A/N: So after a couple of slow weeks, I managed to get a second chapter up this week. Hopefully I will get another one done before next Wednesday; however, if I don't please don't think I've died or abandoned things if you don't see another updated until after 7/6. I have a bunch of family stuff going on so there is very little chance of getting stuff posted between 6/24 and 7/6. You've been warned, and I'll be back!
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters and make no money doing this. I'm just having fun playing with them. My beta reader is awesome, but all mistakes are my own.
Chapter 82
"I'm so glad you're back." Nikki wrapped Grace in a hug as soon as their teacher let go. Pulling back, she gripped her best friend's hand, not ready to relinquish her hold now that Grace was back.
"I missed you too. What did I miss?"
"Nothing exciting. Tommy is still being Tommy, Jimmy asks when you're coming back every day, and Katie managed to get even quieter without you here. Oh, and we're going on a field trip to the zoo next Friday. I can't wait since I haven't been yet."
Nikki spoke so quickly that most people would be missed half of what was said, but Grace was well-versed in translating her friends rush of words. In some ways it reminded her of Danno when he started ranting at Steve.
"Not surprising, very surprising, not good, and I can't wait." Grace giggled as she acknowledged each of Nikki's updates. This form of communication was routine between the pair as Nikki was rarely able to limit herself to a single question or piece of information when speaking. "Do you think we should try to talk to Ms. Jones about Katie?"
"See if she'll talk to you first. Maybe she was just worried about you." Nikki's brow furrowed as she spoke.
"Okay." Grace agreed, though she was really worried about her other friend. Katie was very quiet, always hanging out of the fringe of activity, but during the last school year Grace had managed to lure Katie out of her shell a bit. It wasn't the fast, easy friendship she had with Nikki, but she liked Katie a lot. Before she could think about it more, Ms. Jones joined them, encouraging the two to head toward the classroom.
Glancing back toward the stairs, Nikki smiled. "It looks like my dads are talking to your Danno and Uncle Steve."
"Danno and Daddy." Grace gave her friend a huge grin as she corrected her.
"Finally!" Nikki squealed. "You have to tell me everything." The little girl bounced with excitement as they walked down the hall.
Ms. Jones smiled fondly as she followed the two girls. She was glad Greg and Nate had shown up a bit earlier than usual and stuck around so Nikki could wait for Grace. She didn't expect any trouble for Grace from her classmates, but starting the day off on the right foot would go a long way to setting the right tone for the day.
Entering the classroom, the teacher thanked the teaching assistant that had kept an eye on the other students that were already there while she had waited to greet Grace and her dads. They still had about fifteen minutes before class officially began, so Ms. Jones took a seat at her desk and let the other kids greet their returned classmate.
Fortunately, the other kids in the room quickly went back to what they'd been doing before, leaving Grace and Nikki a few more minutes to chat in private before they had to focus on their studies.
"So what happened?" Grace's smile fell slightly. "No. Not the bad part. If you want to talk about that we can, but I'm guessing you're tired of that." Nikki squeezed her friend's hand in encouragement. "I mean with the whole daddy thing. Monday you were freaking out about slipping up the day before and now you're telling me he's cool with it?"
Grace grinned. "He's the one that found me locked in the bathroom at the house. Between the hospital and nightmares, I slipped up a few times before Danno got back from New Jersey. Daddy took me to his house from the hospital and told me he was going to convince Danno that we should stay there." She tried not to giggle at Nikki's wide eyed expression. "After Danno got home, he and Steve talked. He explained everything. When they got back to the house, Daddy took me for a walk. I thought he was going to make us move out, but he didn't. He was really happy."
Nikki bounced in her seat, squealing in delight for her best friend.
"That's not all." Grace raised an eye brow, challenging Nikki to sit still so she could finish.
"Grandma Williams got here later Thursday, she'd followed Danno out as fast as she could. She managed to make those two see the light in less than day. By Friday morning Danno and Daddy managed to get it together."
"You mean they're together now?" Nikki's mouth dropped open.
"Yes."
"Well for all that what happened totally sucks, I'm really glad some good stuff happened too." Nikki scooted her chair closer, wrapping an arm around Grace. "So are you really okay? Ms. Jones really couldn't tell us much, but my dads saw the governor's press conference and filled me in on what they knew."
"I miss mom. It's weird knowing I won't see her again, but Danno and Daddy took me to see a therapist, Dr. James. She's really nice, and I've been able to talk to her a lot. It helps, but there's more. Grandma and Grandpa Williams decided to move to Hawaii. They're buying a house a few minutes away from our house. Grandma Bradley came. She scared me at first, but with some help she decided to stick around for a few days so I could get to know her better. Turns out she's actually really nice. She's coming back for Christmas."
"Oh wow! You haven't seen here in like two years, right?"
"Right. She promised she'll come back at least twice a year from now on, and we're going to video chat every weekend." Grace smiled.
"That's awesome!"
"And I'm learning self-defense now. Aunt Cath and Kono started teaching me with Uncle Chin helping. Grandma Williams is learning too."
"That's cool. I wish I could learn. How'd you convince them to teach you?" Nikki asked in a single breath.
"It was Daddy's idea. It sounds silly, but I was worried that they would think I was being a baby because I was still scared. They were really cool about it though. Daddy asked Kono and Cath to help since they know how to protect themselves without being bigger than someone else. I'm learning all kinds of cool things, and the Governor asked them if they'd teach a class for other people, moms and kids, that need to know how to protect themselves. I think they're going to do the first one sometimes in the next few weeks."
"Your family is so neat. Do you think I'll ever get to meet them?" Nikki asked. She knew Grace's mom never let them, but maybe this would be different.
"Yeah. Daddy said he would try to meet your dads so he could invite you guys over. Since they met this morning I bet they're already making plans."
Before Nikki could get too excited, Ms. Jones called the class to attention. It was time to settle in for the day.
/ GUARDIAN/
Walking toward the Five-0 headquarters, Steve and Danny were surprised by the number of head nods and other small greetings they received. A few of the HPD officers even paused to inquire after Grace. It wasn't that the officers were usually unpleasant when they came through, more that they usually just didn't do anything to mark the presence of either of them.
"How come I feel like the last couple of weeks changed a lot?" Danny commented as they walked into the bullpen, finding Chin and Kono leaning against the table and sipping their coffees.
"Because it has." Chin answered. "The whole situation seems to have broken down what was left of the wall between us and HPD. It's been an eye opening experience coming back to the office. Every time we walk through at least a half dozen people actively acknowledge our presence. Duke confirmed that there are still a few naysayers on the force, but I think it would be impossible to win them all over."
"I'm confused. What exactly did we do to change things? We haven't even been here." Danny stared down the other three, trying to figure out what was going on with HPD.
"As messed up as it may sound, I think it is just the reminder that Five-0 is as human as the rest of them, and can suffer from tragedy just like anyone else." Chin spoke slowly as if thinking through each word.
"But this isn't the first tragedy we've dealt with." Danny argued. "Pretty sure we've dealt with a few."
"Yes, but nothing hits home quite like something involving a child. Bad things have happened to each of us, but this one felt different. We rallied around each other as we always do, but this time the bad thing hit home for them so they closed ranks around us. Judging by what we've encountered since returning, the display we saw at Rachel's funeral was not just a one time show of token support. We've been accepted into the fold." Chin explained as best he could based on his conversations with Duke and general understanding of HPD.
"Well, hopefully we won't lose too many supporters when everything goes public." Danny leaned against the smart table, ready to lighten the direction of the conversation.
"You win some. You lose some." Kono waved a hand dismissively at the idea of anyone that might be prejudiced based on Steve and Danny's relationship. "If they run over that, they weren't worth having in our corner to begin with."
"Anyway … what have we missed? Any update on Dyer?" Steve queried.
"Story hasn't changed from the initial findings. Thanks to Duke taking the hit, Dyer is being charged with assaulting a law enforcement officer, drinking in public, and disorderly conduct. There were plenty of witness, and one of the cameramen there managed to get a picture of Dyer's fist connecting with Duke's face, so he hasn't got a leg to stand on to argue the case."
"I suppose he and Stan can keep each other company. What's he looking at? Five to six years?" Steve snickered, pleased to know that the man would be serving time after what he'd done. Had the situation been slightly different, it could have done untold amounts of damage to Grace's recovery. "We'll have to thank Duke when we see him."
"Speaking of, I ran into him this morning, and he'll be there for Saturday. He said he'd bring dessert with him." Kono filled them in.
"He doesn't need to do that." Steve protested. "When I said we should have everyone over, I planned to provide the food and drinks."
"Are you delusional? You really thought everyone would show up empty handed?" Chin looked at him like he'd lost his mind.
"Not to mention, I know the bakery he gets his desserts from." Kono quipped. "He really does NEED to bring dessert."
"Fine." Steve caved.
"Charlie's bringing his special pasta salad." Kono added. "And Max said something about an appetizer to die for."
"Is there anyone you haven't invited from the list? How did you already talk to them all? We weren't here that late." Steve quizzed her.
"Max saw me at the coffee stand before I got here, Duke was at the door when I arrived, and Charlie came up to see how things were going. And Chin was the one that talked to Kamekona, so you can't blame me there."
"He's bringing shrimp, but I really didn't think that needed to be stated." Chin smirked.
"We left you the governor." Kono stuck her tongue at Steve.
"What about me?" Governor Denning appeared in the bullpen.
"What, that was freaky." Kono startled at his sudden appearance.
"We were just discussing the barbecue Saturday evening at our place. If you aren't otherwise engaged or tired of us yet, we'd be delighted to have you join us." Steve explained.
"I believe me calendar is free in the evening. I have some speech to give at a lunch event, but no obligations after that. Who's on the guest list?"
Danny rattled off the short list. "Basically just the extended family."
"Excellent, I'll bring beer. Trust me, you don't want me trying to cook anything." Sam chuckled.
"Fair enough." Steve nodded. "So what brought you by? Stopping in for official business?"
"No. I'm on my way back from a meeting and wanted to see how Grace's morning went. I know I'll see her this evening, but I was anxious to hear."
"It went well. Nikki and Ms. Jones met her on the front steps, so she had reinforcements from the moment she arrived."
"Good. Now, what time should I come this evening? I assume a late dinner since she has her appointment with Dr. James first." Sam asked.
Surprised that the governor had committed her therapy schedule to memory, Danny nodded in answer.
"Seven-ish?" Steve suggested. "I'd imagine we'll be home or close to it by then."
"Excellent. I'll see you all then." The four member of Five-0 watched as he left, noticing his security team just outside the door.
"I suppose we should be flattered that he leaves them out there." Chin noted. "So, what's on the agenda for today?"
"Catching up on email and anything else on my desk unless something more exciting comes up." Steve looked less than thrilled at the prospects. "If you guys are caught up, feel free to see if HPD has anything they'd like us to look at. Failing that, feel free to dig out a cold case or whatever else strikes your fancy."
"Got it, boss." Kono turned for her office. "I'll call HPD."
/ GUARDIAN/
A/N: Speaking of new chapters, if anybody is interested, I posted the second chapter of Ohana Till the End of the Line last night. It's a much shorter fic (total will end up under 40k words) that mixes Steve and the Five-0 ohana (heavily featuring Grace) with Captain America, Bucky, Sam, and Natasha. Lots of feels and sweetness if you like those things.