Fic: Six Impossible Things, 4/6 (4a)
Title: Six Impossible Things
Author: mrssnape13
Warnings: Some eventual violence. Schmoop. Fluff. :)
Rating: R-ish
Spoilers: None. This takes place just before the pilot episode
Word Count: This chapter: 7,324 (Story so far: 19,422!)
Summary: Danny and Grace fall down the rabbit hole into "Wonderland," and find out they have to be heroes.
Author's Note: I can't believe it has taken me so long to post another chapter. :/ I finished and then edited my Honors Thesis, graduated from college, and since then I've been basically living at my darn job. So writing time has been pretty scarce. Still, I apologize for such a crazy delay. To those who have been reading this, thank you for being so lovely, and I hope you're willing to stick around just a bit longer.
Chapter Four: Ninjas are afraid of mice and dragons can talk
For a palace, Chin’s was pretty simple. That was a big part of why Danny liked the guy so much: he was so chill. He wasn’t the glamour and glitz type. He was a king, and he had a castle, but it really felt more like a big, well lived-in house.
Danny, Kono, Steve, and Kamekona (for someone who was “neutral,” Danny couldn’t help but notice that Kamekona had interfered quite a bit thus far) arrived well before sundown. Chin was already waiting for them with a sumptuous dinner and Hermes was waiting for Danny with a letter from Grace. Danny was feeling at home already.
After supper, Chin wanted to speak with Danny alone. They went upstairs to his chambers, where Chin led Danny outside to the terrace so they could enjoy the fresh air. The railing was crawling with plumeria blossoms and they had a great view of the royal pineapple groves. Grace would have loved it.
“Please, Danny, take a seat,” Chin said, gesturing to one of two driftwood chairs in the corner.
“Thanks,” Danny said, sitting down across from Chin. “And thanks for putting us up, and for the food.”
Chin waved a hand as if to say that it was nothing.
“It’s the least I can do, brah. Although, if I had known just how much food you can put away…”
They shared a laugh, Danny’s being particularly amused because he’d actually restrained himself at dinner. You didn’t exhibit the full Williams appetite in front of royalty. It wasn’t pretty.
“So how’s Steve been holding up?”
Chin always made a point to ask about his former student. Something else Danny liked about the guy: he was unfailingly kind.
“He’s good. There are times where he gets pretty down, we all do, but he’s been amazing. He’s a good man; I just wish he’d believe that a little more often.”
“I think he’s starting to.”
Danny nodded.
“I’m glad to see him again. He broke away from the people who loved him for so long. I’ve missed him terribly.”
Chin reached out and patted Danny on the arm.
“Thanks for bringing him back.”
. . .
Danny and Steve were sharing a room again, and Danny intended to make the most of their new-found privacy.
Apparently, Steve had the same idea, because Danny had barely made it through the door to their suite when he was assaulted by a ninja on a mission. A mission Danny very much approved of.
Danny returned Steve’s kiss, sliding his tongue into his mouth and nearly pulling Steve to the floor then and there when Steve’s gasp turned into a breathy moan. But he had a bad knee and Steve deserved better than the floor.
Steve started backing them into the bedroom, not missing a step.
“Let me guess: ninja already memorized every detail of the place,” Danny said, his lips brushing Steve’s as he spoke.
They broke apart for a second to laugh and Danny spotted something over Steve’s shoulder.
“Holy fucking hell!” he yelled, stopping them in their tracks.
Steve reacted before Danny could blink, shielding Danny and whipping around to face whatever it was that had startled him.
“Danno there’s nothing there. What did you see?”
Danny was clutching his chest and trying to calm his pounding heart.
“That,” he gasped, pointing at a portrait on the wall.
Steve chuckled.
“Danny that’s just a picture of the Queen.”
“No no no. That’s Rachel,” Danny said, pointing a shaking finger. He sounded a little deranged, even to himself.
“Right. Queen Rachel.”
“Oh my God! Why is this my life? Why?”
Steve put his hands on Danny’s shoulders and gave him a little shake.
“Danny why does this have you so upset? C’mon. Spill.”
Steve was making Aneurism Face. Danny felt like an ass.
“I’m sorry babe.”
He ran his hands through his hair, leaving it nearly standing on end.
“Your Queen, the one we’re trying to save… she’s my ex-wife. She doesn’t just look like her; that is my ex-wife. Rachel.”
Comprehension was dawning on Steve’s face. Danny’d told him about the divorce, but he’d left out some of the more pathetic details.
Danny’s arms were flailing; he couldn’t help it.
“This Queen of yours? She’s been poisoned? Let me tell you all about it, my friend: the woman I married was clever and passionate and I loved her with everything I had. For ten years, I thought she felt the same, but it turns out that was all a lie. Now she’s married to Stan, who spoils my kid, by the way, and Rachel’s become this… this harpy! She barely lets me see my daughter and I get to watch them be one big happy family while I have to spend every night alone in my rat hole apartment. God forbid your Queen has fallen as far down into spite!”
“Danny. I’m sorry. Look, if facing her is going to be too difficult…”
“No. Don’t even go there. I’m keeping my word to you guys.”
Danny took a deep breath.
“I’m sorry. I just didn’t expect… and I’ve got a lot of anger, you know?”
“Really now?”
“Hilarious Steven. If this whole ninja thing doesn’t work out you’ve got a promising future as a comedian.”
Danny looked up at the portrait again. Rachel looked so young, so much like the day he’d met her. He hated what they’d become to one another in the last couple years.
“Look, if I’m honest, and I don’t like to be this honest about the situation if I can help it because I am so, so mad, I’m really just angry and more than a little bitter because there’s a part of me that still loves her. Not like I used to-it’s more the memory of an emotion-but that alone makes me sorry for how we act around each other now. But underneath all the anger, she’s a damn good mother, and I know she’s a good woman. Very deep down. Somewhere.”
He looked back at Steve.
“Maybe your Queen can be that way again too.”
Steve came close and pulled Danny into his arms.
“Alright Danno?”
“Yeah babe. Sorry. It was just a shock.”
He grinned up at Steve sheepishly.
“Having that thing on the wall kinda kills the mood though.”
Steve grinned.
“I think I can fix that.”
Danny watched, gobsmacked, as Steve took the portrait down from the wall, went to the door, and tossed it unceremoniously into the hall.
He laughed at the look on Danny’s face.
“Better?”
“You have no idea.”
Steve crowded into his space again, snaking his fingers into the waist of Danny’s pants and pulling him closer. He ghosted his lips over Danny’s.
“Danny. Come to bed.”
He didn’t need to be told twice.
. . .
Kono smirked knowingly at them when they walked into the war room the next morning.
“Guess I owe you some money, Kamekona,” she sighed.
“Told you it was stupid to bet against me,” Kamekona said.
They were seated at a large table on either side of Chin. Danny took a seat next to Kono, not even bothering to rise to their bait. Steve sat down next to Danny, making a face that very clearly advertised that he was trying not to laugh. Bastard.
“Good morning Chin. You’re looking well today.”
Danny was so not talking to the others.
“I could say the same to you, brah. Nice hickey.”
Danny’s hand flew to the side of his neck. Damn. He’d told Steve he was going to leave a mark.
“Thanks a lot Chin. Here I am, hoping for a morning of civilized conversation, but instead I wake up to people making sex bets and this Neanderthal-ʺ
Steve cut him off with a well-placed poke to the ribs.
“Danno. Not in front of the kids.”
At the head of the table, Chin cleared his throat.
“If we could all get down to business?”
Chin sounded very serious, but Danny noticed his lips twitching. He was obviously trying not to laugh.
Danny made a mental note to hide Chin’s crown or something. Childish? Maybe. But also so, so justified.
Chin rolled several maps out onto the table.
“First up we’ve got the route that we’ll be taking.”
Danny held up a hand.
“We, Chin?”
“No way would I just sit here and wait.”
“But you’re the king!”
“All the more reason to go. I’ve got to set an example for my people.”
He was saying “people,” but Danny noticed something else in his determined eyes. He decided to let it go for now; he could ask Chin later. He nodded at Chin, inviting the other man to continue.
“The safest way is going to be through the Pali Pass. Mary Ann can keep an eye on us that way. The road is clear and her spells should hold up.”
Next to Danny, Steve had gone very pale.
“My sister’s here?”
“She’ll be here by dinnertime Steve. She’s your ohana. No more running.”
Steve wouldn’t disobey a direct order from the king, so he just nodded, his mouth set in a thin line.
“If we stick to the road, it should only take three days to reach the palace, provided that we don’t run into any interference.”
“I think we’re in the clear. Cath’s been keeping an eye on things and she says the JabberHesse has been keeping to the dungeons. He seems to know what’s coming; she thinks he’s working out a plan,” Steve said.
Kamekona spoke up.
“No problems there, Steve. I can see every idea he tries to cook up, and they all end the same way.”
“Please tell me it’s a vision of me kicking his ass.”
“You know it, Danno.”
“Oh my God. Not you too,” Danny groaned.
“Pali’s fine with me, if Steve likes it. We both know the terrain pretty well,” Kono said, getting them back on track.
Steve nodded at Kono, trying to smile, but not getting too far from a diluted version of Aneurism Face. Danny squeezed his knee under the table and he seemed to relax, if only marginally.
“Once we get there, Stan’s going to leave one of the side gates open. You all will go in that way, while Kamekona and I enter through the front, since the Queen thinks we’re coming for her birthday dinner.”
“Isn’t that just a little too risky, Chin?”
“Don’t forget Danny, that I taught Steve everything he knows. Besides, Kamekona will be with me. He has full immunity and means as an Informant. He can’t be touched. Long as I’m with him, that extends to me.”
Steve had recovered enough by then to pick up where Chin left off. He stood and took one of the maps that had a schematic of the Red Queen’s castle.
“The fuss from Chin and Kamekona’s arrival should leave us in the clear to get to Grace before she goes to see the Queen.”
Steve pointed to a tower on the map, at the end of the west wing.
“This is where Grace has been staying. She and Cath will be waiting for us so they can show us where the sword is.”
“And remind me how my princess is going to know where to find this deadly weapon?”
Kamekona spoke up now.
“The Albion sword seeks out those who burn brightest. Grace is your kid, so she has your heart. And then some. She’s going to have a vision in two days that will tell her where we can find it.”
“And you can’t just tell us what she’s going to see because…”
“Time is complicated brah. There is only so much interfering I can do before time alters. Irrevocably. Grace has to tell you, and the surrounding events must remain fixed. That’s the way it has to be.”
Talk about a mind fuck. Danny was so done with interdimensional travel after this.
Steve jumped back in.
“Grace’s tower is in a good spot because once we know where that sword is it’s pretty much a straight shot to wherever we need to go. We’ve got a vantage point of the whole complex from there.”
“Exactly,” Kono agreed. “Once we get the sword, Cath and I are going to get Grace and the Queen secure while Danny and the rest of you finally face the JabberHesse.”
“Hey. Hold on. I’m the only one who should be facing death by charbroil. Nobody else should have to do this with me. You guys will have already risked enough.”
“Danny, you can’t go in without backup,” Steve said. “You know that.”
And now a ninja was reminding him about police procedure. Danny wondered if he had been at HPD long enough to put in a request for some vacation time. Some extended vacation time.
“Okay, okay. So…so all this sounds very simple, but it could go so horribly wrong. You guys know that right?”
Steve squeezed Danny’s arm.
“We all know the risks Danny, trust me.”
“It’s not going to be easy, but the way I see this ending is pretty good. Just keep your heart in the right place Danny; it will work out.”
“Thanks Kamekona.”
There was a knock on the door.
“Enter.”
One of Chin’s pages, Sang Min, came in and nodded politely to the group gathered at the table.
“Sire, Lady Mary Ann has arrived. She’s waiting for you in the throne room.”
“Very good. Tell her to have a seat. We’ll be with her momentarily.”
“Yes sir.”
Sang Min left the room and Chin turned to Steve with a smile.
“We’ll give you guys some time Steve.”
Steve nodded again and the others left the room. Danny took Steve’s face in his hands.
“It’s fine, babe. She’s your sister. Ohana, remember?”
“Um. Yeah,” Steve said, looking like a lost little kid.
Danny gave him a quick kiss.
“It’ll be okay. You go talk to your sister. I’m gonna go hide something of Chin’s. Payback for being a crafty bastard.”
Steve’s smile almost reached his eyes.
“And I won’t be far if you need me!” Danny called over his shoulder as he left the room.
He wanted to be there, but this was something Steve had to do alone.
. . .
Steve was not feeling much like a ninja as he paced just outside the door to the throne room. He felt very much like he was six years old again, and his mom had just discovered that he had broken her favorite vase.
C’mon. Just be a man and open the door.
The voice in his head sounded suspiciously like Danny’s. That did it for him. Danny would never hide behind a door when he had to face something difficult.
Steve steeled himself and opened the door.
Mary Ann was on the opposite end of the room, and turned around at the noise.
“Chin I know I’m early, but…oh.”
At least she looked as nervous as Steve felt now.
“Hi Mar.”
“Hi? That’s all you can say after all this time?”
“I…”
The words he was about to say died in his throat as she threw her arms around his neck, burying her face in the spot where his neck met his shoulder. Her cheeks felt suspiciously wet. His did too.
“I missed you so much Steve,” she said, her voice only muffled slightly by his shirt.
Not exactly the reaction he’d been expecting.
He put his arms around her, patting her back awkwardly.
“I missed you too,” he said into the top of her head. “I’m so sorry Mar. For everything. I was a fool.”
It wasn’t the world’s most eloquent apology, but he meant every word with everything he had.
“I was wrong too,” she smiled up at him. She looked embarrassed now too. “It was right for you to wait for Danny. Not a lot of people would do that Steve.”
“But I should never have pushed you away or closed myself off like that.”
“No, but it’s no use trying to go back and fix what’s been done. Besides, I could’ve swallowed my pride and apologized to you. I’m sorry too.”
“I’m not good with all this stuff.”
“I know.”
“But I’m gonna try. I want us to be ohana. Like we should be.”
She took his hand and squeezed it.
“I know.”
. . .
Danny had gone to Chin’s quarters with every intention of hiding his crown in the bathroom cabinet or something, but then he’d noticed a small window in Chin’s sitting room that looked into the throne room.
He couldn’t help himself. He didn’t listen in, but he did keep an eye on Steve as he talked to his sister.
At first he was worried because Steve was looking like a six year old with a guilty conscience, but then Mary Ann went and hugged him and they started to really talk.
“Looks like they’re going to be alright.”
“Jesus Chin!” Danny yelled, nearly jumping out of his skin. “Give a guy a little warning next time, would you?”
He knocked into a side table in his excitement, and a miniature that was sitting on top fell to the floor.
“Just wanted to make sure you weren’t going to take some kind of revenge on my personal possessions for this morning,” Chin said, his eyes crinkling in a silent laugh.
“You know me well, Chin Ho Kelly,” Danny said, chuckling and picking up the mess he’d made.
He looked at the miniature he had retrieved from under the table. It was a small portrait of a lady. A very beautiful lady.
“And who is this vision of loveliness? Another family member?”
Chin was still smiling at him, but it was no longer reaching his eyes.
“That’s Malia,” he said softly.
“Pretty name, pretty lady,” Danny said, carefully putting the picture back in its spot.
“She was my betrothed.”
Oh.
Chin wasn’t married though.
Oh shit.
“I’m sorry for your loss,” Danny said, reaching out and grasping Chin’s shoulder. “That’s terrible.”
Chin shook his head and walked over to the sofa, inviting Danny to sit down next to him.
“She’s alive Danny. She’s just not here because I broke things off.”
Chin looked really tired all of a sudden. Danny was guessing that the breakup had been ugly.
“I’m sorry man. It sucks when things don’t work out.”
“That’s partly why I’m going with you Danny. There are a lot of things that I have to fix in my life.”
“I kinda figured. You had this look in your eyes earlier…”
Chin nodded, eyes trained on the woman’s picture.
“You wanna talk about it? I’m a pretty good listener when I can manage to shut my brassy magnificent trap.”
“I’m not sure brassy or magnificent are the right words.”
“You wound me.”
Chin smiled at him, a little more at ease thanks to their banter.
“Maila’s from the kingdom of Maui, but she attended university here. That’s where we met. I was taking a class in philosophy and she sat just down the row from me. I noticed her right away, but it took me a week to get up the courage to ask her to dinner. She agreed though, and we had a great time.
“She was wonderful. We balanced each other out. I tend to get too lost in my own head space, but she kept me grounded, in the now. We weren’t together very long before I proposed, but it just felt right. She saw me as a person, first and foremost, and that meant everything.
“If I had known what was to come though, I would’ve waited, prolonged those happy days as long as I could.”
“You mean the JabberHesse? No one could’ve seen that coming, man.”
“That, and the backlash from my family. They were outraged that I was marrying a commoner and a stranger. Kono was the only one who took my part, and the rest of the family turned its back on her too.”
“Damn.”
“I… was a fool, Danny. I loved Malia with everything that I had. I still do. I wanted to be with her and to just forget my duties. Kono’s next in line for the throne; I could’ve just taken off for Maui and left everything to her.”
“No doubt she could handle it, but obviously you didn’t end up going with your gut.”
“No. The JabberHesse came, and there was no way I was leaving my people. I couldn’t just leave it all to Kono.
“And then I started to think about what I had almost done. I would die for Malia if I had to, but running away with her would have been juvenile and selfish. I had caused turmoil in my family, hurt Kono in the process, and put Malia through more emotional distress than I care to think about.”
“I don’t think Kono sees it that way. And I can’t speak for Malia, but if she loved you like you did her, then I think she was probably just happy to be with you.”
“I know, I know, but the thought still bothered me. And I had to do something to keep my family safe. In those early days, my people and I had no idea that we were going to be playing the waiting game, not until Kamekona first came here to Inform me.
“Back then, we didn’t know where the JabberHesse would hit next. Word hadn’t yet reached my people-the Red Kingdom was trying to keep the situation as hush hush as possible-but we were going to have to tell them soon, and we were going to have to arm ourselves. I sent Malia away before that could happen. I couldn’t stand the thought of anything happening to her, and no way could I ask her to wait for me until this was all over.
“So I lied. I told her that it was good while it lasted, but that I didn’t want to subject her to my family and that I loved her but couldn’t leave my people. I didn’t say a word about the monster.”
“And she bought that?”
Chin smiled sadly.
“Of course not. She could tell something was up. I could see it in her eyes. But she accepted my decision and returned to her own family.”
“I’m sorry.”
Chin shrugged.
“It is what it is, Danny. I’m sure she’s married and happy by now.”
“You mean you don’t know?”
“I couldn’t stand knowing the details. It’s enough to know that she’s safe.”
“Is there something in the water here or are all you people just born nuts? Steve put his life on hold. Kono sits around making sure Steve’s okay. And you, you shut up your heart for everyone else’s sake. I’m not saying these aren’t noble, beautiful acts, because yeah, I could cry right now, but it seems to me that it’s about fucking time you all got something back.”
“So you’re at peace with the idea of me coming with you?”
“Chin Ho Kelly, I will kick your ass if you’re not there. It’s time everyone else, and Malia, gets to see how brave their king is.”
Chin reached out and squeezed Danny’s hand.
“I take it back; you do have a brassy, magnificent trap.”
Chapter 4b