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 wasn't sure what woke him. The night's darkness was beginning to recede when he made his way downstairs. He did his usual walk around to check for intruders. The back door was unlocked when he checked the knob, and the alarm had been de-activated. Steve remembered securing both before coming upstairs.
Steve stepped on to the lanai and saw a lone figure by the water. The figure, a man, walked closer and called to him. "Steve, I've been waiting to talk to you." Steve recognized his father dressed in his usual khaki pants and polo shirt.
"Dad, what are you doing here? I usually hear you in the house." John was walking along the shore and Steve matched his pace. He had so much he wanted to say to his dad.
"Your mom told me that I can only talk to you out here. I wanted to tell you how sorry I am for sending you and Mary away. I thought that I was protecting you, but I can see now that I hurt you more. I've been watching you and Danny with Grace, and now his parents with all of you. I should have found a way to keep you safe with me. The house was empty too long without any laughter and any love."
Steve put his hand on John's arm. "Dad, stop please. There's no need to apologize, not now. Since Grace has become part of my life, I know how strong fear is when it concerns your child. I won't say that I didn't need to be with you and Mary after Mom died, but it's in the past. I thought you didn't love us enough to keep us with you. Now I know that you loved us too much to risk our safety."
John pulled Steve into an embrace, one Steve returned with a loving heart. "Thank you for understanding and forgiving me."
"Are you men finished yet? I want to talk to Steve too." Steve turned to see his mother in her pretty sundress walking down the beach. She walked over to hug Steve, and then all three continued walking. "I enjoyed meeting your Danny the other night."
"I think he enjoyed meeting you too once he recovered from the experience. What you said helped him a lot. Thanks Mom, he means so much to me."
"Steve, this will be our last walk like this. I want you to know that Dad and I will always be watching over you and your precious family. You have what you need now, and I've stayed longer than is usually allowed." Steve started to protest but his dad stopped him.
"Son, this will the only time we get to speak. I've watched you change since you moved back home, and I'm so proud of the man you've become. I've always been proud of your accomplishments in school and in the Navy. You've built something special with 5-0, and now you, Danny, and Grace are a family. That's all I ever wanted for you. I love you and Mary very much, and I've come to love Danny and Grace as well. His parents are loving people, and they will give you what you need."
Before Steve could speak, he saw another figure walking toward them. "Danny, what are you doing here?"
Danny looked around, surprised to find himself on the beach again. "I'm not sure. I think I'm on the other side of the rainbow or something. Oh, hello again. Am I going to have sand in my bed again in the morning?"
Mom laughed and shook her head no. "Not this time. I did that just once to convince you that it was real."
Steve pulled Danny close. "Danny, I'd like you to meet my dad. You've already met Mom."
John surprised Danny by pulling him in for a hug. "I'm so happy to meet you, young man. You've saved my son twice now. I love your daughter Grace. I think she may have seen me a couple of times."
Danny shook his head, surprised at nothing now. "Mr. McGarrett, I'm happy to finally meet you. What did you think you were doing when you sent your children away? Do you know how much you hurt them when you did that?" Danny went from zero to sixty on his rant. He had wanted to do this since the first day he met Steve.
Steve tried to stop Danny, but John waved him off. "Steve, it's okay. I know that Danny has wanted to do this for a long time. Danny, you're right. I've watched you and Steve with Grace, and I know that I really screwed up. That's why I'm here now. I can't undo the past, but I needed to apologize to Steve and tell him how much I love him."
Danny stopped, feeling oddly deflated. "Well, then okay. Just so we're straight on this."
John laughed and looked at Steve. "I bet this one keeps you on your toes."
Steve laughed with him. "Dad, you have no idea. He pulled a gun on me, and then he slugged me the first day. It's been a wild ride ever since."
"Well, that's because you're always driving my car. Was he always a control freak?" Danny had so many questions and he knew their time was short.
"Let's just say that he liked things his way. He drove Mary crazy with it when they were children. Danny, John and I wanted to say goodbye to both of you. As we told Steve, we will be watching over you, Steve, and Grace. This will be our last walk together. We wanted to wish you great happiness in your marriage. You will face tribulations in your life together; that's a part of living. Just remember to love each other always." Mom hugged Steve and Danny.
"Son, don't make the same mistake that I did. Keep your family close. Take care of your little girl. We'll love you always. Danny, it was great to meet you. Take care of our son." John pulled both in for a hug. Then he turned to his wife and they walked away.
Steve and Danny watched them until the two figures were no longer visible. Danny looked down and nudged Steve. "Look, there are no footprints in the sand. Do you think we'll remember this when we wake up?"
"Danny, what are you talking about? It's still early. Go back to sleep." Steve was curled up with Danny and sleeping soundly until his partner started talking in his sleep.
Danny raised his head and looked around. Then he surprised Steve by turning on a lamp and pulling the covers back.
"What are you doing, Danny? Did you lose an earring or something?" Steve tried to make a joke, but he was getting worried.
"Steve, did you have a strange dream just now?" Danny turned the lamp off and slipped back under the covers.
Steve was so quiet that Danny thought he might have dozed off again. "Were we walking on the beach with my parents?"
"Yeah, that's the dream. They came to say goodbye, didn't they? And all I could do was rant at your dad. I have to say that I've wanted to do that for a long time." Danny cuddled closer to Steve, needing his warmth after the cool morning air. "Are you okay? I know that those walks with your mom were important to you."
Steve gave Danny a soft kiss. "I'll miss her, but she's right. I have what I need right here with you and Grace. And I know that I can always turn to your parents if I need anything. They're really great. I think that it's past time for Mom and Dad to move on. I'm not alone anymore; I guess that I never really was alone. Are you still tired? Do you want to get a little more sleep, or can I interest you in a little diversion?"
Danny slipped his hand under the waistband of Steve's sleep pants. "It feels like a large diversion to me, something else for me to be thankful for." Danny intended to dispel any lingering sadness from their dream. He deliberately set a slow pace. Danny's heart was full of so many emotions. Until that night on the lanai several months ago when Steve took a leap of faith and declared his love for Danny, there was mostly bitterness and despair in Danny's heart. And the loneliness caused an ache that almost took Danny's breath away on really bad days.
"Your dad said that I had saved you twice. I wanted to tell him that you save me every single day. I love you, and I love my life with you. You made me a family again, with you and with Grace. You helped me find my faith again. I love you, Steve, and I always will."
Steve kissed Danny long and hard. "Danny, you saved me more than twice. Before I met you, I was alone, mostly by my own choice. I was hurt so badly from Mom's death and then Dad's murder. I had spent years building a wall around my heart so nothing could hurt me like that again. Then I met you, and eventually I loved you so much that I couldn't stay behind that wall anymore. I am so happy that I finally got my courage up and did something about it. I am so happy to have you here every single day. I love you Danny, and I always will."
"Hey, did we just write our vows?"
"I think we did. Now shut up and kiss me."
The sun was just rising when Steve and Danny went downstairs. Danny thought that they would let Grace sleep for a while because it would be another long day. "How does sausage, biscuits, and gravy for breakfast sound? You can scramble the eggs for me."
"It sounds like a heart attack on a plate, and I will love you for it." Steve pulled out a large bowl to scramble the eggs while Danny started the sausage. Steve paused when he heard a knock on the front door. He de-activated the alarm and checked the front window to see who was on the porch.
"Hey big brother, open up. I know you're in there."
Steve swung the front door open and pulled Mary in for a hug. "Mary, I'm so glad you're here. I didn't think you'd be over until later. Have you eaten? Danny's fixing his famous sausage gravy and biscuits."
"Wow, you're eating like a regular person now? Good job, Danny. He's almost human." Mary laughed and walked over to give Danny a big hug. "He looks really happy, Danny. Thank you for putting that smile on his face. I've really missed it."
Danny returned the hug. "You're quite welcome Mary. We're both happy. It sounds like my parents are up. You are staying for breakfast, aren't you? "
"Are you kidding? I wouldn't walk away from a meal like that. The house smells amazing. Your mother must have spent the whole day in the kitchen."
"Yes I did, but your brother and my son were a big help. They made the pies and the bread; I just supervised. I'm Danny's mother. Please call me Mom. Everyone else does." Mom was walking down the steps, drawn to the aroma of freshly brewed coffee and sizzling sausages. Mom pulled Mary in for a hug. "You must be Steve's sister, Mary. I'm so pleased you're here. Steve has talked about you a lot."
Mary was stunned that Steve had talked about her. He seldom talked about their childhood, and they had been separated as teens. She looked over at Steve, her eyebrows raised in question. "I've changed, Mary. Being with Danny has changed everything for me." Steve walked with Mary into the kitchen. He poured coffee for everyone and started cracking eggs into the bowl.
Danny was mixing the biscuit batter when Dad and Grace came down. "Look who I found upstairs. It looks like we're the last ones up Grace." Dad smoothed his hair down when he saw a pretty woman in the kitchen.
"Aunt Mary, you're here." Grace ran to meet Mary. They had met before Mary moved to L.A., and they always talked whenever Steve called Mary.
"Hey, squirt. You've gotten taller. It's good to see you." Mary hugged Grace; she had grown fond of her brother's daughter. She also received a hug from Dad, as he told her to call him. Grace talked Mary into helping her set the table. She walked over to the stove where Steve was stirring the eggs over a low heat. "The house is alive again. How did that happen?"
"Mary, the Williams family happened. They have so much love for life and each other. We're part of their family now, even you. Resistance is futile." Steve and Mary laughed at the Star Trek quote.
The biscuits were in the oven just starting to brown. Danny was making the gravy. Mary had to sneak in for a taste. "Danny, where did you learn to cook? And can I take you home with me? I think you're wasted on my brother."
"I think I'm right where I need to be." Danny thought back to the morning and his interlude with Steve. Then he blushed when he realized what he was thinking about in front of Mary and his parents."
"Danny, you're so cute when you blush." Mary looked over at Steve; he had one arm around Danny's mother as he stirred the eggs with his free hand. "And I think you're where you need to be too."
Breakfast was a loud and happy affair. Everyone complimented Danny on his prowess in the kitchen. There were no leftovers; Danny and Steve were arguing over the last biscuit when Mary stole it off the plate. There was no time to linger because the turkeys were waiting to be stuffed. Mary went back to her friend's house for a few hours sleep.
Everyone else was on kitchen duty for the duration. Mom soon had everyone organized. Dad and Grace offered to clean up breakfast dishes while Danny and Steve mixed the stuffing. The high point of the morning was when both batches of stuffing were ready.
"Okay Mom, it looks like this is ready. What comes next?" Danny was at the sink, washing his hands for the umpteenth time.
Mom thought for bit to consider the best way to explain the next step. "Danny, do you remember where the giblets were yesterday? Well, that's where some of the stuffing goes now." Dad and Steve laughed at the look on Danny's face. Mom turned her laser focus on Steve next. "You too, Steve." Even Danny laughed now.
Both men carefully scooped stuffing into their turkeys. After a little more prep, the turkeys went into the oven. Mom made a note of the time and sent everyone upstairs to make beds and straighten up their rooms.
Steve sighed. "It's just like my mom is here. It's exactly what she would do. Next, we'll be fluffing the pillows on the couch and I'll put the guest towels in the powder room. I love Thanksgiving."
Danny smoothed the comforter over his side of the bed. "Me too Steve. Happy Thanksgiving."
