A/N: I was all excited that the drama from Saturday was winding down. I thought we'd say goodbye to Dianne in this chapter, and maybe try for something fun. It turns out Grace and Steve had other plans. I love them, but why don't the characters ever want to follow my plans?

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters and make no money doing this. I'm just having fun playing with them.

Chapter 66

Danny woke with a start, eyes darting around the room to asses the threat. A pained moan from the other side of the bed led him straight to the source of his waking.

"Steve. Babe. Wake up." Danny spoke gently but load enough that he hoped the SEAL would hear him in the throes of whatever nightmare had him trapped. He should have known he would have nightmares tonight. "Come on babe. You are home. Danno's got you."

The SEAL's eyes were still clamped shut, his breathing hard, but Danny felt a hand shoot out to grab him. He jumped at first, aware that Steve's first instinct would be to protect himself in his sleep. Fortunately, the hand didn't attack. Instead it wrapped around Danny's arming, cleaning to him with a desperate sense of need.

"It's okay, babe. You are home in our bed. Come on. Open your eyes and look at me." The detective continued to coax.

With a shuddering breath, long lashes finally parted and Steve's eyes searched frantically for his. Pupils blown wide, Danny could tell whatever this nightmare was, it had rattled his partner.

"Korea. I was back in Korea, hanging from …" Steve's words were interrupted from a loud scream from Grace's room. Danny's eyes went wide, torn between making sure his partner was okay and the need to go to his daughter. "Go. I'm okay. I just … go." The SEAL practically shoved him off the bed, and the detective's feet were in motion as soon as they hit the floor.

Flinging their bedroom door open, Danny almost collided with his mother in the hallway. She took one glance at him before pointing him back toward his room. "You take care of him. We have her." She gestured to where Dianne approached.

"But…"

"I heard him before I heard her. You can't take care of both. If she doesn't calm for us, I will bring her straight to you guys. Just go." By the time she finished speaking, Dianne already had Grace's door open, and he could here the older woman's British accent soothing his daughter. Nodding his head, he turned back toward the bedroom and Steve.

"Is she okay?" The SEAL was sitting up against the headboard, knees drawn up to his chest with his arms wrapped tight around them. He looked three steps beyond rattled.

"The moms are checking on her." He reassured has he approached the bed.

"You should be with her not in here worrying about me." Steve shook his head so hard Danny thought it might detach.

"I am under mom's order to ensure you are okay. Apparently she heard you before she heard Grace." Danny sat on the bed, his leg resting on top of McGarrett's toes. "They will bring her to us if needed."

"But …"

"No buts. Now, you said you were back in North Korea. Do you want to talk about it?" Danny reached out slowly to caress Steve's arm, hoping the gentle contact would help sooth him.

"I was hanging by my arms from the ceiling. I had to watch while they killed Jenna. I couldn't stop them. She didn't deserve to die, Danny." McGarrett's voice cracked as as a sob escaped him.

If the detective was being honest, he did not 100 percent agree with Steve's assessment. Jenna had knowingly lured Steve to hostile country to hand him over to Wo Fat. He did not particularly care that she thought she was doing it to get her fiance back. That was not a fair trade in his eyes. If losing her was the price to get Steve home safe, it was a price he was willing to pay.

"I know. I know tears you apart that you could not save her, but you know that it was a price she was willing to pay. She lost everything she cared about when she found Josh there dead. She knew you still had people to come home to. And you know that Wo Fat would have killed you both if given the chance, no matter what she did for him. He never intended to let her walk back out of there alive."

Steve stared at him, but gave a small nod. They had rehashed this repeatedly after bringing Steve home. Despite his reticence, the SEAL had opened up some to Danny over beers while overlooking the water. Danny wondered if this nightmare was somehow triggered by the strain of the day before, or if it was a more regular thing. Before he could ask, there was a soft knock at the door.

The SEAL wiped at his eyes, trying to make himself look less panicked, and nodded for Danny to answer.

"Come on in." The detective shifted to face the door, leaning his back against Steve's legs.

Dianne entered carrying a trembling Grace. "She is calmer than when I first woke her, but she keeps asking for the two of you." Danny rose to meet her, taking his daughter into his arms.

"Danno." She whimpered against his neck.

"It's okay, Monkey. Danno's got you." He whispered against her head. "Thank you." He met Dianne's eyes, trying to convey his genuine appreciation for her help.

"Just holler if any of you need anything. Beth ducked down to get a couple glasses of water to bring to you." Her eyes rose to meet Steve's for a moment, hoping he was okay as well. He gave her a weak smile, but it was enough for her to know he would be okay.

Danny handed Grace to his partner and watched as she curled against the SEAL's chest. Steve's arms came around her, and it broke his heart to see how they looked like they were clinging to each other for dear life. At the same time, he new there was something about the rawness they both felt that would help them sooth each other.

Another soft knock at the door preceded his mother's entrance, three glasses of water balanced carefully between her hands. He immediately jumped to free her of two them. "Thanks." He set them carefully on the nightstand next to his partner.

"Is there anything else I can get you guys?" Beth set the third glass down before reaching over to kiss Steve and Grace on the top of their heads.

"I think we are okay for now." Steve looked up and her, his voice quiet and shaken.

"Well, just holler if that change. I love you. All of you." Saying nothing else, she slipped back out of the room, pulling the door closed behind her. A part of her wanted to stay and protect them, but she was reasonable enough to know that given a few more minutes they would likely all be curled up together asleep. After all, 2:30 in the morning was far to early for anyone to consider staying awake.

Steve cradled Grace close as he lifted a glass to offer her a drink of water. She took it willingly before nestling back against his neck. With more strength than he felt like he had, the SEAL managed to maneuver the two of them to slide under the covers as Danny slipped back into bed from the other side. The detective lay on his side, arms outstretched in invitation, and Steve carefully shifted so his head rested on Danny's bicep, Grace tucked snuggly between the two of them.

Her trembling had stopped almost as soon as she had landed in the SEAL's arms. Her father stroked her arm gently even as he curled his arm around Steve's head and let his other hand stroke his partner's hair. After a few moments, both men could tell that their daughter has slipped back into a hopefully more peaceful sleep. Danny continued his gentle caress of both the people in his arms, and watched as Steve's eyes began to flutter closed, his breathing evening out. It was several minutes before the Jersey native felt sure they were both sleeping soundly and allowed himself to drift of as well.

The next time Danny woke up, he could tell he was being watched with his eyes closed. "What time is it?" He murmured groggily.

"Almost seven." Steve whispered.

"And you two are staring at me why?" He groused at them.

"Because we can." The two in question answered, both fighting not to giggle.

"Why is this my life?" Danny tugged the sheet over his had for a brief moment before pulling it back down and finally opening his eyes. "So what are you to up to over there?" Grace was spooned against Steve's chest, her head tucked underneath his chin as they stared back at him from only a few inches away.

"Getting ready to go workout." Grace answered.

"And I needed to be awake for you two nuts to go sweat yourselves into oblivion?"

"No, but we did want to let you know before we disappeared and made you worry." Steve stretched his finger out to brush against the part of Danny's hand exposed at the top of the sheet.

"I appreciate the thought. Now why don't you to hop to it so I can get a little more shut eye before I go in search of coffee."

Grace leaned over and gave him a kiss on the nose before scrambling toward the foot of the bed. "Meet you downstairs." She calls over her shoulder to Steve as she rushes to the door.

"You have corrupted her already." Danny stared at this smiling partner as he teased. "You better get moving before she leaves you behind."

The SEAL stretched himself toward his partner, nuzzling his nose across Danny's jaw. "I'm going." Steve grinned as Danny's breath hitched. Knowing he really could not take too long or Grace would come find him, he settled his lips against his partner's for a brief kiss before pulling away.

By the time the SEAL was leaving the bedroom, the detective was curled up softly snoring in the center of the bed. At the bottom of the stairs, Grace waited with water bottles and towels in hand. Steve could not help the grin plastered on his face at her enthusiasm. His workouts were often solitary affairs where he mulled over his life. He had never minded. No one ever questioned his apparent preference to go alone. In reality, he went alone because no one ever expressed an interest in going with him.

Accepting his bottle from Grace, he followed her toward the door. He loved that Danny was willing to join him sometimes, but it was apparent that Grace intended to make this a routine thing. As they dropped their stuff on the lanai chairs and headed for the road, Steve finally spoke. "I am really glad you asked to come with me again."

"You don't mind? I am not messing with your workouts?" She gave him a sideways glances as they picked up to a slow jog.

"Not a bit." He assured her.

"Our gym teacher told us we should try to be active for 60 minutes a day when we play, but he also said it was good do things like running three times a week. Do you think I could come with you that much?"

"That sounds perfect. You do not want to overdo it early on, so three times a week gives your muscles plenty of time to recover. What would you think of signing up to do a 5k with me in a few months? There are usually some fun ones in December."

"Really? We could do that?" Her eyes lit up at the suggestion.

"Sure we can." He would start checking out potential races as soon as possible, and let her make the final decision.

A little over an hour later, Grace and Steve were headed back up toward the house. Both of them had shaken off any residual tiredness from their interrupted sleep the night before, and headed in ready to join the remaining three for breakfast.

/GUARDIAN/

A/N: Hope you all enjoyed. Review are all sincerely appreciated!