Disclaimer: Ideas are fictional; not making any money on this. Hawaii 5-0 belongs to CBS. That's okay because none of this would work on TV.
This chapter takes place sometime between Episodes 6 and 7.
Thursday morning came too soon. Steve rose early to get in his workout routine. Steve was glad he had kept his fitness level up; otherwise, his two weeks of active duty would be even more grueling. He made it back to the house before Danny woke up. Steve started the coffee, showered quickly, and slipped back under the sheets.
"Good morning sleepyhead." Steve stroked Danny's hair and gently shook him.
"It can't be morning already. What time is it? Is that coffee I smell?" Danny was so cute when he woke like this. He reminded Steve of a ten year old boy.
"The coffee is brewing. It's almost 6:30 a.m., time to get up." Steve slid closer to Danny and was holding him.
"Steven, I am up." Danny lifted the sheet to give Steve a better view.
"You want to go for the best of two out of three falls again? You think your knee can handle the strain?" Steve had a go-ahead-make-my-day look on his face now.
"Babe, it's not my knee you have to worry about." Danny had an I-feel-really-lucky look on his face.
So it turned out the Steve and Danny left the house late the morning; they had to take their coffee in travel mugs, along with a couple of granola bars for breakfast. Steve spent most of the morning with Danny going over details Danny would need in Steve's absence. Steve also held a staff meeting with the rest of the team to bring them up to date. Chin, Kono, and Lori were given some long-term assignments in the event that 5-0 didn't have an investigation in progress.
Steve also made a quick call to his lawyer. He had no reason to believe that he would not return from active duty on time and intact. He wanted to make sure that Danny and Grace would be provided for just in case. He wanted the house to go to Danny; Steve had already bought out Mary's share when their Dad's estate had been settled. He also went online and changed the beneficiaries for his insurance policies. He left a portion to Mary, but the bulk went to either Danny or Grace. The lawyer promised a simple will for signature the next morning.
The day passed quickly, and Steve and Danny were busy that evening. They had chores to catch up on before picking up Grace on Friday. Steve would need to spend some time packing his gear before Monday morning.
"Danny, we need to be careful how we tell Grace. If we seem upset or worried about this, then that's how Grace will feel. I don't want to upset her. I've seen it before. Families get so hyped about the separation that they have a miserable last few days. I want us to have a good weekend." Steve and Danny were folding laundry at the table, their last chore of the night.
"I agree on both counts. Is there any chance your active duty could be extended or that you'll end up in the 'Stan again?" Danny was hoping for some reassurance.
"Anything is possible. I'm not thinking about that now. I'll pick up my orders when I report on Monday. I'll either board a ship or a plane then. I don't know how much I can tell you. They monitor our communications pretty closely." Steve wouldn't sugar coat the truth.
"This just really sucks. I know I'm whining. I'll stop before we pick Grace up." Danny folded the last towel and surveyed the piles of clean laundry. "Why do I have twice as many boxers in the laundry compared to your stack of boxer briefs? Are you going commando again?"
Steve put his best innocent look on his face. "Danny, I don't know what you mean. What do you have there, a dozen pair? We just did laundry last Sunday." As an experienced strategist, Steve knew that the best defense was a good offense.
Danny narrowed his gaze to Steve and asked, "Are you, Steven, wearing any underwear right now?"
Steve shrugged and replied, "That's private, Danny."
Danny let the subject drop for the moment. Steve and Danny carried the laundry upstairs and put it away. As Steve walked by to collect the empty laundry baskets, Danny tackled him down onto the bed. In a fluid motion, he had Steve's cut-offs unbuttoned and unzipped, then put his hand down the front.
"Those are my boxers. You're wearing my underwear." This was not what Danny had expected. "Steven, why are you wearing my underwear?"
Steve couldn't look at Danny now. He finally said, "Sometimes, I just like to, you know, hang free. You must have like twenty pair; I didn't think you'd mind."
"I have twenty pair because in the past, I wasn't sure when I would make it to the Laundromat. Unlike some people, I do not like to go commando. And if you want to wear boxers, we'll just buy you some at K-Mart. You'll be just like Rain Main: you like to drive, and you buy your underwear at K-Mart."
"Uh, Danny, since you're already there, is there anything else you'd like to do?" Steve gave Danny his best take-me-I'm-yours look.
"Nope, I'm good." Danny started to pull his hand away and get up. Steve had their positions reversed and his hand in Danny's shorts in ten seconds flat.
"Well, I've got an idea." Steve decided to make the most of their last night before picking up Grace tomorrow afternoon. The two men played a friendly game of tag, losing an article of clothing each time they were caught. They ended up on the floor when Steve called a halt. "Can we please do this on the bed? I don't want to explain to my team why I have rug burn."
"Steven, if I do it right, you won't get rug burn."
"Babe, if you do it the way I want, we'll both get rug burn." In the end, Steve proved his point. They were both laughing as they headed for the shower.
"Ooh, Steve, that's going to hurt." Danny ran his hand down the lower half of Steve's back and down to his ass.
"Yeah, well yours looks just as painful." Steve repeated Danny's gesture.
"Steven, do not start with me again. You are a menace to society." Danny tried to sound stern, but Steve in playful mode was irresistible. He really wished he could have met Steve's mother; he knew she would have some good stories to tell on Steve. Danny's mother had shared some of his most infamous childhood moments with Steve one night when they were in Jersey.
"Hey, you love me and you know it."
"Yes on both counts. Now move it. We have a busy day ahead of us tomorrow." Danny waved his hands to get Steve into the shower. They quickly washed up; the hot water stung their backsides.
It was late when they tumbled back onto the big bed for the night. As usual, they came together in the middle and fell asleep holding each other.
Friday morning passed slowly; Steve made a quick trip to the lawyer's office to sign his new will. Steve had done a good job of transitioning his open action items to the rest of the team. He received a phone call from the governor shortly before noon.
"Commander McGarrett, is your team all briefed for your absence?"
"Yes sir, I'm just tying up a couple of loose ends." The governor always made Steve a little nervous. Steve was never sure what the man knew or how he would react.
"When you finish with those, why don't you knock off for the day? I'm sure you have loose ends at home to tie up. And take Detective Williams with you. I'll speak to you when you return."
"Thank you sir, I will." Steve certainly hadn't expected that. He sent his last couple of e-mails out and went to Danny's office. "Is there anything you absolutely need to do this afternoon?"
"No, there's nothing that can't wait until Monday. What do you need?" Danny closed his laptop and turned to Steve.
"The governor has given us permission to play hooky for the rest of the day. We have time for the supermarket, and then we can pick Grace up from school." Steve was already pulling Danny down the hall. "Chin, Danny and I are out for the rest of the day. You're in charge for the afternoon. Kono and Lori, behave while I'm gone. I expect everyone to be in one piece when I get back."
"How did you manage to get us the rest of the day off?" Danny was still trying to figure the governor out too.
"He just called and told me I could go when I finished up with everything. He told me to take you with me. Can you call Rachel and tell her that we'll get Grace?" They were almost racing to the car.
Danny tossed the keys to Steve. "Since I'll have the car to myself for a couple of weeks, you might as well drive today."
Steve and Danny power-shopped their way through the store and raced home to put everything away. They changed into casual clothes and were waiting for Grace when the dismissal bell rang.
"Danno, Daddy Steve, what are you doing here?" Grace easily spotted Steve over the heads of the other parents. She took a flying leap into Steve's arms. This was a game they played often; Grace was sure that someday, she would actually knock him over. Steve was ready for her as always.
"It's not going to happen, Grace. I'll always catch you." Steve hugged Grace tightly and put her down so she could run to Danny.
"Danno, did you and Daddy Steve get off work early?" Grace always missed her two dads when she was at her mommy's house. "Or do we have to go back to the Palace?"
"No, we can go home and you can change out of your uniform. Do you have much homework?" Danny put Grace down and the family walked toward the Camaro.
"I already finished most of it. I have some vocabulary words and some math problems. It shouldn't take too long. I got a 100 on my spelling test." Grace always aced her spelling tests.
Grace gave the dads a recap of her week while they drove home. She finished just as Steve pulled in the driveway. "What are we doing this weekend?" She always asked that question. She really didn't care what they did. Grace just liked to know.
"Why don't you run up to change your clothes? We'll have milk and cookies when you come down." It only took Grace a few minutes to put on a pair of shorts and a t-shirt. She was glad that she didn't have to pack and unpack anymore. She had a second set of clothes here and all the stuff for the bathroom.
Steve and Danny were waiting with milk and a plate of chocolate chip cookies. Steve and Danny had baked cookies last weekend; they had eaten almost half cookie dough raw. Grace joined her family at the table and grabbed a cookie.
"Grace, we need to talk to you. It's nothing bad, don't worry. I'm going to leave on Monday for two weeks active duty with the Navy. Do you know what that is?" Steve and Danny agreed it would be best to tell Grace as soon as she got home. Steve tried to keep his voice as reassuring as possible.
"I'm not sure. Are you going away?" Grace didn't like the sound of this. Her tummy started to hurt a little and she put her cookie down.
Steve could see that Grace was upset. He lifted her onto his lap and rubbed her back. "Yes, but I'll come back the next time you're here. I'm not sure where I'll be, but I will call or send you an e-mail if I can. I need you to take care of Danno for me while I'm gone. Will you do that?"
"Yes Daddy, I'll take care of Danno. Who will take care of you?" Grace leaned into Steve's shoulder and breathed in his scent. Grace had grown up with Danno's scent, a mixture of after shave, spices, and something uniquely Danny. Grace was still trying to identify all the parts of Steve's scent. She recognized the ocean and some woodsy smell. Grace would know him in the dark. He was Daddy.
"I'll be with my SEAL team. We're brothers and we take care of each other. Don't worry about me, okay?" Steve could tell when she believed him. She relaxed into his hug and murmured, "Okay Daddy."
They had lost their appetite for cookies, so Danny wrapped the plate for later. They drank their milk and rinsed the glasses. The family decided to take a walk on the beach. Steve always found comfort in the water. Grace had grown to love the water too. Even Danny found it peaceful to watch the waves roll in and out.
Grace walked between her dads. She was holding hands with both Steve and Danny. Every few steps, they would raise their arms and swing Grace between them. She shrieked with laughter every single time. Steve looked at Danny and said, "This is how I would like to spend the weekend: just us doing what we enjoy most. We can read, watch movies, play games, go swimming…. I just want a quiet weekend with my family."
Danny nodded at Steve, and then looked down to Grace. "We can do that, can't we Monkey?"
"Yes Danno. It sounds great Daddy Steve. Can I swim now?" Grace broke free and ran into the surf. She laughed as Danny ran after her. Steve waited half a beat and then ran in after them. He tackled Danny and then chased after Grace. They played like that for an hour.
When they finally went back in the house, their former tension was gone. Steve showered first and then helped Grace with her hair. They grilled fish for supper and later roasted marshmallows over the dying embers. They had smores for dessert and sat on the lanai until almost sunset.
Then Danny and Steve read to Grace until she was falling asleep. They watched TV for a little while but neither man was interested in the show. They settled in bed and held onto each other. Steve couldn't shake a sense of melancholy. He had spent all these years in isolation behind his self-built wall. Now, the prospect of a couple of weeks with his Danno and Grace chilled him to the bone.
Danny knew where Steve's mind was going and decided to steer him onto other more pleasant subjects. "The kitchen is coming along. The new floor looks great. Cabinets and counter tops should be in when you get back. I have to say I love the new refrigerator."
Steve snorted now. "You would. There's a lot more places to hide my own stash of chocolate from me. My favorite is the new stove. There are enough burners to accommodate a big meal. I want to have Thanksgiving here for the team, for anyone who doesn't have anywhere else to go."
"Do you know how to cook a turkey because I don't have a clue? Even when I was married to Rachel, we went home for Thanksgiving."
"When I get back, we'll figure it out. Maybe Emelina can coach us. How hard can it be?"
Danny snorted now. "Babe, do you have any idea how many disasters were preceded by 'How hard can it be'? But I think we can probably learn enough not to poison everybody." Danny could see that Steve was finally relaxing. He knew the perfect way to end the night.
Steve saw Danny's eyes go dark and settled back. Danny took charge for tonight. Some nights, they battled for dominance; other nights, one of them would cede control. Steve was happy to let Danny set the pace. Danny would give him what he needed most tonight. Steve finally drifted off to sleep with Danny stilled wrapped around him.