in the house and then spotted the note. She was actually pleased to see that her son was out with his partner. She knew he kept in pretty good shape, but his penchant for less than healthy eating had always concerned her a bit. She could readily imagine his relationship with Steven would provide some additional motivation to take even better care of himself.
Getting the coffee maker ready, she milled around the kitchen pondering what she could come up with for lunch. Based on schedules, she was going to need to make sure Danny, Steve, and Dianne were fed early even if everyone else waited a bit. It appeared she had the materials to throw together a pasta salad and extra fruit and veggies to act as sides. That would work well and could be pulled out for people to eat as they wished.
Digging through the cabinets, she found a large pot and filled it with water to cook the pasta. She could wait until later, but it would be better if it had time to sit. She also found the rituals of preparing food for her family rather relaxing.
Just as she was finishing mixing everything together with the pasta her cell phone rang on the counter. Glancing at the caller id she was surprised to see it was Dianne.
"This is Beth." She answered quickly, concerned that something may be wrong.
"Beth, sorry to bother you so early. I didn't wake you did I?" The British woman was suddenly concerned she was calling so early.
"No, I was actually just finishing up some pasta salad for lunch while the boys are out getting some exercise. I believe Grace is the only one still in bed." She put the pasta in the fridge and climbed onto one of the stools to finish her second cup of coffee.
"That explains why Daniel didn't answer his phone. I didn't realize he went out with Steven in the mornings."
Beth laughed at that comment. "He doesn't, though I won't be surprised if he starts joining him a bit more often. It'd be good for him."
"Yes, I'm sure it would be. Anyway, when I couldn't reach Daniel I thought I'd try you, I hope you don't mind."
"Not at all. What can I do for you?" Beth hoped everything was okay.
"I just wanted to see if it was okay if I came over a bit earlier today. There's a delicious bakery here and I thought I might bring breakfast if everyone hasn't eaten yet."
Beth smiled at her phone. "That sounds like a wonderful idea. I'm not sure how much longer the boys will be out, but you should have time to get here before their appetites really make an appearance." If they showed up early she could probably placate them with coffee and the promise of baked goods to come.
"Wonderful. I'll make sure to pick up plenty so they don't go hungry. I'll see you shortly."
"See you soon." Mrs. Williams set the phone back on the counter. At least that solved the question of what to do for breakfast.
/
Rounding corner toward the back of the house, Steve and Danny were both covered in sweat from their run. They'd been out for roughly an hour.
"Well babe, you managed not to kill me." The detective gasped as they rounded the corner to the house. "You going for a swim still?"
McGarrett laughed as he grabbed his partner's hand, dragging him toward the chairs that held their water and his towel. "Of course."
Reaching their destination and taking a quick drink of water, he removed his sneakers and socks. Grabbing the back of Danny's neck, he hauled him close for a brief, but passionate kiss. Just as quickly, he let go, stripped out of his shirt, and jogged toward the water.
"Thank you!" Danny called after him, laughing as he fell back into the chair. Leave it to his crazy Super Seal to kiss him senseless and then run off. At least this time he wasn't running off for fear of rejection.
After catching his breath and drinking some water, the detective rose and started stretching. It had been a little while since he'd really pushed himself running and he knew he'd be sore later. Steve probably had the right idea with heading into the water, though his present pace looked more like a race than a cool down to the Jersey native.
Hearing a car pull up, Danny turned to look toward the house. When he heard doors shutting and then the car pulling away he guessed it might be Dianne. It was nice to see Rachel's mother truly making an effort to follow their advice to spend as much time here as possible during her stay on the island.
Turning back to face the water, he was completely absorbed in watching his partner's long arms slicing through the water, heading away from shore again. Apparently he was so lost in the sight that he didn't hear the back door open or Grace approaching as she seemed to just materialize beside him.
"Mornin' Danno! Did you have fun running with Daddy?" She asked innocently. His daughter knew running was not one of his favorite pastimes.
"It actually wasn't too bad, at least not once he came back and was running with me." He noticed her confused expression. "I sent him ahead since I knew he'd want to go further and faster. He caught me on his return and we finished the rest together."
She nodded in understanding. "One of these days I'll go run with Daddy."
Looking down at his daughter he rested a hand on her shoulder and pulled her against his side. "I bet he'd like that, Monkey." No doubt, Super Seal would gleefully adjust his pace and distance to accommodate her.
"Grandma Bradley bought breakfast from the bakery at the resort. It looks really good, so I came out to see if you guys were almost done." They both looked out to see where the Seal was since it was him they were waiting on.
McGarrett was surprising close to the water's edge, having spotted Grace approaching when he'd turned for his last lap out. Already having run pretty aggressively this morning, he'd opted for a few shorter laps instead of going further out in a single lap as he was sometimes prone to doing.
Seeing Steve about to emerge from the water, Grace grabbed his towel and ran down to meet him. Though tempted to follow, Danny settled for watching his two favorite people.
Accepting the towel, Steve quickly dried off enough that he wouldn't get the little girl soaked when he gave her a hug. Leaning down, he welcomed her embrace.
"Mornin' Gracie. How'd you sleep last night?" He asked as she leaned further into his arms.
"Pretty well. I just woke up a little bit ago. Grandma Williams already made stuff for lunch and Grandma Bradley just got here with breakfast. Are you hungry?"
She backed up a step as he moved to stand, since he was still pretty wet it didn't seem like a good idea to hitch a ride back to the house on the Super Seal this time.
"Starving. Should we collect Danno and head that way?"
Grabbing his hand, she led the way, grabbing her father's hand when she reached him. Danny tossed Steve his water bottle before grabbing his own and heading to the house with them.
The two women met them at the door, having watched them approach from the kitchen window.
"You two go get changed. I'll make a fresh pot of coffee so we can enjoy it with our breakfast. You'll never believe the delicious looking things Dianne brought with her."
Grace slipped over to stand between her grandmothers, wrapping an arm around each of their waists.
"Yes mom." Danny and Steve answered in unison as they hurried off to the stairs.
"Well, they certainly know better than to argue with you, don't they?" Dianne laughed.
Beth and Grace both laughed loudly at that assumption. "Pretty sure it had more to do with wanting to get to the food than actually listening to me."
The three ladies turned and headed back to the kitchen to make sure everything was set out for the inevitable hasty return of the pair.
It was going to be a rough week, but they would face it as a family. They would find strength in each other and in the other members of their ohana that would surround them, but first they would enjoy a quiet breakfast with the five of them.
/
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Due to travel and general holiday mayhem the next chapter will likely take longer than usual to post. Once things settle down again and the kid goes back to school we should be back to multiple updates per week. Thanks for your patience!