Snippets – The A/U Style

By

Landon Richardson

Disclaimer

The character of Steve McGarrett and John McGarrett do not belong to me in any shape or form. I am merely using them for my own entertainment purposes

The character of Danni McGarrett and the McGarrett kids do belong to me however so please do not use these characters without asking

I should also add that if a character is mentioned who you are not instantly aware of then that character belong to me as well

Author Note

Here's another snippet

The two snippet sagas will be the only stories other than 'One night is all it took' which I will be updating at the moment, at least until I made a dent into my writing work.

This one I wrote a while ago and it's based on the idea that Steve and Danni met when they were younger and had a family together but that Steve was still active in the military. I wanted to have a story which reflected on how hard it was for Danni and their girls without Steve in their lives and the sacrifice they have had to make.

Also this story features John McGarrett and although he and Steve are talking, their relationship is still not a great one, mainly due to the past

Anyway please enjoy

Overall Summary

A glimpse into the McDanni world featuring lots of romance, drama, and gun fights, babies and a whole lot more. Based on the A/U Danni world.

Chapter Summary

Danni McGarrett slipped out of the kitchen door and onto the porch which surrounded the back of her father in law's house

Overall Romance

A hell of a lot but always with Steve and Danni ending up together…. It's better to look at the chapter romance to gather which one is which…

Chapter Romance

Steve McGarrett/Danielle McGarrett (McDanni)

Other note

Nearly all the places I have stated are either made up or I've got from the internet so I'm sorry in advance if I get an address wrong or anything. My geography on Hawaii is very poor having never been there before!

Other, other note

Plenty of Ohana moments… just maybe not the Ohana moments you were expecting. Also I don't have a beta so I apologise for any mistakes I make, these are not intension.

Saga

The navy Seal saga

Snippet Seven

19th September 2009

Danni McGarrett slipped out of the kitchen door and onto the porch which surrounded the back of her father in law's house. She stood quietly for a moment, breathing in the scent of the sea air and allowed it to calm her, the sound of the waves soothing her as she glanced up to the sky. Night was beginning to fall and the bright blue of the Hawaiian sky was turning into a riot of pinks and reds which was slowly merging into dark purples and blues. It was beautiful, a display which Danni had never seen before she moved to the Island. She smiled, the cool breeze cooling her warm skin.

Soon she would have to move away from the porch onto the sandy beach which backed onto the McGarrett property, to collect her three eldest daughters, daughters who were currently running around happily on the sand playing a game which seemed to be a cross between tag and Princesses with Rowan being the Dragon that Autumn was trying to slay to save Evie. From what Danni could tell, Autumn had to catch Rowan to defeat her. The small girl was running as fast as her small legs could carry her, screaming joyfully as Autumn slowly jogged after her, making sure not to catch her as she called out to her.

"I'm going to catch you Pixie Dragon, I'm going to catch you."

Danni's heart swelled at the scene, she hated the fact that she would have to break up the game soon for their bedtime routine but she was always strict with it. She never deviated from it except on very special occasions. They would have baths, a drink and then they would stagger their bedtimes. Rowan went up at six thirty, Evie at seven and Autumn as the eldest was allowed to stay up until seven thirty. She had little trouble with them. They had learnt to solely rely on her for instruction and love, a fact which broke Danni's heart, they knew that their mamma loved them and that everything she did was for them. If their mamma told them it was time for bed, then it was time for bed. Simple as that.

They still had at least thirty minutes of play left though and Danni was happy to let them have it. She simply stood there, watching them run and listening to the sound of their laughter and voices as they discussed the rules of the game with each other, dropping rules and adding them to suit their needs. Their voices and laughter were two sounds she would never get bored of hearing.

She looked away from them briefly, her gaze flickering over the porch a slight frown coming to her face as she noticed the sign of wear and tear. She would have to give one of her friends a call and ask them to come round to fix it and weather proof it when John was out and about, preferably with her and the girls so she could keep him busy while it happened. The older man was extremely stubborn, refusing all offers of help even when the offers came from Danni. He wanted to do everything himself and it was something which drove her mad.

She loved John like a favourite Uncle. He had always been kind to her, treating her as though she was his own child and helping her settle in Hawaii. He offered to babysit the girls to allow Danni to go out and get things done or even just to go out with people so she could cement the friendships which had been forming, friendships which were now solid thanks to his help. She couldn't have done it without his help and she knew that, that small fact annoyed her husband though he never said anything out loud about it.

She could understand Steve's feelings towards his old man. The love he felt for his father warring with his resentment at being sent away during a time when it had been important for them to stick together. Danni couldn't even pretend to know what it would feel like to lose your mother and then two days later be told by your father that you were being sent to the mainland, away from everything familiar and all your friends, and told you were going to live with relatives, relatives, you didn't even know well. The fact that his younger sister Mary was sent to a different location must have been an extra dagger in the heart. The fact that John had refused to give them a reason for it made things worse.

And yet for whatever reason he did it, sending Steve to live with his Uncle Mike and his Aunt Karen in Maryland had been the best thing that could have happened to Steve. It had been the thing which has made him, taken a quiet boy and turning him into a strong loving man. He had been thrust into a loud boisterous family full on different personalities and allowed to thrive, they had taken in the confused, grieving boy, making him one of their own and giving him unconditional love and support. Not only that but they had given him the one thing he was craving the most. A family. He had gone from a family consisting of two loving but distant parents and a sister who he just couldn't understand or get on with to a family with two loving parents who started which day with a hug and a kiss, an older sister and three brothers who provided him everything he wanted and needed in a sibling.

Danni wanted to give John the benefit of the doubt. There had to be reasons behind his decisions, reasons which he couldn't discuss with his children at the time. He had taken her and her girls in without a murmur of complaint, simply meeting them at the airport, helping her get their stuff together and driving them to his home telling Danni that she could stay as long as she wanted. He clearly had meant it as well. They had been there two months and John had spent the time building not only a relationship with his granddaughters but also building one up with Danni. One that she was beginning to rely on and cherish.

It was still hard to wrap her head around the fact that this would be their last night living in this home, tomorrow they would be moving to their own house, a house situated about ten minutes away from where they currently were.

Danni had been searching for a place where they could live from the moment she had landed on the island, unable to shake the feeling of guilt over how much they had taken over John's house and life. Every weekend when she wasn't with the girls was spent searching for properties online and then going for viewings of them. At first she went alone, leaving John with the children and then, three weeks after arriving, her new friend Amy Hanamoa had started to come with her, keeping her company and giving her much needed advice. The two of them had met through Amy's husband Meka who was a Detective on the police force and who Danni had a lot of contact with at the crime scenes. She had instantly hit it off with Meka and then with Amy. The pair of them seemingly coming to the same conclusion that they liked Danni and were going to befriend her.

She had just about given up hope on finding a place when the Real Estate Agent had taken there to a house which had just gone on sell that day. Danni had gone with her, taken one look at the large two storey house and fallen in love instantly with it, knowing instantly that this was the home for them. She had walked through the open planned rooms, mentally redecorating them in her mind. By the time the woman had shown her the large garden complete with a swimming pool and BBQ area Danni had been sold. This was their house, she knew it as surely as she had known the first time she had met Steve that he was her love.

She had sat down with the agent and spent over an hour haggling the price but in the end she won. She signed the contract there and then and that was that. The house was theirs. She didn't know how the hell the house was in their budget but she wasn't complaining about it. They finally had a place to call their own.

That had been a week ago, the place needed a lot of work but Danni had the time to do it. Instead of getting it done before they moved in she had decided to do it while they were in the house. That way they could start building their life here.

Her shoulders hunched up slightly as she crossed her arms over her chest, her thoughts turning to her husband Steve. She wondered whether he would like the place as much as she did. She had tried to contact him repeatedly on his phone to let him know what was happening but he had been too busy to pick up and he hadn't called her back either. Danni tried not to let it affect her but it did.

"It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see that you have something on your mind Danni"

Danni blinked, turning to see that John had exited his house, two coffee mug in hand, one of which he passed to Danni. She took it gratefully from him, wrapping her hands around it.

"That obvious then?" She asked him, pulling a face when he nodded at her.

"You're pretty easy to read Danni" John replied, blowing on the liquid. "You want to talk about it?"

Danni shrugged, breathing out nosily.

"I was just thinking about Steve" she told him, looking back towards her children "I've bought this house for us and I don't even know if he's going to like it. He might end up hating it."

"He won't hate it sweetheart" John replied, reaching out and placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. Danni shot him a quick look. "Listen to me" he said. "I might not have been around Steve for some of his childhood but I know enough about him to know how he feels about you. He loves you Danni, loves you more than I've ever seen him love or care about everything, he wouldn't have spoken to me if he didn't. You are his world, his very reason for being. He worships the ground you walk on and the air you breathe. He won't care about the house Danni, the only thing he will care about is that your home is safe and that you and the girls are safe. He will love the house because you love the house."

Danni smiled sadly, reaching up and grasping at her hair in a nervous gesture.

"It's just maybe I should have waited and asked his opinion first. I've never made such a big decision before but I didn't want to lose it and I couldn't guarantee that he would pick up" She let her father in law lead her down the stairs towards the two chairs set up on the lanai. She sat down, staring out at the waves as she began speaking, feeling as though a dam had broken in her. "He's been gone for eleven months now John without any leave. He comes, he stays a few days and then he's gone away, most often in the night. He's never met either Beth or Hope in person, he's only seen them on a screen. Rowan doesn't remember him, Evie never speaks about him and even Autumn is beginning to stop asking when he is coming home. I'm not being selfish but I want him with me, he's missing out on our children's life and I don't want him to. I want him here, with me helping me raise them instead of me doing it all alone. I barely feel married half the time" she admitted, resting her elbows on her thighs and resting her face in her hands, holding the pose for a moment before she looked up. "I'm sorry John, it's not fair of me to talk to you about all this. Steve is your son after all. Please ignore me."

"Danni you can talk to me about anything." He told her. "You can't hold onto things like this, it's a burden you shouldn't have to deal with alone. You need to speak to Steve. He knows how difficult this is for you and I know this isn't the marriage you signed on for. You married Steve to be with him because you love him and you care for him and you have children but you deserve more than just that. Don't let him return and simply knock you up without telling him how you feel or I'll be forced to put you both in a time out." He commented, trying to cheer her up.

He watched a slight smile come to her face at the comment though the grey eyes which flashed towards him were sad looking. He viewed Danni as a second daughter, especially since his own was somewhere on the other side of the world in Japan. He had loved her since the first day he had seen her in the airport. Steve had rang him, a terse phone call, the first time he had spoken to his son in years, asking him to be at the Honolulu airport to meet his wife and to look after her and their daughters. John had been shocked. He knew from his brother Michael that Steve had married at a young age but he didn't know about the children. He had agreed, writing down Steve's vague description of a small woman with blond hair and gone to the airport. It had been easy to find her. Not only because she was tiny like Steve had said but also due to the mass of golden curls and waves which had been tied up in a messy ponytail. Steve had failed to mention that his wife was beautiful, attracting a lot of attention from the men milling around. She had paid the looks no attention, her eyes fixed solely on the three little girls milling around her. All three of them dark haired just like Steve. His eyes had dropped to the two small babies in the carrier cases by her as well. John has stared in shock at her. Five children, three of whom were girls. John had shaken his head trying to wrap his head around the fact that his little boy had his own family.

He had approached her, watching as grey eyes focused on him. She had refused to go with him until she had spoken to Steve passing the phone to John. John had spoken briefly to Steve before passing the phone back to Danni, it was only then that she had gone with him. It had been strange having a house full of people again. He had missed it. Danni and her girls had been the perfect houseguests. Unfailingly polite to him, helping him when they could and always being kind. Danni had taken over cooking duty meaning that John had well cooked meals for the first time in years. It was hard not to love Steve's family.

"Danni" John said when she remained silent. "Steve fell in love with you because you are a strong woman and he admires that. He probably can't remember fully but his mother was the same and you've no doubt met Karen. Steve was raised by strong women, it was no surprise that he picked one to be at his side. But being strong doesn't mean that you have to deal with everything alone. Being a husband to someone is more than giving you his wage each month and giving you at children. It means being there for you. Danni please talk to him."

"Maybe I would if Steve would pick up the phone to me" She said sadly, turning when a cry of pain reached her ears. "One second John, motherhood calls" she said, pushing herself to her feet and hurrying over to four year old who was lying on the floor, crying. Her sisters surrounding her trying to comfort her.

John watched Danni pull the small girl into her lap, rocking her as she set about soothing her. He stood and headed back into the house, grabbing his mobile from the kitchen counter and pressing down on the number three button bringing the phone and listening to the ring tone. He stared out of the window watching Danni with her girls, thankful that they were keeping him busy. He doubted that Danni would appreciate it if she knew what he was doing. He rolled his eyes, hanging up the phone before he hit the redial button. This time it rang twice before it was picked up.

"Are Danni and the girls alright?" Steve demanded as a greeting. John shook his head.

"They are fine" John replied. "I'm ringing to find out where you currently are. I think it's time you came home son."

There was a moment's silence before Steve spoke.

"I'm in Colorado at the moment Dad, we're on base, gearing up for something big though I can't go into detail. It's classified I'm sure you understand the need for secrecy" he said. John rolled his eyes.

"Well in that case you can fly home and see your family. It's been eleven months" John replied.

"Actually it's been eleven months, fifteen days and six hours" Steve answered. "I'm going to try and get home but…" he was cut off by John.

"You won't try and come home Steve, you will come home. Not for me but for Danni and your daughters. Do you know what Danni just told me son? She told me that she doesn't feel as though she is married half the time." John snapped down the phone, pacing the kitchen to and throw. "Danni is a strong woman, one of the strongest I know but she's beginning to crack under the pressure of working long hours running a stressful department while supporting your family and raising your children by herself. I'm trying to help her but there's only so much I can do. Your country has had you for long enough it's now time that your family have you. They have waited long enough. She deserves that much at least."

John waited, listening to Steve's breathing. He could hear the sound of muffled voices, clearly wherever Steve is it was crowded.

"Danni… Danni said she doesn't feel like she's married?" He asked, his voice weak.

"That's what she said" John answered. "Look Danni would never say anything to you because that is who she is. She just carries on, raising your children without a word of complaint. She doesn't even complain that she spends months at a time alone. How often do you speak? Did you know that Danni has just bought a new house for you all to live in here in Hawaii? She's moving out of here tomorrow and they are all moving in there."

"She's bought us a new house? What kind of house? Where is it? How could she not have said anything? Where are you now Dad? Are you with Danni?" Steve questioned, his words coming out rushed.

"Hell no I'm not with Danni, your wife would kick my ass for speaking to you about this. She's outside on the beach with Autumn, Evie and Rowan. Danni has been trying to reach you for days now, I've been there when she's been trying. You can't blame her for this. She even left a message with your commanding officer asking him to tell you to contact her"

"Who did she speak to? Joe White?" Steve demanded "I've been here for two days now and no one has given me a message, I would never not call my wife back" he told her. "Look I've got leave it was just granted to me an hour ago. I'm coming home. Do not tell Danni, I don't want to build her hopes up"

"Son, I think Danni gave up hoping months ago"

"Dad I-"Steve began before John interrupted.

"Just come home Steve to your family because your three youngest daughters don't know who you are, the elder two are forgetting you and your wife is breaking. You're needed here now."

"I'm coming" Steve repeated.

"Text me your flight details tomorrow and I'll come and pick you up. Danni will be moving into her home tomorrow, she's throwing a BBQ tomorrow to thank the people who are helping her move in. If you get in by late afternoon you should be able to attend"

"Thanks" Steve said before he hang up the phone.

John sighed, shaking his head as he looked back towards the window. He just hoped that Steve coming home now wasn't too little, too late to save his marriage.

Author Note

Thanks for taking the time to read.

An especially big thank you if you've taken the time to review or favourite the story or follow it. I appreciate it more than you know!

Have no fear, the second part of this will be up in the next snippet and is already written.