Guardian
A/N: Surprise… I'm still alive. Why do I feel like I blinked and missed the entire last two weeks? I sure hope this isn't going to be a trend for 2014.
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters and make no money doing this. I'm just having fun playing with them.
Chapter 39
Steve dropped Mary's bag inside the house and quickly made his way to the back where everyone was gathered.
He smiled to see Grace impressing his sister with what she'd learned so far in her self-defense lessons. Seeing Chin's face as the little girl landed a good defensive blow, he couldn't help but laugh.
"Hey, you just wait until she's practicing on you." The Hawaiian snickered at him.
"Yep, we're teaching her control for practice, but we're also using the target pads to have her practice at full strength." Catherine interjected.
"That's good." Steve grinned at the group. "I'll be more than happy to take the beating when Grace decides she wants to take me on." He winked at the little girl as he sat down next to Mary.
The others continued practicing as the siblings watched. "She's a natural." Mary commented quietly.
"Yes, she is. It's going to be a lot of fun watching her as she gets bigger if decides she wants to keep up the training." She could hear the love and pride in his voice as he spoke of the little girl.
"Given how much she clearly adores you and the rest of this crazy group I have no doubt that she'll keep up. Heck, I would be seriously surprised if she doesn't end up pursuing a career in military or law enforcement." She leaned over and nudged her brother's arm with her shoulder.
"Yeah, I think that is both Danny's worst nightmare and something that would make him immensely proud." Speaking of his partner, he glanced down at his watch. It likely wouldn't be too much longer before he and Dianne reappeared at home. He hoped the appointment went well.
"Daddy." Grace's voice interrupted his thought. "Do you want to practice with Aunt Kono and Aunt Cath?" He noticed that Beth has just sat down to get a drink of water.
Hopping to his feet, he gave his daughter a wide smile. "Of course I do!" Stepping away from where Mary sat, he eyed his opponents cautiously.
"Bring it, Super Seal." Kono laughed mockingly. The two women had been waiting for the chance to go up against him since his stunt with Danny on the beach.
Grace plopped down next to her Aunt Mary, though both kept their eyes focused on the trio in front of them.
Not wanting to get caught in the middle of things, Chin circled around and came to sit on the little girl's other side.
"I'm pressed, Gracie. You're quite a natural with how fast you're picking up the moves." He stretched his legs out in front of him as he leaned back next to her.
"Thanks Uncle Chin. Learning how much I can do even at my size is pretty neat." She couldn't hide the surprise in her voice.
"Remember what we told you, it's not all about size. Though being big can sometimes be an advantage it can also be a disadvantage. What's important is learning how to use your size and skills to your advantage." His words of encouragement were interrupted by a yelp from McGarrett, immediately followed by howls of laughter from the two women.
"Seriously, I leave him unattended for a couple of hours and he manages to get himself into trouble already?" Danny's voice sounded from behind them followed by a laugh from Diane.
"Danno! You're back!" Grace scrambled up to hug her father and grandmother.
"Of course I'm back." He ruffled her hair. "Think I should go save him?"
Chin snickered as he watched Danny kick off his nice shoes and loosen the tie so he could pull it over his head. The Hawaiian could tell his boss was content to hold back some of his almost inhuman skills and settle for a good fight with the two rather formidable women as long as it was just him at risk. In about two seconds when the Seal realized Danny had entered the fray the Super Seal would come out to play and it would all be over.
Mary was slightly confused, as Dianne sat down next to her, but didn't even introduce herself as her attention was fixed on the sparring match in front of them.
Glancing at Chin and Grace she noticed they were also completely engrossed. Curious what they expected to happen, Mary turned her attention back to her brother. If you asked her later what had happened, she couldn't have told you.
She remembered seeing Steve's hand reach out and touch Danny's arm with the women closing in on them and the next thing she knew her brother had his partner tucked safely behind him and both women were on the ground laughing.
Hearing the laughter around her, she looked over to Grace and Chin. "What was that?"
The little girl giggled. "That's Daddy in protective Super Seal mode. Drives Danno nuts every time."
Mary glanced up at Chin hoping for a better explanation. "I'd imagine the same thing would happen if you or Grace were in danger. Steve seems to operate at two different levels. There is the normal human Steve, highly trained but also highly controlled. That's what you see if it's only his skin at risk. Then there's the Super Seal mode that seems to automatically come out to play when someone he cares about is at risk. Even then I'm pretty sure he uses more control in situations like this than he would if it were an actual attacker. In that case I'm pretty sure we'd either be calling in an ambulance or possibly even Max."
The Hawaiian laughed as she shook her head. Mary knew her brother was both extremely protective and extremely dangerous to potential threats, but she'd really never seen him in action like that.
After a few silent seconds, the sound of a voice clearing behind her interrupted her. Turning, she faced the woman she assumed was Rachel's mother.
"You must be Mary. I'm Dianne Bradley, Grace's grandmother." She extended a hand in greeting.
"I am. It's nice to meet you. I'm so sorry for your loss." She squeezed the offered hand in sympathy.
"Thank you dear. It's been hard, but I also feel like I've gained an entire new family in the last few days and I'm trying to focus on that."
Mary smiled and nodded. She knew the feeling. When she'd been sent away to live with her aunt she'd had to learn to do much the same thing. Focus on the new life that was presented to her and try to move past the overwhelming grief at not only losing her mother, but also her father and brother in many ways.
Distracted by her thoughts, Steve's sister almost didn't realize that everyone else was now sitting around the blankets with them. The sound of Danny ranting at her brother about not letting him fight brought her back to the present.
"Oh come on Danny, from what I hear you should be used to it."
The detective reached over and gave her a quick hug. "You'd think so, but just once I'd like to be able to prove that I can actually hold my own."
"Maybe next time we should handcuff him to the truck so he has to just stand there and watch?" Kono teased.
"Nah, cuz. That'd just end in the truck needing to go to the shop or our crazy boss dislocating something to escape." Chin laughed.
"Hey!" Steve tried to sound offended.
"It's okay Daddy." Grace scooted over to his lap where she could cuddle with him while keeping a hand on Danno's arm. "We know you just do it because you love us."
The Seal leaned down and kissed the top of her head as he curled one arm protectively around her, the other wrapped loosely around Danny's waist.
Beth watched the scene around her and smiled sadly, wishing Paul were here with the family. At the surface they all looked reasonably calm and relaxed, but she could see the tension and sadness building under the surface as the day progressed. By tomorrow afternoon she imagined the mood was going to be considerably different. Though having Paul around would have helped and provided some comfort to her, she was glad to know that this group would get through the funeral the way they seemed to get through everything – as family.
/
Kono and Danny stood in the kitchen, grabbing refills of drinks to take back to the others in the living room. Somewhere along the line pizzas had been ordered and everyone had settled in to watch How to Train Your Dragon and Megamind. It seemed everyone was reluctant to leave as if that would make tomorrow come sooner.
"Danny?" Kono spoke quietly as she placed a hand on his arm, stopping him from grabbing the tray and heading back to the living room. When he met her gaze, she continued. "How do you want us to handle tomorrow before the funeral? Do you want us to meet you guys there, meet here just before, or be here in the morning?"
The detective's shoulders sagged, he hadn't really thought about it. Honestly he'd tried not to think about the coming day.
Seeing he was struggling with what to answer, Kono pulled him closer and wrapped her arms around the man that was so much of an older brother to her. "I'm sorry Danny. I didn't meant to upset you, but we didn't want to make any assumptions."
Stepping back slightly, he met her eyes again. "I appreciate that. Honestly, I think having you guys here in the morning would be good. I'm not sure how Grace, Dianne, or I will be feeling, but so far we all seem to hold it together better as a unit." He paused for a second. "Can you remind the others about surfboard?"
"Of course, I don't think anyone forgot, but I'll make sure to remind them." She squeezed his arm again. "We'll bring some stuff over for breakfast so mom doesn't have to do everything."
Danny chuckled. "You know that won't stop her from cooking, right?"
She smiled back at him. "I know, but at least it will reduce the amount she has to worry about."
"True." Grabbing their trays the two headed back to join the others.
Setting them on the table, Kono reclaimed her spot on the couch as Danny slid back onto the blanket and pillow covered floor next to Grace. She immediately reached for his hand. He smiled seeing her other hand curled inside one of Steve's even as he felt the Seal's free hand snake behind her to grip his own shoulder.
Meeting his partner's eyes, his breath caught for a moment. He honestly wasn't sure he'd ever get used to the depth of feelings he saw there – love, devotion, protection, loyalty – the list could go on for quite some time. More importantly, he knew those feelings didn't just include him, but the little girl tucked safely between them, shielded from the outside world by two men that would do anything to keep her safe and surrounded by an ohana that would do the same.
As the second movie ended, the group reluctantly started preparing to disperse for the night. By the time all the hugs were exchanged, Dianne's car had arrived and Chin, Catherine, and Kono walked out with her.
When the door closed behind them, Beth looked at her boys and granddaughter and then to the living room.
"Why don't you three head on up to bed and I'll pick this up real quick." When both men started to open their mouths, she held a hand up. "No. Go to bed."
Nodding their heads, the pair conceded defeat. As she watched them head toward the stairs, Grace holding each of their hands between them she heard the little girls voice.
"Danno, Daddy?" She sounded both tired and nervous. The men both froze and squatted down to see what was wrong.
"What is it Monkey?" Danny asked when she didn't continue.
"It's okay, sweetheart, you can tell us." Steve added when she was still quiet.
Staring down at the floor, she finally spoke. "Can I stay with you tonight?" Beth caught the instantaneous relief on their faces as the men both nodded.
"Sure you can." Danny answered. "You go brush your teeth and get your pajamas on then you can come over to our room.
Watching them head up the stairs, Beth wiped a tear from her eyes. She felt incredibly blessed to witness those small moments of her eldest son and his family, incredibly lucky to be able to be so close to them.
/
Reviews are very welcome and appreciated! Please take a few seconds to leave one.
While I'd love to say the next couple of chapters are going to come quickly, I know they involve the funeral and I expect that will either go one of two ways – it'll miraculously almost write itself or getting it written in something resembling a coherent story is going to nearly kill me. Keep your fingers crossed that I make it through.