"Stop that"
Steve sighed as he turned to Danny, for some reason his partner was still annoyed about the whole barbeque thing and had made his feelings about it perfectly clear for the rest of the week. Including today which just so happened to be the day of the barbeque. Danny was in a real grumpy and cranky mood today, which Steve didn't get as it was a beautiful day in Hawaii and his partner was surrounded by his family. Grace was here as was Emma and Danny, that would have been enough to satisfy a normal person but Steve had to remind himself that Danny wasn't normal despite his partner's persistence that he was normal. It was actually quite funny, so Steve allowed Danny to go about thinking he was normal. Despite the fact that no normal person wore a tie in Hawaii. "Stop what Daniel?"
"Stop looking at my sister like that Steven." Danny clarified wearily glaring at Steve.
"Like what? All I'm doing is watching her play with Grace and Harry, for god sake Danny stop being so paranoid." Steve replied as he pointed his beer in the direction of where Emma was running around and chasing Grace and Harry. It was a nice scene to see the three of them running around laughing with wide grins on their faces.
"Paranoid? Trust me Steve I am not being paranoid as the last guy who looked at my sister like that got her pregnant so no, I am not being paranoid. So whatever it is that is going on in your sick and twisted little mind; it stops now because it will never going to happen as my sister is off limits to you! Not to mention she's going back to New York soon where she will be even more off limits to you."
Steve didn't respond to this at first, okay so he may have been looking at Emma in a way that maybe he shouldn't have. But he couldn't help it, he was a man and she was a very beautiful and attractive woman despite being related to Danny. "Are you always this wound up when it comes to her? And are you going to be like this when Grace is old enough to date?"
"I know how men think, so yes I am always wound up when it comes to my sister because as Emma's older brother it is my job to look out at protect her from unsavory and unwanted male suitors such as yourself." Danny began as he took a sip of his beer. "And Grace won't be allowed to date until she's at least thirty… Make that thirty five."
As a brother himself Steve could respect that but he still thought Danny was being a bit too overly protective and uptight about the matter. He understood about Grace as she was Danny's daughter but his sister was a grown woman with a job and a child and as far as Steve had seen, Emma seemed to be able to hold her own. But if he told Danny that his head would probably explode. So he'd keep that little observation to himself. "Whatever you say Danno…"
"Smile!"
Steve hadn't noticed that Emma was no longer with Grace and Harry but now standing in front of him and Danny holding a camera right in front of the. "Why?" Danny asked.
Emma rolled her eyes as put the camera down. "Because I want to take a photograph of you and Steve together, that's why Danny. So for once stop being miserable, smile and pretend that you're having a good time."
"What's with the pictures?" Danny demanded as he took the camera from Emma and begin browsing through the pictures much to her displeasure and Steve just watched as another Williams' sibling spat was about to erupt. Steve hadn't been keeping close count but he was pretty sure they were somewhere in between seven and ten. It wasn't as bad as it usually was as Grace and Harry were acting like buffers as Emma and Danny tried their best not to argue in front of the kids. It was the only thing that they seemed to agree on.
"It's called capturing memories, to look back on later and remember the past not to mention it's something to show mom and dad when I go home to visit them. It's something you might want to think about doing sometime in the near future Danny."
"Well given the fact that I have Ansel Adams for a sister, I really don't think I have to seeing as you seem to have it covered, Em."
Emma laughed wearily before rolling her eyes at Danny. "That doesn't even make any sense Danny considering the fact that Ansel Adam is most known for his photographs of the western united stated and I generally take photos of people you ignoramus. So don't make comparisons about things you know nothing about."
"Oh, so while were on the subject about talking about things we know nothing about maybe you'll stop telling me how to do my job, considering I'm the detective…" Danny quickly retorted.
"I can tell you how to do your job because I'm a lawyer and I have to prosecute your cases and the amount of cases I've seen fall apart because shoddy police work!" Emma tossed back without even having to think or bat an eyelid at her brother's response.
"That's the thing with all you lawyers, you're all the same just sharks. Think you know everything but just because you went to school for seven years and have some big office doesn't mean you know everything–"
"Danno, are you and Aunt Emma arguing again? You know Grandma doesn't like it when you do." Grace questioned interrupting Danny mid stream of his rant as she stood by the three adults, holding her cousin's hand.
"Of course we're not arguing monkey, your aunt and I were just talking really loudly–" Danny began.
"–Because your dad told me that the food at Sal's was much better than Grandma's and that's impossible because as good as food there is at Sal's, there is nothing better in this world than your grandmother's food. Speaking of Grandma, I think we should call her and Grandpa and say hi." Emma quipped as she led both Grace and Harry away not before sticking her tongue out at Danny.
"Why that little brat… Can you believe what she did?" Danny murmured as he took a swing of his beer, no doubt Emma was getting him in trouble with their mother because of the shark comment. Their mother was going to kill him if she believed that he thought that Sal's was better than any of her home cooked meals.
"Actually I can." Steve said as he laughed at Danny's reaction, him and Emma loved winding each other up but clearly Emma was the better one at it. Danny was in such a state, it would probably take a week for him to get over all the jibes and insults that Emma had thrown his way during her visit. Steve had to admit that it was a shame that Emma was leaving as he liked having her around, she was fun to be around and knew how to have a good time.
"Why am in not surprised that your taking my sister's side in all of this yet?" Danny sighed as he picked looked at his sister's camera. "Photo's are actually pretty good, Em's always been good with a camera, she was the photographer for both the year book and the school paper and the editor. Has a real talent for it, could have been some big shot photographer if she hadn't decided to go into law…
"Then why the whole song and dance about her taking a few pictures? If you've just admitted that she's good." Steve asked as Danny's behaviour made no sense, he insulted her most of the time but now he was stating that Emma was a pretty good photographer.
"It's complicated McGarrett, it's just how me and Emma communicate." Danny said offhandedly.
"She came all this way to see you Danny, you might want to make an effort instead of arguing. It can't be good for either Grace or Harry "
"I'm getting advice on how to deal with my sister from the pac man in army pants who has relationship problems with his sister?" Danny retorted with a roll of his eyes as he wearily looked at his beer before sighing. He was either drunk or there was something in this beer other than alcohol because he could not believe he was getting alive from Steve of all people. "Look I get it, don't you think I know that my sister is a great mom, photographer and a great lawyer? Overall she is a great person, but there's been something going on with her at the moment and up until the other day I couldn't put my finger on what it was."
"What do you mean? Is she in trouble?" Steve asked as he glanced over to Emma who was talking with Mary Ann and Chin Ho.
"No but she hasn't been acting like herself, it's hard to explain but she's been down despite her best attempts not to show it. You wouldn't be able to tell as you haven't known Emma for long but there's this look she gets in her eyes whenever something is wrong. No matter how much she forces a smile on her face she can't get rid of that look in her eyes. I've tried asking her what's going on but she won't tell me, always gives me everything is fine so I went to the last resort. I called our mother to see if she knew. Turns out Emma's best friend died last month, had a brain aneurysm, he was only thirty-one years old." Danny sighed with a sigh.
"Wow…" Steve quietly said as he glanced over to look at Emma, there was nothing in her behaviour that suggested that she had just lost her best friend as she seemed to happy. But like Danny had said, he didn't know her enough to pick up on the signs.
"Oliver Cole. Olly as we all knew him as, he and Em had known each other since they were kids and were thick as thieves. When they were sixteen they were in a car accident, Oliver's car had been hit by a drink driver, luckily neither of them were seriously hurt but Emma was trapped in the car and Olly stayed by her side even they were using the jaw of life. The two of them were inseparable, he was the one who introduced her to George and he's Harry godfather then after George died and Emma couldn't bare to be in New Jersey. anymore and decided to move to New York he went with her."
"How's she doing?" Steve asked.
"No idea which means she's taking it very hard but she hasn't said a word about it to me, she wants to pretend everything's normal and as much as I don't want to I'd do anything for my sister. So if arguing with her about everything under the sun helps her then I'll do it." Danny replied as he took a sip of his beer.
"You're a good brother." Steve noted, he thought that Danny was just arguing with Emma for the sake of it but it turns he was doing it because he loved her and just to protect her as best as he could.
Danny looked at Steve as if he had lost his mind. "Of course I am.