/ / / Favour \ \ \

"She hates me," Danny said with a sigh.

"Why?"

"Because I judge her for running out on him, she never even apologised to him and I've been watching him struggle since the day I met him to deal with all of the things he had been ignoring and suppressing since she left him originally. You should see him, he's so utterly terrified that people are going to leave him, that I am going to leave him and it makes him try so hard to be independent, he doesn't like to ask for help and he doesn't know how to talk about himself and sometimes he does things that make no sense until you realise they he hasn't really had anyone to be there for him since he was a teenager. His father sent him away to protect him when she died and Steve has been working on a spectacular abandonment complex ever since, he hasn't had a home in years, he lived in his dad's house without changing anything because he never thought it was permanent. It wasn't even until I moved in with him that he even started looking at the things he had around the place. I…well I suppose I don't particularly like her either. She is judgemental and rude and she accused me of toying with her son and being undecided about our relationship and sometimes after she and Steve speak he looks…fragile and I hate it."

"Oh, sweetheart," Lizzie said and stood to pull her son up until she could hug him. "You do love him a lot."

"I do," Danny agreed.

"Do you want me to come back to Hawaii with you and have a word with her?"

Danny relaxed and laughed. He honestly believed that she would, she would hop on a plane tomorrow to have a word with Doris. It would be spectacular, it would be epic, and it could never happen.

"She is still his mum," Danny said pulling away from his mother to find his father standing next to them. Chris pressed his hand into Danny's shoulder firmly and it was as good as the hug from his mother.

"Yes she is," Chris said. "But if she does anything truly bad we'll send Lily over there instead."

Danny let out a bark of laughter. "I don't think even the CIA could prepare someone for dealing with Nana."

"She and her friends could easily find out all of the secrets of the world if they could be bothered focussing outside of their families and friends," Chris agreed.

They were sitting in silence a few minutes later when the doorbell rang and Hannah was standing on the other side with her sons standing behind them.

"You lot go and see Nana and Pop," Hannah said. "Eric and I are going to talk to Uncle Danny."

Danny received a series of hugs before the boys ran to their Nana and the biscuits and cake that she would give them.

"Hey, Hannah," Danny said and pulled his younger sister into a hug. "How are you?"

"At the end of my tether, I don't know what to do with Eric."

"E-train," Eric corrected and Danny rolled his eyes at his nephew.

"Don't be an habitual idiot," Danny said. "With a name like that it definitely appears you were born without a brain."

"Uncle Danny," Eric said plaintively.

"You got arrested," Danny said. "Don't even pretend you have a leg to stand on."

Eric sighed and shrank back.

"Go and sit with your brothers," Hannah said.

Eric nodded and walked away.

"I don't know what to do with him." Hannah said with a bone deep sigh.

Danny wrapped an arm around Hannah. "Stop letting him get away with being a shit, come on, let's have cake and you can tell me what I can do to help."

Hannah burst into tears and tucked herself into Danny's side, her head buried into his neck and her hot tears hitting his neck quickly.

"Hannah," Danny said his voice dropping as he wrapped his arms around her tightly. "It will be okay, he's not a complete idiot he is just acting out and he needs something to snap him out of it, like Dad snapped me out of acting like a complete moron."

Hannah was still crying but he could almost feel the moment she remembered him as a teenager – in his hip-hop group with the clothes he used to wear…he desperately hoped those photos, and the video, God that video, didn't get dragged out and shown to Steve.

"I can't get a hold of his father," Hannah said quietly. "I have been trying but he's ignoring me and I know that Eric knows and it's just making everything worse."

"I didn't bring my gun but I did bring a Navy SEAL if you want us to track him down."

"Would it fix anything?" She asked.

Danny shrugged; he wouldn't mind punching her ex-husband but that probably wouldn't be very conducive to the whole situation.

"Wait," she pulled back and looked up at him with wet eyes. "Where is your SEAL?"

"Being shown off to all of Nana's friends at the hairdresser's."

"Poor thing," she said with a sniffle.

"I think he might enjoy it," Danny said. "I think it makes him realise that he's got a new family. His family is a little…dysfunctional."

"Have you met Nana?"

Danny laughed. "What can I do to help?"

Hannah frowned and looked down at the ground. "Can I send him to Hawaii with you; the two of you might have a chance to show him what it means to be a valuable member of society."

"In Hawaii?" Danny asked. "There are so few valuable members of society; it's all very surfer society."

"You're there," Hannah pointed out and tried to brush the water from under her eyes. "I don't know what else to do. I know I should be harder with him but he's so angry and I just want to hug him and make things better."

"You are hurting for the same reason," Danny said kissing Hannah on the forehead.

"I think we need a break from one another, I hate saying that but we aren't finding a rhythm anymore and I don't know what else to do."

Danny pulled her back into another hug. "I'll need to talk to Steve, it's his house."

Danny had to laugh and Hannah pulled away from him. "What?"

"He would be so utterly offended that I didn't call it our house."

Hannah smiled. "I am going to love him aren't I?"

"I do," Danny said with a shrug.

Hannah smiled and curled her hand around his stubbled cheek. "Thank you, I am sorry I'm still coming to you to fix things."

Danny smiled up at her. "I'm your big brother, it's my job."

"This is a bit bigger than sneaking me into the house when I'd had too much to drink."

"It's all covered under the big brother umbrella."

Hannah smiled at him and burst into tears again. "God, I missed you."

"I missed you too, Hannah," Danny said.

He steered them to the couch and they sat together until the front door opened and Steve came in with Molly and Lily, who had a new slightly red tint to her hair.

"Steven," Lily said when she saw Danny and Hannah curled on the couch. "Could you please go and find Hannah's husband and do whatever it is that SEALs do?"

Steve looked at Hannah's head on Danny's shoulder and nodded. "Hello, Hannah, nice to meet you."

"Hello, Steven," Hannah said. "You don't need to do anything."

Danny scoffed. "Such a lie."

Steve frowned at him.

"We'll talk about it in a minute, you alright?" Danny looked down at his sister.

"Go, thank you."

"He hasn't said yes."

"Thank you anyway."

Danny grabbed Steve's hand and he dragged the taller man up the stairs.

"What's going on?" Steve asked as soon as they were in their bedroom.

"You do not have to say yes."

Steve frowned at him.

"Hannah asked me if we would take Eric back to Hawaii with us to try and show him how not to be an idiot."

"Okay."

"You should think about it," Danny said. "We don't have to say yes."

"You want to," Steve said. "He needs something, he was arrested and he needs to stop wasting his life, if you think we can help then we should."

Danny kissed Steve. "Thank you."

Steve looked surprised.

"Thank you," Danny continued. "For caring enough about my family to take my nephew in when he is pushing at my sister because she wants to fix the problems her ex-husband created. She is a lovely person, and she is so strict with the younger ones but something about Eric stops her from being able to do it with him."

"I…your welcome."

Danny nodded and stood up. "I should go and tell Hannah, but, are you okay? After our talk with Ma and Pop you were upset."

"Not upset, I just needed to get to your Nana."

Danny smiled and stepped forward until he was standing between Steve's knees and Steve had to look up at Danny. "I appreciated you telling them everything. I know it's been hard but regardless of what your mother does we are going to be okay." Steve nodded and dropped his head down into Danny's chest. "If not Ma said she'd send Nana over to help."

Steve pulled back looking shocked.

"I wouldn't let my Nana anywhere near your mother," Danny said and leaned down to kiss Steve. "They don't judge you for what she does."

"Of course they don't," and Steve stood up. "We should go and tell your sister, I doubt Eric is going to be happy being shipped off even if it is to Hawaii."

Danny nodded and followed Steve out of the room and down the stairs.

/ / /

This Christmas visit refuses to let me rush it, oh well, I'll just enjoy them for a while longer. I am quite looking forward to writing that scene when they are accused of being some girl's dads. Just thinking about that scene makes me laugh...hehe
I do hope you enjoy.