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.
Steve and Grace were sleeping peacefully in the living room. Danny felt energized with his family whole again. He took a quick shower, planning the evening as he washed the last two weeks away. The kitchen was still well-stocked from their last mega-shopping trip, but the perishables were running low. Danny made a quick trip to Nino's, the premier meat and produce market on the island.
The last time he had been in Nino's, he noticed that he could buy marinated butterfish. He also picked up fresh fruit and produce, milk, bread, and fresh-squeezed orange juice. Steve and Grace were still snoozing when Danny carried the groceries in. Danny put the food away and was starting supper when he saw Steve and Grace standing in the doorway of the kitchen.
"Hey welcome back to the land of the living. Grace, why don't you get your shower while I get supper together? Daddy Steve can help dry your hair. You can put your jammies on. We're having a family movie night." Danny chopped veggies for salad while he spoke.
"Okay Danno. Daddy Steve, I'll call you when I'm ready."
When Steve heard the water running upstairs, he walked over to Danny. He wrapped his arms around Danny and nuzzled Danny's neck. "Movie night sounds great. I can't believe I conked out like that. Did you shop while we were sleeping?"
"Yes, I did. We're having misoyaki butterfish for dinner with salad and some steamed broccoli. I'm making my Aunt Diane's cobbler recipe for dessert. I bought some beautiful fresh blackberries at Nino's for the cobbler. You'll love it. I'll bake it when the butterfish comes out of the oven, and we can eat it warm during the movie." Danny was trying unsuccessfully to ignore Steve and finally gave up. He leaned back against Steve, trying to increase the contact.
"Sound delicious. Is it another one of her southern recipes? The kitchen looks great. Chin's cousin did a great job with the cabinets and counter tops." Steve was massaging Danny's shoulders now, working on the knots he found there.
Danny couldn't think anymore. He hadn't realized how tense he was until Steve hit the right spot. Danny dropped the knife and rolled his head to loosen the neck muscles.
When the knife dropped on the counter, Steve spun Danny around and kissed him hard. The kiss went on forever. Danny moaned and banded his arms around Steve. Finally, they broke the kiss; both men were breathing hard.
Steve was the first to speak again. "I missed you Danny, you and Grace. This was the hardest thing I've ever done. I would do it again because it was important. They were planning to distribute poisoned coke on the island. 5-0 was a secondary target. We blew up their drug plant and took the bosses down. Only my team, the Navy brass, and now you even know who did it. My team suffered only minor injuries."
Danny knew that Steve was breaking confidentiality to tell him this much. "My ears are still buzzing from your kiss. Did you say something?"
Steve grinned and kissed Danny once more. "Who could talk after a kiss like that?"
"Daddy, I'm ready for you." Grace had finished her shower and dressed. She was trying to towel dry her hair some without much luck. She felt really good now. Grace had been so scared when Daddy Steve left for active duty. Danno and Daddy kept telling her it was just routine, but she knew better. Danno had the same look on his face the morning that Daddy left that she saw the day she boarded the plane to Hawaii.
Steve walked in Grace's room and saw her sitting on the side of the bed deep in thought. "Are you okay Grace? Are you still tired?" Steve sat beside Grace and rubbed her back.
"I'm really happy to see you Daddy. Danno was worried about you. Will you have to go away again?" Grace had turned to face Steve. She needed to know the truth.
"Grace, I will probably continue to train with the Navy. I might have to go away again. It's my job to keep Hawaii safe for you and everyone else. I'm really good at my job, and I will always come back to you and Danno." Steve took the towel from Grace and gently dried her hair. He combed the tangles out and turned the dryer on. "Do you want me to braid your hair or just dry it?"
"Just dry it please. Which movie do you want to watch?" Grace loved getting her hair dried as much as Daddy Steve loved doing this for her.
"Why don't you pick? You have better taste in movies than Danno or me. Did you get your hair cut? It seems shorter." Steve never noticed when Catherine changed her hair but he could tell that Grace's hair was shorter.
"Uh-huh. Mommy took me to get it cut last week. It was getting a little long and took too long to dry. Do you like it?"
"Yeah, you look more grown-up. It's nice, but don't tell Danno I said that, okay?" Steve had finished with the dryer and was brushing Grace's hair smooth. Now he tickled her just to hear her giggle.
Grace turned and tickled Steve in return. He gasped when she hit a sore spot. "Did I hurt you Daddy? I'm sorry."
"It's okay Grace. I fell last week and I've got a bruise there." Steve lifted his t-shirt just enough to show Grace a bruise that was almost healed. "I'm not used to playing with the other SEALs anymore. Did you finish your op, Commander Grace?"
"Yes sir, Commander Daddy. The Barbies' performance was outstanding. I put Malibu Barbie in for a commendation." Grace stood and saluted Steve, just as he had instructed her. God, he was so proud of her.
Steve stood and returned Grace's salute. "Outstanding Commander Grace. Your shore leave has been approved. Dismissed." Steve threw Grace over his shoulder and went downstairs just as Danny announced, "Five minutes to supper. I need a little help here."
Grace set the table as Steve helped bring the food over. Grace had milk while Danny and Steve had a beer. The salad was crisp and the butterfish was delectably flaky. Steve smelled the cobbler baking in the oven now. Grace updated Steve on her school projects; she wanted to build a volcano for science. Steve made suggestions that had Danny rolling his eyes.
"Danny, I missed a lot of things while I was gone and your cooking was one of them. The cobbler smells amazing. Did you roll out the crust for it and everything?" Steve could bake a little but pie crusts always defeated him.
"No, it's not that kind of cobbler. I mixed up a batter of flour, milk, and sugar. I poured that batter in the pan and dropped the berries around in the batter. It tastes great and is super easy. I'll have to make Aunt Geraldine's corn pudding one day. She's really an aunt-in-law to Aunt Diane and a wonderful Southern lady. She used to make it for me when I visited."
Steve was looking at Danny and smirking a little. "And you teased me about channeling Martha Stewart. You're channeling that other cook, Paula Deen."
"And how do you know about Paula Deen?" Danny was really interested now.
"I, uh, saw one of her recipes in the woman's magazine I was reading the day the governor kept me waiting for a meeting. It was the day that Lori was assigned to 5-0. How's she doing anyway?" Steve didn't want to admit to any of the other articles he read that morning. The article on how to please your man had him blushing.
"Lori's okay. Her skills are top-notch, and it was a good thing we had another body while you were gone. Socially, it's still a little awkward around her. It's kind of like when an actor joins a TV show that's already been on for a while. Think Sturgis Turner on JAG. She's curious about the rest of us. I think she just needs time."
Steve saw back and grinned. "That's quite an assessment, Detective Williams. It's good to know that I left 5-0 in such capable hands."
Danny put up his hands in surrender. "Well, you can have it back. I'm much happier being one of the team. I had to sit in on a couple of budget meetings while you were gone. Now I know why you always come back from one of those looking like you want to hit someone."
Steve looked at Grace who was eating her last forkful of butterfish. "You ready to help me clean up? Then we can watch our movie and eat some cobbler." Steve pushed back from the table and started gathering the empty dishes.
Danny was going to help with the cleanup but decided that they would establish their old routine sooner if he let Steve and Grace do the dishes. "I soaked the pan from the fish. Most everything else can go in the dishwasher. The new one actually gets everything clean." He gave both Steve and Grace a kiss, then pulled the cobbler out when the oven timer buzzed. The blackberries were bubbling a little and the top was a beautiful golden brown. "The new oven is great too. It actually heats evenly."
Steve and Grace made quick work of the kitchen. Steve poured milk for both Danny and himself and topped Grace's glass off. Then he spooned out three bowls of cobbler and added some vanilla ice cream. He set everything on a tray and carried it out to the living room. Grace had picked her movie and was putting it in the DVD player. She had picked out the GI Joe movie that had come out a couple of years earlier.
"I'm not thrilled that you've got our daughter interested in GI Joe, but I heard the movie was pretty good. Thanks for bringing dessert out. Now that I'm sitting here, I don't think I want to get up for a while." Danny was exhausted from leading 5-0 and being a single parent to Grace while Steve was gone. He had forgotten how hard it was to be in charge of a child by himself. Steve was so good with Grace, and he happily co-parented Grace.
"Oh Danny, this is good." Steve had just spooned the first mouthful of cobbler in. He closed his eyes and savored the taste. "I need to meet your Aunt Diane the next time we go to the states. Or better yet, can we send her a ticket and have her come for a visit?"
Danny looked a little sad now. "Aunt Diane passed away before Grace was born. She had a heart attack; she went quickly. She'd be happy to know that we're sitting here enjoying her recipe."
"I'm sorry Danny. Here's to Aunt Diane." Steve picked up his milk to toast Danny's aunt. The others followed suit, clinking glasses before taking a sip of milk.
Grace was fascinated by the movie, and the guys loved the action. The bowls and glasses had been emptied, and Grace was cuddling against Steve. She was putting pressure on Steve's bruise again, but he wouldn't move away for anything in the world. He had missed his family so much he ached with it.
By the time the movie ended, Grace was half asleep. So were Steve and Danny. Steve was operating on somewhere between Eastern and Central Time. Danny roused them all enough to head for bed. Danny put the rest of the dishes in the dishwasher and started it. Then he set the alarm and turned off the lights.
By the time that he got to Grace's room, she was ready for bed. Steve pulled the comforter down and then picked Grace up for a hug. "No story for you tonight. We're all too tired. I've waited almost two weeks to tuck you in again. I love you Grace. I'm so proud of you. You did a good job of watching over Danno while I gone. Good night sweetie." Steve turned and passed the sleep girl to Danny.
"Sleep tight Monkey. You can come in and cuddle with me and Daddy Steve in the morning. I love you."
"Love you too Danno. Love you Daddy Steve. 'Night." Grace was asleep almost as soon as Danny pulled the covers up.
Steve and Danny walked down to their bedroom. They pulled the bed down and took turns in the bathroom. When Danny walked back out from the bathroom, he looked at Steve and ordered, "Strip".
Steve's eyebrows shot up in question and he said. "I missed you too Danno, but I kind of hoped for some foreplay at least."
"Not that, you big goof. I could see you were in a little discomfort during the movie. I want to see where you're hurt." Danny pulled Steve's t-shirt off and was unbuttoning his shorts.
Steve stilled Danny's hands. "Danny, I was on the move most of the time I was gone. I've got some sore muscles, some bruises, and a few cuts." He could see the concern in Danny's eyes and knew that he needed to put Danny's fears to rest. He shucked out of his shorts and boxers. "Thanks for buying me some boxers, but did you have to get ones with smiley faces?"
"That way I could tell which ones were yours." Danny walked around to inspect Steve's back. "Besides, you asked me to kiss your boo-boo's before you left." Danny touched his lips to a scrape on Steve's back. He repeated the kiss over other scratches and bruises.
"We were hiking through a jungle. I got caught in some kind of briar patch." Steve felt the last bit of tension leave his body.
"Stay here for a minute. The scratch on your leg is infected." Danny went to the bathroom and came out with a tube of antibiotic ointment. He gently applied the medicine and motioned for Steve to lie down. He found the bruises then and kissed them tenderly. When Danny was finished, he stripped and turned the overhead light off before joining Steve in bed.
"Danny, I can't tell you how happy I am to be home with you and Grace, to be in bed with you now. I missed you more than I can possibly tell you."
"Me too babe. It wasn't the same here without here. Your stuff was here and you weren't. I kept waiting for you walk in the door." Danny moved to the middle of the bed to join Steve. They curled together and kissed softly. Danny stroked Steve's side and hip, careful to avoid the sore spots.
Steve was so tired. He had looked forward to this time with Danny all day. He ran his fingers over Danny's jaw, down his arm. Somewhere along the way he lost his battle with fatigue and drifted off to sleep.
Danny sensed when Steve went slack with sleep. "Sleep now Steve. I'll be here when you get up."