Guardian
A/N:
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters and make no money doing this. I'm just having fun playing with them.
Chapter 58
"Danno! Daddy! Look!" Grace ran toward them, fingers splayed in front of her to show off her freshly painted nails. Steve caught her mid-jump, swinging her around to rest on his hip.
"They look beautiful, Monkey." Danny held her fingers in his open palm so they could properly fuss over them.
"And my toes match." She held her leg out so they could see the purple toes wiggling in her sandals.
"Purple is a good color for you, Gracie." Steve adding his approval.
"Ms. Kalea said I can come back any time and she'll do my nails for free." Grace was almost bouncing in Steve's arms.
Kono laughed at her enthusiasm as she approached. "Correction. Kalea basically ordered us to return frequently with her. I think Ms. Grace has another fan."
"Better you than us." Danny laughed. "I will leave all scheduling of such things to the lot of you."
The roar of Chin's motorcycle interrupted the teasing. As promised, he'd arrived in time to bid Mary farewell, if only for two weeks.
"I'm going to go grab my bag and call a cab." Mary skirted passed Steve, Grace, and Danny toward the door.
"You what?" Steve almost yelled.
"I've got this." Danny shushed him, rushing to follow her inside. "Drop that phone!" Danny barked just inside the door. "If you think for once second that I'm letting you get in a cab to go to the airport then you are even crazier than that Neanderthal brother of yours!"
Mary lowered the phone, but didn't let go. "It's fine, Danny. I use cabs all the time in LA."
"Yes, because you don't have family there." She started to speak, but his glare stopped her. "So help me, Mary Ann McGarrett, if the next words out of your mouth are anything to do with not being family to anyone here but Steven, not wanting to be a bother, or any other such nonsense I will be forced to retaliate."
Mary stared back at him in silence.
"Good. Now, go grab your bag so you can say goodbye to everyone. I'm going to grab my keys and the two of us will head to the airport."
"But …"
"No. No arguing. We are going to have a nice little brother - sister chat on the way to the airport and put all this nonsense about you being less important or less a part of this ohana than anyone else here to rest once and for all." Danny gave her his best big brother glare, and waited for her to go upstairs. When she did, he ducked into the kitchen to grab his keys and wallet.
"I take it I will not be taking her to the airport." Steve's voice made his partner jump.
"No. Indeed, you will not." Danny turned to face him. "You and my parents had your go at her. Now it is my turn. If I'm lucky, her head won't be as hard as yours and I will succeed in convincing her that she deserves to be loved, protected, and included in things faster than I did with you."
Steve stared at him, no longer sure what to say. He couldn't argue, because Danny was right. Steve loved each member of their ohana fiercely, but while he'd been willing to do anything for each of them from the beginning, he'd resisted allowing them to do the same for him for months. Only their determination, spearheaded by Danny had worn him down. That Mary fought those same demons crushed him.
"Do not start feeling guilty. You didn't create this issue, and you are already doing your best to solve it, but you can't do it alone. Just like you are a vital part of Grace's coping and recovery, I want to be a vital part of helping Mary understand what being part of this family means. She is my sister now too." Danny stood toe to toe with his partner, daring him to argue.
Instead, Steve wrapped his hands around the back of Danny's neck and pulled him in for a kiss.
"Alright you two. Break it up." Mary interrupted them.
"I'll be outside when you're ready." Danny grabbed her bag from her and disappeared toward the door.
"Come here." Steve opened his arms to his little sister. "You be careful. Call me if you need anything. I mean it." He squeezed her tight, holding her close. "I'm glad you're coming back. I really am. I love you. No matter what, always remember that, okay?"
Despite her best efforts, Mary felt tears seep out of her eyes dampening her brother's shirt. "I love you too." She wrapped her arms around his waist and let him hold her.
Letting her go after several minutes, Steve looked down at her. "Are you sure you don't need any help getting things packed up?"
"Yes." She huffed as she started toward the door. Outside, Danny waited at the end of the path, on the other side of a gauntlet of people, of ohana, that she had to say goodbye to for at least a couple of weeks.
More hugs and tears than she was able to count later, Mary Ann climbed into the passenger seat of the Camaro and let Steve shut the door behind her.
As the car drove away, Steve felt Beth and Grace come to his sides, wrapping their hands in theirs.
"She'll be back before you know it." Beth assured him. "Now why don't we go see if we can find a snack before Alyssa comes to talk paint?"
Steve let the pair lead him toward the house, the others falling in step behind them. It was bittersweet to see Mary go. He hated that she had to leave at all, but was happy to know it was very temporary this time. He hoped his partner was able to convince her just how much a part of this family she really was.
/ GUARDIAN /
Fidgeting in her seat, the silence of the first few minutes alone with Danny was making her nervous. She'd never actually been alone with the detective, until this trip they'd only been around each other in the presence of her brother. This time there had always been someone else around or at least very close. Now she was trapped in a moving vehicle with no escape and no idea what he wanted to talk about.
"Why is it that every time I tell a McGarrett we're going to have a chat you look like you think I'm taking you face a firing squad? Seriously. Are conversations with me that frightening?"
She continued to face forward, watching him out of the corner of her eye as one hand remained on the wheel and the other flailed around in front of him.
"You know you are allowed to speak, right? I get enough of the crazy expressions from your brother."
"I'm sorry." She wasn't sure why she was apologizing, but he sounded annoyed and it seemed appropriate.
"What the hell? Did your brother give you a script to follow? First look like a kicked puppy. Second start apologizing for doing nothing wrong." Stopping at a red light, Danny turned to look at her. "Whatever you think you should be apologizing for, let's just assume you shouldn't be so we can skip that part. Now, before I continue lecturing you, because that may very well take us right up until I leave you at the airport, I need to ask you a question."
"Okay." Mary was staring at her brother's partner. He really was a force of nature when he got going.
"I would like to add you to the emergency contacts list at Grace's school. Steve and I will be the first two, but I want to have the entire family on it in case we're having our own emergency and something happens at school."
"Okay." She nodded.
"Okay? Is that the only word you're going to say now?" Danny fussed at her.
"Yes. You can add me to the emergency contacts. You know I would do anything I could for her." She elaborated before he could start ranting again.
"Good. Now, speaking of people we would do anything for." The light turned to green and he turned his eyes back to the road. "I know you and Steve both got a royal mind fuck about what it really means to be part of a family thanks to your parents." Mary actually laughed at his rather blunt observation. "It has taken me roughly two years to convince your Neanderthal of a brother that he is actually allowed to be loved and show affection. I am every bit prepared to spend just as much time convincing you of the same thing, but I'm very much hoping that given the brilliant example he is now setting you will allow yourself to be persuaded considerably faster."
Mary wasn't quite sure what she was supposed to say to that.
"Fine. Let me say it this way. Whether you like it or not, you are very much an integral part of this family. And by this family I mean the entire Williams-McGarrett-Kelly-Kalakaua-Rollins and now Bradley clan. Heaven help me if we ever need to make a t-shirt for that. We are an oddly assembled gathering of broken toys that your brother managed to cobble together into a group of people that would quite literally lay down their lives for each other. Though I do hope it never comes to that. The point being, no one of us is more important than another. No one of us expects the others to act a certain way or say a certain thing to remain part of the family. If I have learned anything in the last two years, it's that our ohana will stop at nothing to remain ohana. All we ask is that you love as best as you are able and allow us to love you in return. That's it. No membership fees. No educational requirements. No bullshit worthy of a highly paid therapist. Well, unless you count your brother getting me shot at, but that has more to do with Five-0 and his stupid Super SEAL tendencies. He tends not to get the ohana shot at. So please, stop worrying that you aren't enough, that you don't deserve this. Just get your shit from LA, tell us when to book your return trip, and get your ass back home. This is where you belong."
They were pulling into the airport before Mary finally spoke. "I love you too, Danny."
Stopping at the passenger drop off, Danny turned off the car and grabbed Mary's bag from the back. Pulling her into a hug, he kissed her cheek. "I'm glad you finally figured it out. Now fly safe and call us when you land so we don't worry. We love you."
She gave him one last squeeze before heading to the airport.
Danny leaned back against his car for a moment, watching her go. Hopefully his words really did sink in this time. Walking back around the car, he hopped in, and sped off toward home.
/ GUARDIAN /
A/N: Geez. I'm writing Danny and even I can't shut him up when he gets going.
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