Here's the next chapter.
Enjoy.
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Chapter 16
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Steve was working on some paperwork when he heard a knock on his door and saw the six people he was waiting for standing on the other side. Steve waved them in as he stood up, wincing slightly at the pulled muscles and waited for them all to come in. Steve had already set up chairs in the room and indicated for them to take a seat. Steve was about to pick up the phone when he saw Danny end his and hurry over from his office. Steve wanted him there when he gave the their punishment and Danny had already asked what their punishments were and tried to get them lessened to an extent, not that Steve was happy with it but he listened to Danny's reasoning.
"You all know why you are here." Steve addressed them as Danny stood off to the side as he received nods all round. "Good now as for your punishments. My two Delta's I want you to stand up." A young adult male and female stood, looking at the ground. "Look at me!" Both hesitated but looked at him.
"Steve take it easy." Danny said as he tried to calm him before he saw Rachel enter the office area. "Steve."
"Go Danny I'll be done in a minute."
Danny nodded and excited the office and took Rachel into his so she didn't see anything she shouldn't. Steve just hoped they wouldn't try to kill each other.
"You two will be doing any community service that Detective Kelly gives you and you will report to him at the end of each completion. I have given him a number of how many I want you both to do but he will not tell you how many or how many you have left. You will only know upon the completion of the last. He will report everything to me. If I find it to be unsatisfactory than it will be classed as a fail and it will be redone. If you don't than your rank will go down from Delta to Omega. Am I understood?"
"Yes Alpha." They said softly and scared.
"Sit down. The rest of you stand up." They did as they were told. "You four will be held off of hunting parties till I say otherwise and will be helping to look after the pups. There will be other odd tasks I will ask of you till I decide when you can return to hunts. Understood?"
"Yes Alpha."
"Sit down." Steve's eyes flickered over to Danny's office to see they were both arguing with each other. "You all better be grateful because Danny is the reason you are all getting off so lightly. You may go but you two need to go see Detective Kelly for your first lot of community service." Steve addressed them.
They all left the office with Steve quickly behind them and made for Danny's office. He could clearly hear the yelling that was going on inside as soon as he left his office. Steve opened the door and walked inside.
"Daniel I don't care what your preference is but I'm not letting it near Grace."
"You don't care what my preference is. That's a load of bullshit. You arrogant, selfish..."
"OK Danny that's enough. Rachel if you would come with me to my office."
"Commander I told you last night."
"Mrs Edwards it was not a request." Rachel glared at the two and left the office and Steve turned to Danny. "Take some deep breathes and when you're calm come to my office. We will all talk together calmly about this."
Danny nodded and collapsed in his chair. Steve quickly left the office as he knew Danny would be alright and he didn't want to make Rachel wait and make her angrier. Steve entered the office and quickly moved the extra chairs out of the way and offered her one of the regular seats to sit on before going around to his own.
"Rachel may I ask why you are so against Danny and I being together?"
"It is unorthodox and wrong. I will not subject Grace to that."
"Rachel you're daughter was thrilled to find out that we were together and despite the fact that Danny and I are together not much will change when she is around. We won't be doing anything inappropriate in front of her if that's what you are worried about. Besides you would find that the lifestyle of many people on this island is more unorthodox than you realise."
"What do you mean?"
"Well people of the same sex is quite common and you won't be able to hide that from Grace for long, she is a smart girl and very observant and will notice it. There is also the fact that first, second, third, so on so forth, cousins can marry, other than if they are of the same sex, there they can enter a civil union."
"Well unfortunately that isn't the issue. The issue is that Grace would be exposed to this more often that when she is out in the community."
"Rachel I think the real issue here is that you don't want me to be happy." Danny said as he walked in, calmer than before.
"Daniel that is not it and you know it. I have to protect Grace."
"From what? Knowing that her father is finally happy on this god forsaken island? And not miserable and damning this place constantly." Danny asked and Rachel didn't reply. "Rachel the only thing that exposing Grace to is that fact that her father is happy and in a stable relationship and that's all she will care about."
Steve was about to say something when a call came in on his office phone. Steve's eyes widened in surprise when he heard who was on the other line.
"Grace what's going on?"
"Uncle Steve I couldn't get a hold of Danno. He isn't answering his phone."
"He's right here with me. Do you want to talk to him?"
"No. Step-Stan picked me up from school and I asked him to drop me off Five 0 is that ok?"
"Yes Grace of course it is. Is something wrong?"
"I just want to talk to Danno when I get there."
"Well Danno and your mother are here. How long will you be?" Steve asked and there was silence on the other end for a few seconds.
"Five minutes."
"Alright we'll wait for you out the front."
"Can it just be you, Uncle Steve?"
"Alright."
"Thank you Uncle Steve. Bye."
"Bye." Steve said before putting the phone back done.
"Steve what's going on? Where's Grace?"
"Is she alright?" Rachel asked.
"Whoa! Ok calm down. Grace is fine. She wants to talk to Danny and me. Stan has picked her up and is dropping her off here. They'll be here in five minutes. Now I'll go out and meet her, can I trust you two to get along?"
"I need to see Grace." Rachel said.
"She asked that only I meet her Rachel obviously she wants to ask me something before seeing the two of you."
"Rachel let Steve go meet her."
"Alright. But I am going to talk to her."
"That's fine. I'll bring her in once we finish talking. Now that that's taken care of I am going to go wait outside for Grace. I'll ask again can I trust you two to get along?"
"Yes Commander. "
Danny nodded and Steve was satisfied with that and left the office. Rachel and Danny watched him leave as Chin and Kono were leaving to and they all walked out together.
"Well that looks like lots of fun boss." Kono said to him as they left through the glass doors of the Five 0 headquarters.
"Not as much as you think. Rachel thinks of herself above everyone else. It's going to be hard to convince her to let Grace still visit Danny with our relationship going on. But I'm just on my way to pick her up."
"Why? It's just hit midday. She has school for another three hours or so." Chin asked.
"She called me just before. Stan is dropping her off. I think it might have something to do with Danny and Rachel."
"Oh. Well we are getting lunch, should we get something for you three?"
"I'm sure Grace has lunch packed from school and yes please get something for me and Danny."
"Alright Boss."
Chin and Kono headed to Kono's car and as they left the Palace Stan's car pulled up and Grace quickly climbed out of the car and ran over to Steve. Steve knelt down in front of Grace and wrapped his arms around her when she jumped at him. Steve hugged her close as he stood up and walked back towards the car where Stan was standing there with her backpack.
"Hey Grace how you going?"
"Ok." Steve nodded at Stan who passed him the backpack.
"She asked the nurse to call me to pick her up and when I did she insisted that I drop her off here. I tried to get a hold of Rachel but she wasn't answering."
"She's here. I'll take her up. Thanks Stan."
Stan nodded and said goodbye before driving off. Steve looked to Grace who was had her head on his shoulder with her arms around his neck. Steve couldn't remember a time when he was good with children and really he still wasn't at all but Grace was a different story.
"Shall we go inside?" Grace shook her head. "Why don't we go sit down under a tree and you can tell me what's wrong."
"Yeah ok."
"Ok."
Steve walked over to the large patch of grass and sat Grace down on the ground before sitting himself down as well. Grace sat down beside him and started to pluck at the grass. Steve waited a few minutes as he watched her.
"So Grace what's wrong? Does it have something to do with me, Chin and Kono?"
"No."
"Alright so what's up?"
"I heard mummy yelling at daddy last night on the phone."
"Oh Grace, don't worry about it. Everything will be fine."
"I know it's about you and daddy, Uncle Steve. Mom said your relationship with daddy is unor...unor..."
"Unorthodox." Steve helped.
"Yeah. What's that mean too, Uncle Steve?"
"Well when someone breaks from traditions or the way things are normally done."
"Oh so you and daddy together is bad."
"It's not bad Grace. Just different. Does that bother you?"
"No but it does bother mummy doesn't it?"
"Yeah Grace it does."
"I don't want mummy to use me against daddy."
"Grace listen to me. If you're mum is going to use me and Danno being together to not let you stay with Danno than I'll break if off with Danno. I'm not going to let him not get to spend time with you."
"I like that daddy is happy, I don't want him sad because he can't have either of us."
"Why don't you go tell your mum that."
"But mummy won't listen to me."
"You don't know if you don't try. Your mum is inside with Danno. Come on ."
Steve stood up and held Grace's hand as he led her inside the building and up to Five 0 headquarters where her parents were waiting.
~~∞∞Ω∞∞~~ End of Chapter 16 ~~∞∞Ω∞∞~~
Hope you liked it. Please review.
