Right Here, With You - Steve/Danny - PG-13
Author: team_allen
Recipient: thegrrrl2002
Title: Right Here, With You
Pairings/Characters: past Rachel/Danny and Steve/Danny
Summary: Snapshots of a Father-Daughter cookie making tradition.
Rating: PG:13
Warnings: none
Word Count: 8,900ish
Disclaimer: All Hawaii Five-0 characters herein are the property of CBS. No copyright infringement is intended. All characters engaging in sexual activity are 16 years or older.
Author's Notes: I owe many, many thanks to A, C and M for all their encouragement and patience, and to the mods for all their hard work! To thegrrrl2002, I hope you like it!
age three.
It started when she was three.
Grace had wanted to make a cake for Rachel for her birthday because: ‘Mommy makes me a cake for my birthday, so she should get one too’, Grace had said with her bottom lip poking out and puppy dog eyes that Danny fell for every time.
Danny was the first to admit that cupcakes and cookies he could make with his eyes shut, but a normal cake would always go wrong. But trying to convince a three year old that Mommy would prefer lots of little cakes was a lot harder than he thought.
“But Danno, she needs a birthday CAKE!” Grace had said with her hands on her hips and an expression that matched Rachel’s.
“And she will get one monkey, but lots of little ones instead...”
“But whyyyyy, Danno?” Grace interrupted.
“Well,” Danny started, having to think quickly. “Everybody likes cake, right?”
Grace nodded.
“If we only had a big one, it would only be one flavor. If we have lots of little ones, we can have different flavors!”
Grace’s eyes started to light up as he spoke.
“Can we make cookies too?” she asked excitedly.
“Of course we can! We’ll make all of Mommy’s favorites! Does that sound good?”
Grace nodded. “With lots of chocolate ones?”
“Wouldn’t be a birthday without chocolate, would it? Now, go wash your hands so we can get started!” he said and kissed her hair as she ran off to the bathroom, shrieking with joy.
**********
“You got the rice krispies ready, monkey?” Danny asked.
“Uh-huh,” she said with a nod. “Ready, Danno!”
“Right, pour them in!” he said and held the bowl of melted chocolate in front of her as she poured a generous helping into it. He kept an eye on the amount going in.
“Stop now, monkey,” he said, as she poured just a few more in. He took the box from her, placing it on the other end of the counter, and picked up two spoons, handing one to Grace and keeping the other for himself. “And stir.”
She stood on her tip-toes, peeking into the bowl as they both stirred the rice krispies into the chocolate.
“Is it ready yet?” Grace asked as she stopped stirring.
Danny carried on a little bit longer before announcing they were, indeed, finished.
“Grab the liners please, Gracie,” he said and pointed towards the packet on the table. He gave one last stir before taking the liners from Grace and taking them out, placing them onto the counter top.
“What now, Danno?” Grace asked.
“Now, we scoop!” Danny with a grin as he scooped the first spoonful into one of the liners. “Just like that, monkey.”
“What now?” Grace asked, as Danny finished filling the last few liners.
“Do you want to decorate them?”
Grace nodded enthusiastically. “Yeahhhh! With candy?” she asked.
“You bet!” Danny said, as he put the spoon down and bent down to pick her up. He opened up the ‘candy cupboard’ and let Grace pull a few packets out.
“What did you pick?” he asked as he put her back on the floor.
“Marshmallows and stawberry laces,” she said and handed him the packets to open.
“Strawberry, Gracie, not stawberry; remember the ‘r’,” he said to her as he handed the laces back to her.
She nodded and accepted the packet. “Strawberry laces, fanks, Danno,” she said and pulled a handful out, placing them on the kitchen counter.
“How will you decorate them?” Danny asked
“Faces!” she said happily as she watched Danny open the marshmallow packet and poured some into a bowl, taking a few for himself.
“Dannooooo,” Grace whined. “They’re for the eyes! Don’t eat them!”
He grinned at her, popped one more in his mouth, and gave her the bowl.
“Dannoooooooo!” she whined again, taking the bowl from him.
“No more, I promise,” he said. “What flavor cookie shall we make first?”
“Chocolate!” she said excitedly, while placing the marshmallows on the rice krispie cakes.
“You got it,” Danny said as he started to measure the ingredients out. He looked over at Grace who was concentrating on making the faces, her tongue poking out of the side of the mouth, and he couldn’t help but smile at his daughter.
**********
“Danny? Grace?” Rachel called as she walked through the door. She listened out for any kind of response, but heard nothing. She removed her heels and jacket and placed her keys in the bowl near to the door. She poked her head into the sitting room, calling out for them again.
She carried on walking through the house until she arrived at the back door. She pushed it open, to be greeted with,
“HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOMMY!!!” Grace shrieked as Rachel entered the yard, running over to hug her.
“Oh my gosh,” Rachel said and covered her mouth with her hand as she saw the array of cookies, cakes, and presents laid out for her. “You did this, for me?”
“Happy Birthday, babe,” Danny said as he walked over to her, kissing her on the cheek.
“Do you like it, Mommy?” Grace asked, looking up at her with wide eyes. “We done them today.”
Rachel bent down to pick Grace up and rested her on her hip as she linked her fingers with Danny’s. “I love them, Grace. Thank you so much!” she said, kissed her cheek, and walked them all towards the table.
“What shall I have first?” she asked, looking over the selection.
“Grace made the krispie faces,” Danny said, gripping onto Rachel’s hand tighter.
“Did you?” Rachel asked her, and put her down. “I think I’ll try one of those first.”
Grace picked one up and handed it to Rachel. “It has lots of hair, like you, Mommy.”
Rachel, and Danny, both laughed as Rachel accepted the cake from Grace. “Thank you, Grace…I think,” she said as she bit into it.
“Is it nice, Mommy?”
“It’s beautiful, Grace,” she said and took another bite.
Grace grinned at her before looking up at Danny. He felt a small tug on his wrist, so released his hand from Rachel’s and bent down to Grace’s level.
“Can we make them again next year?” she said in a whisper.
“You bet we can,” he said back and scooped her up in his arms. “Every year if you like?”
Grace responded with a nod and a grin. “Every year, Danno!”
age five.
“Dannnnnooooooo!” the little girl shrieked from the top of the staircase as soon as he stepped foot inside the door. He hastily put down his bag of groceries before she ran down the stairs and jumped on him, hugging him tight.
“Hello, monkey,” he said, and kissed the side of her head.
“Do you like my shoes?” He opened his mouth to reply before she quickly fired off some more. “My hair band for school tomorrow is pink; it’s pretty, isn’t it? Do you think I’ll make more friends? Why are you home so early?”
He kissed the side of her head once more before answering.
“They are beautiful shoes, Gracie,” he said and glanced down at them as she kicked her foot up to show him. “A pink hair band, do you think it would look nice in my hair?”
“Don’t be silly, Danno!” she said with a giggle. “Your hair's too short!” He tickled her side, bringing out more giggles from her.
“Well, I suppose you can keep it then, and you will make lots and lots of friends. Who wouldn’t want to be friends with a monkey like you?” and with that, he kissed her head one more time.
He bent down to pick up the bag of groceries, Grace still holding on tight as he retrieved it.
“And last, but most definitely not least, I finished work early today to make some cookies. Do you know anyone who may want to join me?” He looked over at her to see her eyes widening with happiness.
“Can we, Danno? Can we?” she asked excitedly.
“Come on then,” he said, put her down, and handed her the grocery bag. “To the kitchen we go!” She ran off towards the kitchen with the bag, chanting, ‘cookies, cookies, cookies!’
“Thought I heard voices,” Rachel said from the top of the staircase.
“Hey, babe,” Danny said, and could hear clatters and bangs coming from the kitchen. “We’re making cookies, wanna join us?” She shook her head.
“Thanks for the offer, but I know it’s a thing you two do. I’ve got some work to be getting on with anyway, but let me have the first one, yeah?”
“Sure thing,” he said with a small smile as he saw her disappear back towards her office.
He let out a small sigh; he knew things weren’t great between them at the moment, but their conversations usually lasted a bit longer than thirty seconds.
“Dannooooo!” A small voice came from the kitchen. He shook his head and put on a smile, not that he needed to fake a smile when it concerned Grace, and walked towards the kitchen.
“You called, monkey?” he said as he entered the kitchen to find Grace in her little, pink apron with what seemed to be every pot, pan, and tray on the floor and the bag of groceries spread across the table.
“Um, Grace...just how many cookies are we making here?” he asked and raised an eyebrow. She smiled, cocked her head, grabbed an apron out of the open drawer, and handed it to Danny.
“You can never have too many cookies, Danno!” she said with a smile.
He smiled back at her as he put his apron on.
“What are we making today?" he asked, even though he already knew the answer.
“CHOCOLATE CHIP!” she shouted and clapped her hands together.
“Inside voice please, Grace,” Danny said.
“Chocolate chip, please,” she said quietly with a smile.
“Chocolate chip it is,” he replied, smiling back at her, and picked the ingredients up off the table to measure them out.
“Have you washed your hands?” he asked her, to which she shook her head.
“Go wash ‘em, and we can get started!”
“Have you washed your hands, Danno?” she asked, with her hands on her hips.
“Um,” he started. “Let’s wash our hands together.”
She grinned, grabbed hold of his hand, and dragged him, as best she could, to the sink.
“All clean, Danno,” she said as she dried her hands on the towel.
“Me too, monkey, see,” he said as he flipped his hands over to show her.
“Just choc chip?” he asked her, mixing the ingredients together.
“Uh-huh,” she said, as she picked up the bag of chocolate chips and poured some into a bowl. “Lots and lots of chocolate!”
“Lots of chocolate it is,” Danny said, taking the bowl of chocolate chips and adding some to his mixture. “Want to stir?” he asked her.
“Yeahhh!” she said, and grabbed a spoon to stir the chips in, while Danny prepared the baking trays and put the oven on to pre-heat.
“Does it look okay, Danno?” she asked, as she finished stirring.
“That,” Danny said, took the spoon from her, and folded the mixture a few more times, “looks, just about perfect!”
He put the spoon on the side and said, “Let’s get rolling!”
He dug his hand into the mixing bowl and pulled out a small amount of dough, rolled it in his hand, and dropped it onto the baking tray.
“Like that, Danno?” Grace asked, as she copied him.
“Exactly like that,” Danny replied, as he rolled some more dough together.
It didn’t take them long, and soon enough, Danny had opened the oven door and placed the first tray of cookies in there.
“Want to do the next tray, monkey?” he asked, as he started to clear away the pots and pans.
“Uh-huh,” Grace replied, and stuck her hand back into the mixture.
“So, are you looking forward to school?” he asked her.
“Yeahhhh, I can’t wait!” she replied happily as she carried on rolling. “My friend Jessica has a brother who goes to big school; he doesn’t like it though, but Jessica says it sounds fun.”
“School is fun, monkey,” Danny said, as he pulled the first tray of baked cookies out of the oven and replaced them with the next tray. “You’ll have lots of fun!”
“I hope I can sit with Jessica,” she said, as she watched Danny shaking the cookies onto a cooling rack, leaving a few on a plate separately. “She’s my bestest friend ever!”
“I’m sure you can, Gracie,” Danny said, and smiled at Grace. “And, as a little treat, do you want to take Jessica a cookie tomorrow?”
“Can I, Danno?” she said. “Jessica likes cookies.”
“Who doesn’t like cookies?” Danny said, and took a glass from the cupboard, grabbed a carton of milk from the fridge, and filled up the glass.
“Everyone likes cookies, Danno,” she said with a grin.
Danny picked up the glass and the plate of cookies and handed them to Grace. “If you take these up to Mommy, I’ll finish up cleaning here, and then want some cartoons and cookies?”
“Yeahhhh! Is Spongebob on?” she asked, hopefully.
“I’m sure we can find him somewhere,” Danny said and kissed the top of her head. “And, remember, Gracie, walk, don’t run, especially going up the stairs."
“Yep, Danno,” she said, with a nod as she left the kitchen.
Danny picked up a cloth to start wiping the sides down and heard Grace’s voice in the background. “Mommy, Danno says I can take a cookie to school for me and Jessica tomorrow. School sounds like fun!”
Danny grinned and finished wiping the counter down, waiting for the oven timer to beep.
Grace looking forward to school; he knew that wouldn’t last long.
age seven.
“Hey, monkey,” Danny said, as Grace opened the front door.
“Hey, Danno,” she said, as she hugged him.
“You okay?” Danny asked her, as he hugged her back.
“Uh-huh,” she said, as she stood on her tip-toes to grab her coat off the rack.
“Mommy, Danno’s here,” she shouted to the kitchen where Rachel was.
“Daniel,” Rachel said as she walked from the kitchen to the door.
“Rach,” Danny said with a small nod and a smile.
“Have her back by 8pm, please,” Rachel said as she kissed Grace on the head.
“Sure thing,” he said with a deep sigh.
“Bye, Mommy,” Grace said and gave her a hug and a kiss.
“Ready then, monkey?” Danny asked.
She nodded as he took hold of her hand.
“Goodbye, Daniel,” Rachel said as they were leaving the house. “See you later, Grace, love you,”
“Love you, Mommy,” Grace replied with a small smile.
“Gracie, monkey, what’s wrong?” Danny asked, as they got into his car.
“Nothing, Danno,” she said, and shook her head.
“You sure?” Danny asked as he started the engine to drive the short journey to his parents’ house.
Grace nodded in response, but didn’t speak and spent the majority of the drive staring out of the window.
It wasn’t long before he pulled into the driveway and shut off the engine. Grace unbuckled her seat belt and waited for Danny to open the door for her. He opened his own door and got out, and looked back at Grace as he did, and saw her head bowed down.
“Gracie, tell me what’s wrong?” he said, as he opened the door for her and let her out. She shut the door and stood against it, staring at the ground. Danny knelt down in front of her and slowly lifted her head with his hand, and saw tears brimming in her eyes.
“I miss you living with us, Daddy,” she said with a quivering lip.
“Oh, baby girl,” Danny said, his heart aching at seeing his daughter cry. “I miss living with you too.”
“I don’t want to be like Jessica,” she said, and wiped away her falling tears. “Her mommy and daddy don’t live together now, and she doesn’t see her daddy anymore.”
“Gracie,” Danny said and lifted her head slightly more. “I promise you, I’m not going anywhere. No matter what happens between your mommy and I, we both love you so much, and nothing will ever change that, okay?"
She slowly nodded, sniffed, and wiped away a few more tears. “Okay, Danno.”
“Monkey, I know this is scary for you,” he said and took hold of one of her hands. “It’s scary for me too, but wherever you go, I go. I promise.”
She slowly raised her head and looked at Danny with her red, puffy eyes.
“Can I have a smile?” he asked her, to which she gave him a small smile.
“Love you, Danno,” she said and pulled her hand free from his and wrapped her arms around him.
“Love you too, monkey,” he said and kissed her cheek. “More than anything, remember that always. I’ll always be your Danno.”
“You okay now?” he asked her, hugging her tighter.
She nodded against his shoulder. “You sure?” he asked again.
She moved her head back, wiped the last few tears away, and smiled a real smile. “Uh-huh, thanks, Danno.”
“Well,” Danny said, and went to stand up, I know one thing that would definitely make things better.”
He reached down, picked her up, and rested her on his hip. “Do you know anyone who might want to make some cookies with me?”
Her smile grew wider and wider as he spoke. “Cookies make everything better, Danno.”
age nine.
It was the first Saturday in September, and Steve was bored. He had already been for his usual morning swim and run, done some grocery shopping, laundry, and now, nothing. He drummed his fingers on the arm of the couch as he stared at the television, not even sure what was on. He let out a sigh and grabbed his phone and sent a text to Danny,
“Want a beer later?”
He knew it wasn’t a Gracie weekend, and more often than not, the two of them ended up having a few beers together. They’d become closer lately; the two of them were still dancing around their feelings, but they both knew that something was there.
He pocketed his phone, picked up the remote, and switched the television off. He wandered into the kitchen and grabbed himself a bottle of water and made his way out onto the lanai. He felt his phone vibrate as he sat down, and he hooked it out of his pocket, seeing a new text from Danny:
“Sure, come by mine later?”
He sent a quick text back saying he’d see him later and dropped it onto the table next to him. He sat back in the chair, enjoying the sun, and stared out to sea; it was one view he knew he’d never tire of seeing.
It was a few hours later when he pulled up outside Danny’s apartment; they never arranged a time, but his car was outside, so he knew he was in. He grabbed the six-pack of beer out of the car and walked to the door and actually knocked, for once.
“Coming!” he heard Danny shout from inside, and soon enough, he answered the door, but what Steve didn’t expect was to see him in an apron with what looked like flour, eggs, and chocolate dropped down it.
“Steve,” he said. “You’re, um, early.” He glanced at the clock on the wall that read 5:50 PM.
Steve cocked an eyebrow. “Am I interrupting something?”
“No, no it’s just...” Danny started.
“Danno! Who’s at the door? The cookies are almost ready!” Steve heard from inside and recognized the voice immediately.
“Shit, you’ve got Gracie? Why didn’t you say?”
Danny bit his lip and held up a finger at Steve. “It’s Steve,” he shouted back to Grace.
“UNCLE STEVEEEEEE!” she shrieked and came barrelling through the apartment at him, ready to jump on him, but Danny stuck an arm out to stop her.
“Not when you’re covered in goo!” he said, looking down at her pink apron which had even more food on it than Danny’s did.
“Hi, Steve! We’re making cookies!”
“Are you? That sounds fun; what kind are you making?” he said with a smile and glanced over at Danny who had turned a slight tint of pink.
“Chocolate chip; we make them every year before school starts, don’t we, Danno?” she said, looked at him, and smiled.
“That we do, monkey, that we do. Gracie, can you go wash your hands while I talk to Steve quickly?”
“Uh-huh,” she said with a nod. “Bye, Uncle Steve!”
“Bye, Gracie; save me a cookie, yeah?” he said with a wink. She nodded and skipped off back to the kitchen.
Danny glanced behind him and saw her back in the kitchen.
“Sorry about that, babe. It’s this thing we do and normally we’ve finished by now...” Danny started, his hands flailing as he spoke.
“Danny, stop talking, please,” Steve said and looked at him. “Why didn’t you say? I wouldn’t have come over.”
Danny shrugged. “I wanted to see you, and I thought we’d be done. Rach is picking her up at seven for a dinner with Stan’s family, so I figured we’d be done, but we’re a bit late and...” he trailed off. “Like she said, it’s this thing we do. It’s weird, I know.”
Steve shook his head and smiled. “It’s not weird at all. It’s nice, a tradition. It’s just the two of you, yeah?”
Danny nodded. “Yep, first started it when she was three, and we just carried it on.”
Steve smiled. “Look, I’ll go. You finish up, and I’ll maybe see you tonight?”
“Thanks, babe,” Danny said and looked up at him, their eyes meeting instantly. “Sorry, I never said anything.”
“You’ve got nothing to apologize for,” Steve said and glanced over Danny’s head through to the kitchen. He could see the back of Grace’s head, so he dropped a light kiss on Danny’s forehead. “See you later.”
He walked back towards the car and looked over his shoulder; Danny stood in the doorway watching him, and he mouthed “thank you.” at Steve before shutting the door and leaning back on it.
“Danno! The timer is beeping!” Grace called from the kitchen.
“Coming monkey.” Danny said and felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. He listened out for Steve pulling out of the driveway before he pulled his phone out of his pocket and saw a text from him:
“I was being serious. Save me a cookie. See you later.”
Danny grinned as he typed a message back, “You bring the beer. I’ll bring the cookies. Text when I’m on my way.”
He stuck his phone back in his pocket and walked back towards the kitchen.
“Gracie, reckon we’ve got time to make some special cookies for Uncle Steve?” he said as he took the first tray of freshly baked cookies out of the oven.
“Danno, there’s always time for cookies!” she said as she grabbed a mixing bowl from the counter.
“That’s my girl.” Danny said and looked down at her with a smile.
age eleven.
“Danny?” Rachel said as soon as he picked up the phone. “I need your help, please.”
“Rach,” Danny asked slightly panicked. “What’s wrong? Is Grace okay? You? Charlie? Stan?”
“No, no, Danny, we’re all fine. We’ve just got a little problem,” she said, calming Danny instantly.
“Okay, what is it?”
“Well, as you know it’s Charlie’s birthday, but we have a problem. I thought Stan was organizing it, he thought I was organizing it, so we have none, and now we’re too late to sort anything, and we don’t know what to do,” she rattled off, barely taking a breath.
“Err, Rach,” Danny started. “I mean this nicely, but what the hell are you talking about?”
“A cake Danny; we have no cake,” she said with a sigh.
“Okay, but Rach. You know I can’t make a cake. It won’t come out right at all. I tried to make one the other week when Mary was over, and let’s just say the smoke alarm has never beeped as much as it did that day, and the next day? I was out buying new pans.”
“I know it’s asking a lot, but the cookie thing you and Gracie do, would you mind doing it for Charlie’s birthday?”
“I dunno, Rach,” Danny started and bit his lip. “He’s two; won’t he want a cake? Remember when Grace was two; the cake was the best part of the day!” he said with a smile, remembering Grace running through the house with chocolate smeared all over her face.
Rachel laughed at the memory. “Oh, she did look adorable didn’t she! It took ages to get it out of her hair though!”
“Oh, don’t remind me! The screams from her still haunt me now!” They both laughed as he reminisced.
“If Grace doesn’t mind, we’ll do it,” he told her.
“I’ve, um, already asked her,” Rachel said. “She’s okay with it, grumbled a little bit, but doesn’t mind.”
Danny smiled down the phone. “Bring her here later.”
**********
“Hey, Danno,” Grace said later that afternoon as she entered the house and gave him a quick hug.
“Hey, monkey,” Danny greeted back. “Steve’s on the beach,” he said without Grace even needing to ask where he was. She grinned, thanked him, and ran off through the house to find him.
“Hey, Rach,” Danny said giving her a hug and kiss.
“Danny, thank you SO much,” she said with a relieved look on her face. “I know it’s not the traditional thing you and Gracie do, but I appreciate this so much; we both do.”
Danny waved his hand at her and took the shopping bag she was holding and took it into the kitchen, Rachel following close behind.
“Honestly, Rach, its fine. I’m looking forward to it,” he said, smiling. “What flavor are we doing?”
“Well, like most children, he likes chocolate,” Rachel said opening the bag. “So I’ve bought a variety of milk, dark, and white chocolate chips.”
“So pretty much anything with chocolate?” Danny said with a laugh.
“Got it in one,” Rachel replied with a smile. “Thank you again, Danny.”
“No worries, Rach,” Danny replied. “I really do enjoy it.”
“I know Grace does too,” she said. “Anyway, I better get going; got to pick the last few things up.”
She followed through to where Grace had gone while Danny dug into the bag and pulled out the ingredients.
“What are they up to out there?” Danny asked on her return.
“She’s telling Steve about her school trip the other day, to the Dole Plantation,” she started. “And she’s got her camera with her too, so you can see the pictures.”
“Pfft, damn pineapple! Bet Steve is loving it!” Danny said with a laugh.
“He did have quite a big grin on his face,” Rachel said. “They get on well don’t they?”
Danny couldn’t help, but smile.
“They do,” he said, smiling even more. “The first time I met him I couldn’t imagine him even near a child, but he’s amazing with her and loves her like his own.”
“She thinks the world of him. She’s always talking about how her ‘Uncle Steve and Danno keep Hawaii safe’.” Rachel paused and looked at Danny. “You’re really happy aren’t you?”
He blushed slightly and nodded. “I really am, Rach. After this,” he said gesturing between the two of them, “I never thought I’d get that feeling again, but God. He’s everything I could ever want.”
“I’m happy for you two. I really am,” she said and moved to hug him.
He hugged her back. “Thank you. It really means a lot to hear that. I’ll bring her back tonight.”
She bid him goodbye and made her way back towards the front door and gave him a smile as she left.
“Ready then, monkey?” Danny called.
“Yep, Danno,” she said as she walked back into the kitchen, grabbing her apron from the back of the door. “Is Steve helping?”
“No, he is not,” Steve said following close behind. “I’ve got a few errands to run, but I’ll be back in a couple of hours.”
He gave them both a kiss on the head and said, “Save me one though,” and bid them farewell as he left.
“What are we doing then?” Grace asked as Danny started to measure out the ingredients.
“Well, your mom has given us different chocolate chips, which she says he likes…”
“Who doesn’t like chocolate, Danno?”
“Good point! So why not, a mixture of them all, and writing ‘Happy Birthday Charlie’ on them in icing. What do ya think, monkey?”
“I love it! Mom and Stan will love them!” Her eyes lit up as she spoke.
“You think?” She nodded in response.
“What color for the icing?” Danny asked.
“He’s a boy, Danno,” Grace said with a ‘duh’ tone. “It has to be blue.”
“Blue it is,” Danny said with a grin as he picked up his phone and texted Steve to pick some food coloring up.
**********
“Oh, Danny!” Rachel said as he opened the various containers revealing the cookies. “They look, I can’t even…”
“Are they okay? I wasn’t really sure what to do.”
“Stan,” she called, beckoning him over. “Come and look at what Danny and Grace have made.”
“Do you like them, Mom?” Grace asked, holding onto one of Steve’s hands, swinging their arms in between them.
“I love them, Grace,” she said and kissed her head.
“They are amazing,” Stan said as he arrived. “Thank you, Danny. Thank you so much.”
“You’re welcome,” Danny said, smiling.
“And you,” he said, tickling Grace. “You’ve done a wonderful job. Charlie will love them!”
“I hope so! It was so much fun,” she said, grinning up at Stan, as he kissed her forehead.
“Uncle Steve,” Grace said, looking up at him. “Come see what Charlie got for his birthday.” He grinned at Danny, Rachel, and Stan before Grace dragged him away.
“I’ll put these in the kitchen,” Stan said, packing the containers up and heading into the kitchen.
Rachel looked over at Danny; his eyes fixated on Grace and Steve. She gently nudged him in the side.
“What was that for?” Danny asked.
“You,” she said, as she watched Charlie waddling over to Grace and Steve.
“What have I done?” he asked, eyes still fixated as Steve picked up Charlie.
“Danno!” Grace called and waved at him. “Come see Charlie!”
“Nothing,” she said with a smile. “I’m just happy for you.”
“Thank you,” he said and pulled her into a hug.
“Go,” Rachel said as she broke off from the hug. “She wants you.”
He kissed her cheek and walked towards the trio, giving Charlie a kiss. Rachel stood back and watched as Charlie climbed out of Steve’s arms and into Danny’s, smiles plastered on all of their faces. Danny turned and faced Rachel, a smile plastered on her own face, and winked at her, before turning back to them.
He really was happy.
age thirteen.
“Hey, Gracie-Facie,” Steve said, knocking on her bedroom door before entering.
“Hey, Stevie-Weavie?” she said, trying to rhyme his name.
Steve cocked an eyebrow at her. “Yeah, moving on…”
Grace grinned at him. “Hi, Steve.”
“Can I have a quick word?” Steve asked.
“Um, sure…” she said, biting her lip.
“You’re not in trouble,” he said as he perched on the edge of her dresser. “I just wanted to ask you something.”
“Okayyy.”
“Danno’s happy, right? With me?”
“Happy?” she started. “Steve, I’ve never seen him as happy as he is now.”
Steve grinned as she spoke. “And you? You’re happy with everything?”
“Of course I am, Steve. Why?”
“Um,” he said, wiping his hands down his pants leg. “I, um…”
“Jeez, Steve…spit it out!”
“IwanttoaskDannytomarryme.”
“Huh?” Grace said. “I know I said spit it out, but at a speed I can actually understand would be nice.”
Steve took a deep breath before speaking again. “I want to ask Danny to marry me…if it’s okay with you.”
“OH MY GOD! Seriously?”
Steve responded with a nod. “I’ve wanted to for a while, but wanted to ask you first.”
“I don’t even know what to say, Steve,” she said and made her way over to him. “Yes, a hundred times, yes.”
He pulled her into his arms and hugged her. “And you think he’ll say yes?”
She pulled away slightly and looked up at him. “Steve, I KNOW he’ll say yes. He’s crazy about you.”
“There is one more thing, Grace. I know it’s what you and your dad do, but the cookie thing…do you mind if I steal the idea?”
“How?”
“Well, you know what you two did for Charlie’s birthday, with the writing?”
Her eyes lit up and a smiled formed on her face.
“You want to do it via cookies?”
Steve nodded. “If that’s okay?”
“On one condition,” she said. “You let me help you.”
“You’ve got yourself a deal.” Steve grinned as he spoke. “How do we get Danno out of the house though?”
“Um, I’ve got an idea,” Grace said. “But, do you mind if I tell Mom?”
Steve shook his head. “If it’ll help to get him out of the house.”
“Leave it to me, Steve,” she said as Steve pulled her in for another hug.
**********
“Rachel, you have GOT to be kidding me.”
“No, Daniel. I am not kidding you.”
“But why today, Rach; you KNOW what we do today."
“Is making cookies really more important than your daughter’s school grades?”
“We’ve had all summer to do this, Rachel.”
“Daniel, please don’t argue. It’ll only be a couple of hours, and can you please bring her back tonight instead of tomorrow? I want her to get a good night’s sleep before school starts.”
“That’s a joke right? Bringing her back a day early?”
“Do I sound like I’m joking?”
“Do I even get a say in this?”
“Daniel…”
“Fine. I’ll be there in half an hour.”
**********
“Fucks sake,” Danny said as he stomped down the stairs.
“Danny, what’s wrong?” Steve asked, walking out of the kitchen.
“Rachel. She wants me to go over to hers and ‘discuss Grace's school grades.’”
“What, now?” Steve asked.
Danny nodded. “It’s not like we’ve had all damn summer to do this. AND, she wants Grace back tonight instead of tomorrow saying she wants her to have a good night’s sleep before school.”
“What? She said that?”
“Yes,” Danny said, fuming. “Honestly, Steve. I’m so fucking angry with her right now.”
“I know, babe,” Steve said and pulled Danny in against his chest. “Look, go now. The sooner you go, the sooner you’ll be back, right?”
Danny took a deep breath and stepped back from Steve. “Is Grace still in the shower?”
Steve nodded. “You know her; she’ll be in there at least another hour.”
“Ha, true,” Danny said with a small smile. “Tell her I’m sorry, yeah?”
“I will,” Steve said, and kissed Danny lightly. “Text me when you’re on your way back.”
Danny nodded, picked up his phone and keys, and walked towards the door. “See you later, babe.”
Steve followed him to the door, standing in the doorway watching him leave. As soon as he had backed out of the drive way, he ran up the stairs, taking them two at a time.
“Grace?” he said, and knocked on the bathroom door. “He’s gone.”
She unlocked the door and came out, phone in hand. “Jeez, I thought he’d never leave! I spoke to Mom, she said he sounded pretty pissed?"
Steve cocked an eyebrow at her. “I’ll pretend you didn’t say that, but yes, he was.”
Grace grinned at him. “Sorry! Mom said she’d text when he arrives and when he leaves.”
“Let’s do this!” he said as they made their way back down the stairs and towards the kitchen.
“What flavor are we making?” Grace asked, as Steve started to measure out the ingredients.
“They’re called Hawaiian Drop Cookies,” he said as he handed her the recipe.
“They sound really nice,” Grace said, and she read it through.
“Hopefully they’ll taste as nice as they sound!” he said, as he started mixing things together.
“You know they will,” she said with a smirk in his direction. “Thank you, by the way.”
“For what?” he asked.
“For letting me help you,” she said as she poured pineapple and coconut into Steve’s mixture.
Steve shook his head. “I should be thanking you. You’ve welcomed me into your life and your family, and you’ve shared your Danno with me.”
“You make him happy, Steve, and when Danno’s happy…I’m happy,” she said and smiled up at him.
“Thank you,” Steve said as he started to scoop the mixture onto the trays. “It really does mean a lot to hear that.”
Grace smiled at him and shrugged. “Just telling you the truth. Have you thought about how you’re gonna hide these from Danno when he gets back?”
“Well,” Steve said, as he put the tray into the oven. “I was thinking, he’s going to text when he’s leaving Rachel’s, right?”
Grace nodded in response. “Yep, and Mom said she would too.”
“Okay, good. How about we go out for dinner, you ‘forget’ something, and we have to come back here before taking you home. I’ll just say I’m tired or something and stay here, then Danno will take you home, and I’ll get everything arranged.”
Her eyes widened as he spoke. “I LOVE it, Steve; it’ll definitely work!”
“You think so?”
She nodded. “Without a doubt.”
“Come here,” Steve said as he pulled her in for a hug and kissed the top of her head. “I’m going to have to buy your Mom a ton of flowers and chocolates for this, aren’t I?”
“Oh, you’ll be repaying her for a long time,” she said. “It’ll be worth it though.”
“I hope so,” he said nervously.
“It will be! Now, let’s get this icing done and finish these!”
**********
“What do you think?” Steve asked, as he finished icing the question mark onto a cookie.
“They look amazing!” Grace said with a smile. “What about the dot on the question mark though?”
“Ah, now that,” Steve said, as both their phones beeped simultaneously, “is a surprise.”
They both picked up their phones and read the texts. “He’s on his way!” they both said as they started blitzing the kitchen.
They, somehow, managed to get the kitchen cleaned and tidy in record time.
“Right, everything’s ready, isn’t it?” Steve asked.
Grace nodded. “Yep, I’ll ‘forget’ my phone, which Danno knows I can’t be without it!”
Steve grinned. “Grace, we all know that!” he said as he walked towards the back door to lock it.
Grace rolled her eyes, but smiled. “And your point is?”
“Let’s get going; if we wait outside, he has no reason to come in.”
Steve had barely shut and locked the front door when Danny pulled into the driveway.
“Hey, babe,” Steve said as he walked towards the driver’s side, leaning in through the open window to give him a kiss. “How was it?”
“I’ll tell you later. You guys going somewhere?”
“Steve’s taking us out for dinner!” Grace said as she pulled the passenger seat forward and climbed into the back seat.
“You are?” Danny asked him, as Steve pulled the seat back and climbed in.
“I am; thought it would be nice before school starts and everything.”
“Sounds good to me,” Danny said as he backed out of the driveway.
**********
“Grace, how could you forget your phone?” Danny asked, as they turned into their street. “It’s normally attached to your hand!”
“Sorry, Danno,” she said. “I thought it was in my bag. I won’t be long.”
Steve ‘yawned’ as they pulled into the driveway. “Mind if I stay here, babe? I’m shattered.”
“Yeah, that’s fine. I won’t be long anyway,” Danny said, as he leaned across the console and kissed Steve.
“Must you two do that in front of me?” Grace asked from the back, rolling her eyes.
Steve grinned as he pulled away. “See you in a bit.” He unbuckled his seat belt and got out of the car, pulling his seat forward to let Grace out.
“I won’t be long, Danno.”
“Ready then, Steve?” Grace asked, as he unlocked the door and switched the alarm off.
“As ready as I’ll ever be!” he replied, a hint of nervousness in his voice.
“Good luck,” she said and hugged him. “Not that you’ll need it.”
“Thank you, for everything, Grace,” he said and hugged her back.
She pulled away and picked her phone up off the table. “Ooh, three texts!” she said happily as she walked towards the door. She turned back to look at him.
“Thank you for making my Danno happy. Love you, Steve.”
He smiled back at her. “Love you too, Grace,” he said before he shut the door.
**********
The drive to Rachel’s didn’t take long, the traffic pretty quiet at that time of night, and before he knew it, they were pulling into Rachel’s street. He pulled up to the gates of her house and punched in the access code and drove up, parking outside the front door.
Grace unbuckled her seat, grabbed her backpack, and opened the door. She made her way to the front of the car and hugged Danny through the window.
“Mom said you can pick me up from school on Monday if you like?”
“We’ll be there, monkey. Hope you have fun,” he said and hugged her a bit tighter.
“It’s school, Danno; school and fun should never be in the same sentence.”
He grinned at her and let go. “Love you, monkey.
“Love you too, Danno.” She looked at him and smiled. “I’m really glad you have Steve.”
“Me too, monkey, me too.” She turned and walked towards the door, Rachel waiting to greet her with a smile on her face.
“All set?” she whispered to Grace.
“All set,” Grace said back with a grin on her face. “Expect flowers and chocolates from Steve.”
Rachel laughed as Grace spoke. “Oh, with the mood I put Danny in, I expect a lot more than that!”
They watched as Danny pulled out of the driveway, knowing smiles on both their faces.
**********
“Steve? Babe?” Danny called as he walked into the house.
“Up here,” Steve called from upstairs.
“Want me to lock up?” Danny called back.
“Yes, please,” Steve called back. “I’ve done the back, so just the front.”
Danny locked the front door, set the alarm, and made his way to the stairs.
He stepped onto the first one and kicked something.
“What the fuck?” he said to himself as he looked down.
“Will.” He saw written on, what appeared to be cookies.
He slowly walked up the next two steps, taking his time as he did, before seeing the next one.
“You.”
“Will you…” he said to himself, as he walked up the next two steps.
“Marry.” He felt his heart thumping faster and faster as he processed the words. His mouth felt dry as he took the next two stairs, slower than the previous ones.
“Me.” He felt tears stinging at his eyes as he got to the landing and saw their bedroom door open, with one final cookie just inside the door, the room lit only by candlelight.
“?” He looked down and saw a silver ring posing as the dot. He put his hand over his mouth, took a deep breath, and bent down to pick the cookie up. His eyes met a trouser leg, and he slowly followed it up and was greeted by Steve, on one knee, in the middle of the room.
“Well, will you?” Steve asked, his heart thumping equally as hard as Danny’s.
Tears were freely flowing from Danny’s eyes at the sight in front of him, his hands shaking as he tried to pluck the ring from the cookie.
“Yes,” Danny mumbled through the tears.
“Yes?” Steve asked.
“Yes, yes, yes. A million times, yes.”
Steve took the ring from the cookie and pushed it onto Danny’s finger, his own hands shaking as he did.
“I love you,” Steve mumbled as he wiped away one of Danny’s tears and pulled him against his chest. “So fucking much.”
Danny closed his eyes and blinked away the few remaining tears.
“iloveyou, iloveyou, iloveyou,” he mumbled over and over and plastered Steve’s face with kisses.
“Thank you, Steve. Thank you.”
age fifteen.
“For God’s sake! Just leave me alone!” Grace nearly screamed at Danny as she came barging through the front door and stormed upstairs, slamming her bedroom door.
“What on earth was that about?” Steve asked, walking out of the kitchen towards Danny, who was standing in the doorway with a dumbfounded expression.
“I have no idea. She wasn’t exactly talkative on the drive over, but all I did was mention we’d been shopping for cookie stuff, and she lost it!”
“Want me to talk to her?” Steve asked.
“Nah.” Danny shook his head. “She got her temper from me; best to leave her for a bit.”
“If you’re sure?”
Danny smiled. “It’s good, thanks, babe. Anyway, how was your day?” he asked, but his eyes drifted off to the staircase.
**********
Steve quietly walked up the stairs and to Grace’s room. He knocked gently on the closed door.
“Grace?” he said softly.
“What?” she replied with a sniff.
“Can I come in? I have food,” he said and looked down at the plate of grilled chicken and vegetables in his hand.
She wanted to say no, but as if on cue, her stomach grumbled at the mention of food.
“Fine,” she said shortly. Steve opened the door slowly and saw Grace curled up on the bed under the covers and facing the wall. He put the plate on her dressing table and moved over to the bed sitting on the end.
“Wanna talk about it?”
“No,” she said, still staring at the wall.
“You can, you know, talk to me,” Steve said. “About anything.”
She slowly moved and sat up, with her head bowed.
“It’s nothing.”
“Nothing wouldn’t have you up here, by yourself, crying. Is there something wrong at home? Have I done something? Danno? School?”
“It’s just...” she started and bit her lip. “Nothing, Steve. It’s nothing.”
“Come here,” Steve said and motioned her over. She looked up and saw his arms open. “I know you don’t want to talk, but can I at least give you a hug?”
She wiped her eyes, smiled at him, and edged forward into his arms, letting out a sigh as she did.
“Thanks, Steve,” she mumbled into him before moving back slightly and looking at him.
He looked down at her. “It’s what I’m here for, Grace, and I mean it. Anything at all, you can come to me, okay?”
“Okay,” she agreed. “Is Danno okay?” she asked, biting her lip again.
“He’s confused and worried about you,” he said.
“He doesn’t need to be.”
“Gracie, he’s your father. He’ll always worry about you; we both will.”
“But I’m not a little kid anymore. I’m fifteen. I don’t want to be making cookies with my Dad on a Saturday night. I want to be out, like a normal teenager,” she said and retreated back to the other end of the bed.
“Is this what it’s about?” Steve asked, and she slowly nodded, and looked down again.
“I told one of my friends about it, and she laughed Steve, and said that she didn’t know I was still a baby who made cookies with my Dad. It was so embarrassing.”
Steve shook his head. “Why didn’t you tell Danno? I’m sure he’d understand. He knows you won’t be doing it forever.”
“But does he?”
“Does he what?”
She rolled her eyes slightly. “Know we won’t do it forever.”
“Grace, of course he does.”
“Then why does he still get so excited over it? It’s just cookies.”
“As you once said to me, it’s not just cookies. It’s what you’ve done since you were three, Grace. He knows you’re growing up, but you’ll always be his little girl.”
She picked at a loose thread as he spoke.
“Do you think it’s babyish?” he asked.
She shrugged. “Yes. No. I don’t know,” she mumbled back. Steve stood up and moved towards her.
“Just think about it. I know he wants to do it, but I also know if you don’t want to, he’ll understand,” he said and kissed her on the head.
“Steve, can you not tell him, please?”
“I won’t lie to him, Grace. If he asks, I’ll give him a shortened version, but I won’t go into detail. I promise.”
“Thank you,” she whispered and smiled at him. “Love you, Steve.”
“Love you too, Gracie; we’ll be downstairs if you want to talk,” he said and headed towards the door.
“Tell Danno I love him,” she said to Steve.
“I will, Gracie,” he said as he left the room, shutting the door behind himself.
**********
Danny quietly knocked on Grace’s door.
“Grace, you still awake?” Hearing no reply, he slowly pushed the door open. “Grace?” he repeated.
He walked across the room and stood next to the bed. He looked at his daughter and carefully ran his hand across her hair.
“I love you so much, Gracie. No matter how old you are, I’ll always be your Danno,” he said and kissed her head before leaving the room.
“You okay, babe?” Steve asked as he waited outside the room for him. Danny nodded.
“Yeah,” he sighed. “She was sleeping. This is the first time we’ve ever gone to sleep on bad terms. Fuck, I just wish she’d talk to me,” he said and scrunched his eyes up, trying to stop the tears from falling. Steve pulled him against his chest and rubbed his back.
“I’m sorry, babe.”
“I know she’s growing up, and I know she won’t always want me around, but...” He didn’t even know how to finish the sentence.
“I know, babe, I know,” Steve said and hugged him tighter.
“Night, Danno, love you,” she said into the darkness as a tear rolled down her face.
**********
BANG!
Danny awoke with a jolt.
“Steve!” he hissed into the darkness and elbowed him in the side. “Steve! Wake up!”
“What?” he mumbled in a dazed voice.
“I think there’s someone downstairs,” Danny said and flicked a lamp on.
“Fuck, what?” Steve said, now fully awake.
“I heard a bang from downstairs,” Danny said, already out of bed and pulling on a pair of pants and a t-shirt. “You go make sure Grace is okay; I’ll go down.” He took the gun Steve had already pulled out of the bedside drawer and leant over and kissed him.
“Be safe, Danny, love you,” Steve said, and pulled his own pair of pants and t-shirt on.
“I will, love you too,” Danny said as he crept out of the door and down the staircase, being careful to avoid the creaky steps. He quickly, but quietly, made his way down the staircase; his eyes adjusted to the darkness when a light from the kitchen caught his eye. He quietly headed towards the kitchen when Grace appeared from around the corner.
“Fuck!”
“Shit!”
They both said in unison. “Grace, it’s four am; what the hell are you doing?”
“I could ask YOU the same!” she said and motioned towards the gun.
“I heard a noise,” he said and put the gun on top of a cabinet. “And language, please.”
“Oh, sorry, yeah. That was me. I dropped a tray,” she said.
“A tray? What on earth are you doing with a tray at four am?”
“Um,” she said and nodded towards the kitchen. “I’m sorry, Danno.”
It didn’t take him long to work it out what she doing. He shook his head. “Don’t apologize, Grace. I get it.”
She moved towards the couch and sat on the arm.
“But Danno, I am sorry. I was having a bad day and took it out on you when you were the one person that would make it better. Did Steve tell you?” she asked.
“He said some, but he told me he’d promised you he wouldn’t, and you know he doesn’t break promises. I know it’s something to do with the whole cookie thing, and if you don’t want to tell me, I won’t make you. You’re growing up, Grace, and I know that one year, you’ll want to stop...”
“It’s just something someone said. I took it to heart, when really, I shouldn’t have. I don’t want to stop doing it, Danno. Even when you’re old, grey, and wrinkly, which, y’know,” she said and looked him over with a grin, “isn’t that far away, I still want to.”
“Hey! I’m still very blonde, thank you!” he said and ran a hand over his bed-head. She couldn’t help, but laugh.
“If you say so, Danno.”
“Come here,” Danny said and opened his arms. She climbed off the couch and into his arms; with her back to the stairs. “I love you so much, Gracie, and anything you want or need, I’m here. It’s what a Danno is for.”
“Thank you, Danno,” she whispered and tightened her grip on him. “Love you too, always.”
Danny looked up and saw Steve standing half-way up the stairs. Danny smiled at him, and Steve stuck a thumb up in a silent, “everything okay?” question. Danny nodded and closed his eyes and held onto Grace, never wanting to let her go.
Steve watched silently as they finally let go and walked to the kitchen together. They both knew it wouldn’t last forever, but for now, cookies were the answer to everything.
Recipient: thegrrrl2002
Title: Right Here, With You
Pairings/Characters: past Rachel/Danny and Steve/Danny
Summary: Snapshots of a Father-Daughter cookie making tradition.
Rating: PG:13
Warnings: none
Word Count: 8,900ish
Disclaimer: All Hawaii Five-0 characters herein are the property of CBS. No copyright infringement is intended. All characters engaging in sexual activity are 16 years or older.
Author's Notes: I owe many, many thanks to A, C and M for all their encouragement and patience, and to the mods for all their hard work! To thegrrrl2002, I hope you like it!
age three.
It started when she was three.
Grace had wanted to make a cake for Rachel for her birthday because: ‘Mommy makes me a cake for my birthday, so she should get one too’, Grace had said with her bottom lip poking out and puppy dog eyes that Danny fell for every time.
Danny was the first to admit that cupcakes and cookies he could make with his eyes shut, but a normal cake would always go wrong. But trying to convince a three year old that Mommy would prefer lots of little cakes was a lot harder than he thought.
“But Danno, she needs a birthday CAKE!” Grace had said with her hands on her hips and an expression that matched Rachel’s.
“And she will get one monkey, but lots of little ones instead...”
“But whyyyyy, Danno?” Grace interrupted.
“Well,” Danny started, having to think quickly. “Everybody likes cake, right?”
Grace nodded.
“If we only had a big one, it would only be one flavor. If we have lots of little ones, we can have different flavors!”
Grace’s eyes started to light up as he spoke.
“Can we make cookies too?” she asked excitedly.
“Of course we can! We’ll make all of Mommy’s favorites! Does that sound good?”
Grace nodded. “With lots of chocolate ones?”
“Wouldn’t be a birthday without chocolate, would it? Now, go wash your hands so we can get started!” he said and kissed her hair as she ran off to the bathroom, shrieking with joy.
**********
“You got the rice krispies ready, monkey?” Danny asked.
“Uh-huh,” she said with a nod. “Ready, Danno!”
“Right, pour them in!” he said and held the bowl of melted chocolate in front of her as she poured a generous helping into it. He kept an eye on the amount going in.
“Stop now, monkey,” he said, as she poured just a few more in. He took the box from her, placing it on the other end of the counter, and picked up two spoons, handing one to Grace and keeping the other for himself. “And stir.”
She stood on her tip-toes, peeking into the bowl as they both stirred the rice krispies into the chocolate.
“Is it ready yet?” Grace asked as she stopped stirring.
Danny carried on a little bit longer before announcing they were, indeed, finished.
“Grab the liners please, Gracie,” he said and pointed towards the packet on the table. He gave one last stir before taking the liners from Grace and taking them out, placing them onto the counter top.
“What now, Danno?” Grace asked.
“Now, we scoop!” Danny with a grin as he scooped the first spoonful into one of the liners. “Just like that, monkey.”
“What now?” Grace asked, as Danny finished filling the last few liners.
“Do you want to decorate them?”
Grace nodded enthusiastically. “Yeahhhh! With candy?” she asked.
“You bet!” Danny said, as he put the spoon down and bent down to pick her up. He opened up the ‘candy cupboard’ and let Grace pull a few packets out.
“What did you pick?” he asked as he put her back on the floor.
“Marshmallows and stawberry laces,” she said and handed him the packets to open.
“Strawberry, Gracie, not stawberry; remember the ‘r’,” he said to her as he handed the laces back to her.
She nodded and accepted the packet. “Strawberry laces, fanks, Danno,” she said and pulled a handful out, placing them on the kitchen counter.
“How will you decorate them?” Danny asked
“Faces!” she said happily as she watched Danny open the marshmallow packet and poured some into a bowl, taking a few for himself.
“Dannooooo,” Grace whined. “They’re for the eyes! Don’t eat them!”
He grinned at her, popped one more in his mouth, and gave her the bowl.
“Dannoooooooo!” she whined again, taking the bowl from him.
“No more, I promise,” he said. “What flavor cookie shall we make first?”
“Chocolate!” she said excitedly, while placing the marshmallows on the rice krispie cakes.
“You got it,” Danny said as he started to measure the ingredients out. He looked over at Grace who was concentrating on making the faces, her tongue poking out of the side of the mouth, and he couldn’t help but smile at his daughter.
**********
“Danny? Grace?” Rachel called as she walked through the door. She listened out for any kind of response, but heard nothing. She removed her heels and jacket and placed her keys in the bowl near to the door. She poked her head into the sitting room, calling out for them again.
She carried on walking through the house until she arrived at the back door. She pushed it open, to be greeted with,
“HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOMMY!!!” Grace shrieked as Rachel entered the yard, running over to hug her.
“Oh my gosh,” Rachel said and covered her mouth with her hand as she saw the array of cookies, cakes, and presents laid out for her. “You did this, for me?”
“Happy Birthday, babe,” Danny said as he walked over to her, kissing her on the cheek.
“Do you like it, Mommy?” Grace asked, looking up at her with wide eyes. “We done them today.”
Rachel bent down to pick Grace up and rested her on her hip as she linked her fingers with Danny’s. “I love them, Grace. Thank you so much!” she said, kissed her cheek, and walked them all towards the table.
“What shall I have first?” she asked, looking over the selection.
“Grace made the krispie faces,” Danny said, gripping onto Rachel’s hand tighter.
“Did you?” Rachel asked her, and put her down. “I think I’ll try one of those first.”
Grace picked one up and handed it to Rachel. “It has lots of hair, like you, Mommy.”
Rachel, and Danny, both laughed as Rachel accepted the cake from Grace. “Thank you, Grace…I think,” she said as she bit into it.
“Is it nice, Mommy?”
“It’s beautiful, Grace,” she said and took another bite.
Grace grinned at her before looking up at Danny. He felt a small tug on his wrist, so released his hand from Rachel’s and bent down to Grace’s level.
“Can we make them again next year?” she said in a whisper.
“You bet we can,” he said back and scooped her up in his arms. “Every year if you like?”
Grace responded with a nod and a grin. “Every year, Danno!”
age five.
“Dannnnnooooooo!” the little girl shrieked from the top of the staircase as soon as he stepped foot inside the door. He hastily put down his bag of groceries before she ran down the stairs and jumped on him, hugging him tight.
“Hello, monkey,” he said, and kissed the side of her head.
“Do you like my shoes?” He opened his mouth to reply before she quickly fired off some more. “My hair band for school tomorrow is pink; it’s pretty, isn’t it? Do you think I’ll make more friends? Why are you home so early?”
He kissed the side of her head once more before answering.
“They are beautiful shoes, Gracie,” he said and glanced down at them as she kicked her foot up to show him. “A pink hair band, do you think it would look nice in my hair?”
“Don’t be silly, Danno!” she said with a giggle. “Your hair's too short!” He tickled her side, bringing out more giggles from her.
“Well, I suppose you can keep it then, and you will make lots and lots of friends. Who wouldn’t want to be friends with a monkey like you?” and with that, he kissed her head one more time.
He bent down to pick up the bag of groceries, Grace still holding on tight as he retrieved it.
“And last, but most definitely not least, I finished work early today to make some cookies. Do you know anyone who may want to join me?” He looked over at her to see her eyes widening with happiness.
“Can we, Danno? Can we?” she asked excitedly.
“Come on then,” he said, put her down, and handed her the grocery bag. “To the kitchen we go!” She ran off towards the kitchen with the bag, chanting, ‘cookies, cookies, cookies!’
“Thought I heard voices,” Rachel said from the top of the staircase.
“Hey, babe,” Danny said, and could hear clatters and bangs coming from the kitchen. “We’re making cookies, wanna join us?” She shook her head.
“Thanks for the offer, but I know it’s a thing you two do. I’ve got some work to be getting on with anyway, but let me have the first one, yeah?”
“Sure thing,” he said with a small smile as he saw her disappear back towards her office.
He let out a small sigh; he knew things weren’t great between them at the moment, but their conversations usually lasted a bit longer than thirty seconds.
“Dannooooo!” A small voice came from the kitchen. He shook his head and put on a smile, not that he needed to fake a smile when it concerned Grace, and walked towards the kitchen.
“You called, monkey?” he said as he entered the kitchen to find Grace in her little, pink apron with what seemed to be every pot, pan, and tray on the floor and the bag of groceries spread across the table.
“Um, Grace...just how many cookies are we making here?” he asked and raised an eyebrow. She smiled, cocked her head, grabbed an apron out of the open drawer, and handed it to Danny.
“You can never have too many cookies, Danno!” she said with a smile.
He smiled back at her as he put his apron on.
“What are we making today?" he asked, even though he already knew the answer.
“CHOCOLATE CHIP!” she shouted and clapped her hands together.
“Inside voice please, Grace,” Danny said.
“Chocolate chip, please,” she said quietly with a smile.
“Chocolate chip it is,” he replied, smiling back at her, and picked the ingredients up off the table to measure them out.
“Have you washed your hands?” he asked her, to which she shook her head.
“Go wash ‘em, and we can get started!”
“Have you washed your hands, Danno?” she asked, with her hands on her hips.
“Um,” he started. “Let’s wash our hands together.”
She grinned, grabbed hold of his hand, and dragged him, as best she could, to the sink.
“All clean, Danno,” she said as she dried her hands on the towel.
“Me too, monkey, see,” he said as he flipped his hands over to show her.
“Just choc chip?” he asked her, mixing the ingredients together.
“Uh-huh,” she said, as she picked up the bag of chocolate chips and poured some into a bowl. “Lots and lots of chocolate!”
“Lots of chocolate it is,” Danny said, taking the bowl of chocolate chips and adding some to his mixture. “Want to stir?” he asked her.
“Yeahhh!” she said, and grabbed a spoon to stir the chips in, while Danny prepared the baking trays and put the oven on to pre-heat.
“Does it look okay, Danno?” she asked, as she finished stirring.
“That,” Danny said, took the spoon from her, and folded the mixture a few more times, “looks, just about perfect!”
He put the spoon on the side and said, “Let’s get rolling!”
He dug his hand into the mixing bowl and pulled out a small amount of dough, rolled it in his hand, and dropped it onto the baking tray.
“Like that, Danno?” Grace asked, as she copied him.
“Exactly like that,” Danny replied, as he rolled some more dough together.
It didn’t take them long, and soon enough, Danny had opened the oven door and placed the first tray of cookies in there.
“Want to do the next tray, monkey?” he asked, as he started to clear away the pots and pans.
“Uh-huh,” Grace replied, and stuck her hand back into the mixture.
“So, are you looking forward to school?” he asked her.
“Yeahhhh, I can’t wait!” she replied happily as she carried on rolling. “My friend Jessica has a brother who goes to big school; he doesn’t like it though, but Jessica says it sounds fun.”
“School is fun, monkey,” Danny said, as he pulled the first tray of baked cookies out of the oven and replaced them with the next tray. “You’ll have lots of fun!”
“I hope I can sit with Jessica,” she said, as she watched Danny shaking the cookies onto a cooling rack, leaving a few on a plate separately. “She’s my bestest friend ever!”
“I’m sure you can, Gracie,” Danny said, and smiled at Grace. “And, as a little treat, do you want to take Jessica a cookie tomorrow?”
“Can I, Danno?” she said. “Jessica likes cookies.”
“Who doesn’t like cookies?” Danny said, and took a glass from the cupboard, grabbed a carton of milk from the fridge, and filled up the glass.
“Everyone likes cookies, Danno,” she said with a grin.
Danny picked up the glass and the plate of cookies and handed them to Grace. “If you take these up to Mommy, I’ll finish up cleaning here, and then want some cartoons and cookies?”
“Yeahhhh! Is Spongebob on?” she asked, hopefully.
“I’m sure we can find him somewhere,” Danny said and kissed the top of her head. “And, remember, Gracie, walk, don’t run, especially going up the stairs."
“Yep, Danno,” she said, with a nod as she left the kitchen.
Danny picked up a cloth to start wiping the sides down and heard Grace’s voice in the background. “Mommy, Danno says I can take a cookie to school for me and Jessica tomorrow. School sounds like fun!”
Danny grinned and finished wiping the counter down, waiting for the oven timer to beep.
Grace looking forward to school; he knew that wouldn’t last long.
age seven.
“Hey, monkey,” Danny said, as Grace opened the front door.
“Hey, Danno,” she said, as she hugged him.
“You okay?” Danny asked her, as he hugged her back.
“Uh-huh,” she said, as she stood on her tip-toes to grab her coat off the rack.
“Mommy, Danno’s here,” she shouted to the kitchen where Rachel was.
“Daniel,” Rachel said as she walked from the kitchen to the door.
“Rach,” Danny said with a small nod and a smile.
“Have her back by 8pm, please,” Rachel said as she kissed Grace on the head.
“Sure thing,” he said with a deep sigh.
“Bye, Mommy,” Grace said and gave her a hug and a kiss.
“Ready then, monkey?” Danny asked.
She nodded as he took hold of her hand.
“Goodbye, Daniel,” Rachel said as they were leaving the house. “See you later, Grace, love you,”
“Love you, Mommy,” Grace replied with a small smile.
“Gracie, monkey, what’s wrong?” Danny asked, as they got into his car.
“Nothing, Danno,” she said, and shook her head.
“You sure?” Danny asked as he started the engine to drive the short journey to his parents’ house.
Grace nodded in response, but didn’t speak and spent the majority of the drive staring out of the window.
It wasn’t long before he pulled into the driveway and shut off the engine. Grace unbuckled her seat belt and waited for Danny to open the door for her. He opened his own door and got out, and looked back at Grace as he did, and saw her head bowed down.
“Gracie, tell me what’s wrong?” he said, as he opened the door for her and let her out. She shut the door and stood against it, staring at the ground. Danny knelt down in front of her and slowly lifted her head with his hand, and saw tears brimming in her eyes.
“I miss you living with us, Daddy,” she said with a quivering lip.
“Oh, baby girl,” Danny said, his heart aching at seeing his daughter cry. “I miss living with you too.”
“I don’t want to be like Jessica,” she said, and wiped away her falling tears. “Her mommy and daddy don’t live together now, and she doesn’t see her daddy anymore.”
“Gracie,” Danny said and lifted her head slightly more. “I promise you, I’m not going anywhere. No matter what happens between your mommy and I, we both love you so much, and nothing will ever change that, okay?"
She slowly nodded, sniffed, and wiped away a few more tears. “Okay, Danno.”
“Monkey, I know this is scary for you,” he said and took hold of one of her hands. “It’s scary for me too, but wherever you go, I go. I promise.”
She slowly raised her head and looked at Danny with her red, puffy eyes.
“Can I have a smile?” he asked her, to which she gave him a small smile.
“Love you, Danno,” she said and pulled her hand free from his and wrapped her arms around him.
“Love you too, monkey,” he said and kissed her cheek. “More than anything, remember that always. I’ll always be your Danno.”
“You okay now?” he asked her, hugging her tighter.
She nodded against his shoulder. “You sure?” he asked again.
She moved her head back, wiped the last few tears away, and smiled a real smile. “Uh-huh, thanks, Danno.”
“Well,” Danny said, and went to stand up, I know one thing that would definitely make things better.”
He reached down, picked her up, and rested her on his hip. “Do you know anyone who might want to make some cookies with me?”
Her smile grew wider and wider as he spoke. “Cookies make everything better, Danno.”
age nine.
It was the first Saturday in September, and Steve was bored. He had already been for his usual morning swim and run, done some grocery shopping, laundry, and now, nothing. He drummed his fingers on the arm of the couch as he stared at the television, not even sure what was on. He let out a sigh and grabbed his phone and sent a text to Danny,
“Want a beer later?”
He knew it wasn’t a Gracie weekend, and more often than not, the two of them ended up having a few beers together. They’d become closer lately; the two of them were still dancing around their feelings, but they both knew that something was there.
He pocketed his phone, picked up the remote, and switched the television off. He wandered into the kitchen and grabbed himself a bottle of water and made his way out onto the lanai. He felt his phone vibrate as he sat down, and he hooked it out of his pocket, seeing a new text from Danny:
“Sure, come by mine later?”
He sent a quick text back saying he’d see him later and dropped it onto the table next to him. He sat back in the chair, enjoying the sun, and stared out to sea; it was one view he knew he’d never tire of seeing.
It was a few hours later when he pulled up outside Danny’s apartment; they never arranged a time, but his car was outside, so he knew he was in. He grabbed the six-pack of beer out of the car and walked to the door and actually knocked, for once.
“Coming!” he heard Danny shout from inside, and soon enough, he answered the door, but what Steve didn’t expect was to see him in an apron with what looked like flour, eggs, and chocolate dropped down it.
“Steve,” he said. “You’re, um, early.” He glanced at the clock on the wall that read 5:50 PM.
Steve cocked an eyebrow. “Am I interrupting something?”
“No, no it’s just...” Danny started.
“Danno! Who’s at the door? The cookies are almost ready!” Steve heard from inside and recognized the voice immediately.
“Shit, you’ve got Gracie? Why didn’t you say?”
Danny bit his lip and held up a finger at Steve. “It’s Steve,” he shouted back to Grace.
“UNCLE STEVEEEEEE!” she shrieked and came barrelling through the apartment at him, ready to jump on him, but Danny stuck an arm out to stop her.
“Not when you’re covered in goo!” he said, looking down at her pink apron which had even more food on it than Danny’s did.
“Hi, Steve! We’re making cookies!”
“Are you? That sounds fun; what kind are you making?” he said with a smile and glanced over at Danny who had turned a slight tint of pink.
“Chocolate chip; we make them every year before school starts, don’t we, Danno?” she said, looked at him, and smiled.
“That we do, monkey, that we do. Gracie, can you go wash your hands while I talk to Steve quickly?”
“Uh-huh,” she said with a nod. “Bye, Uncle Steve!”
“Bye, Gracie; save me a cookie, yeah?” he said with a wink. She nodded and skipped off back to the kitchen.
Danny glanced behind him and saw her back in the kitchen.
“Sorry about that, babe. It’s this thing we do and normally we’ve finished by now...” Danny started, his hands flailing as he spoke.
“Danny, stop talking, please,” Steve said and looked at him. “Why didn’t you say? I wouldn’t have come over.”
Danny shrugged. “I wanted to see you, and I thought we’d be done. Rach is picking her up at seven for a dinner with Stan’s family, so I figured we’d be done, but we’re a bit late and...” he trailed off. “Like she said, it’s this thing we do. It’s weird, I know.”
Steve shook his head and smiled. “It’s not weird at all. It’s nice, a tradition. It’s just the two of you, yeah?”
Danny nodded. “Yep, first started it when she was three, and we just carried it on.”
Steve smiled. “Look, I’ll go. You finish up, and I’ll maybe see you tonight?”
“Thanks, babe,” Danny said and looked up at him, their eyes meeting instantly. “Sorry, I never said anything.”
“You’ve got nothing to apologize for,” Steve said and glanced over Danny’s head through to the kitchen. He could see the back of Grace’s head, so he dropped a light kiss on Danny’s forehead. “See you later.”
He walked back towards the car and looked over his shoulder; Danny stood in the doorway watching him, and he mouthed “thank you.” at Steve before shutting the door and leaning back on it.
“Danno! The timer is beeping!” Grace called from the kitchen.
“Coming monkey.” Danny said and felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. He listened out for Steve pulling out of the driveway before he pulled his phone out of his pocket and saw a text from him:
“I was being serious. Save me a cookie. See you later.”
Danny grinned as he typed a message back, “You bring the beer. I’ll bring the cookies. Text when I’m on my way.”
He stuck his phone back in his pocket and walked back towards the kitchen.
“Gracie, reckon we’ve got time to make some special cookies for Uncle Steve?” he said as he took the first tray of freshly baked cookies out of the oven.
“Danno, there’s always time for cookies!” she said as she grabbed a mixing bowl from the counter.
“That’s my girl.” Danny said and looked down at her with a smile.
age eleven.
“Danny?” Rachel said as soon as he picked up the phone. “I need your help, please.”
“Rach,” Danny asked slightly panicked. “What’s wrong? Is Grace okay? You? Charlie? Stan?”
“No, no, Danny, we’re all fine. We’ve just got a little problem,” she said, calming Danny instantly.
“Okay, what is it?”
“Well, as you know it’s Charlie’s birthday, but we have a problem. I thought Stan was organizing it, he thought I was organizing it, so we have none, and now we’re too late to sort anything, and we don’t know what to do,” she rattled off, barely taking a breath.
“Err, Rach,” Danny started. “I mean this nicely, but what the hell are you talking about?”
“A cake Danny; we have no cake,” she said with a sigh.
“Okay, but Rach. You know I can’t make a cake. It won’t come out right at all. I tried to make one the other week when Mary was over, and let’s just say the smoke alarm has never beeped as much as it did that day, and the next day? I was out buying new pans.”
“I know it’s asking a lot, but the cookie thing you and Gracie do, would you mind doing it for Charlie’s birthday?”
“I dunno, Rach,” Danny started and bit his lip. “He’s two; won’t he want a cake? Remember when Grace was two; the cake was the best part of the day!” he said with a smile, remembering Grace running through the house with chocolate smeared all over her face.
Rachel laughed at the memory. “Oh, she did look adorable didn’t she! It took ages to get it out of her hair though!”
“Oh, don’t remind me! The screams from her still haunt me now!” They both laughed as he reminisced.
“If Grace doesn’t mind, we’ll do it,” he told her.
“I’ve, um, already asked her,” Rachel said. “She’s okay with it, grumbled a little bit, but doesn’t mind.”
Danny smiled down the phone. “Bring her here later.”
**********
“Hey, Danno,” Grace said later that afternoon as she entered the house and gave him a quick hug.
“Hey, monkey,” Danny greeted back. “Steve’s on the beach,” he said without Grace even needing to ask where he was. She grinned, thanked him, and ran off through the house to find him.
“Hey, Rach,” Danny said giving her a hug and kiss.
“Danny, thank you SO much,” she said with a relieved look on her face. “I know it’s not the traditional thing you and Gracie do, but I appreciate this so much; we both do.”
Danny waved his hand at her and took the shopping bag she was holding and took it into the kitchen, Rachel following close behind.
“Honestly, Rach, its fine. I’m looking forward to it,” he said, smiling. “What flavor are we doing?”
“Well, like most children, he likes chocolate,” Rachel said opening the bag. “So I’ve bought a variety of milk, dark, and white chocolate chips.”
“So pretty much anything with chocolate?” Danny said with a laugh.
“Got it in one,” Rachel replied with a smile. “Thank you again, Danny.”
“No worries, Rach,” Danny replied. “I really do enjoy it.”
“I know Grace does too,” she said. “Anyway, I better get going; got to pick the last few things up.”
She followed through to where Grace had gone while Danny dug into the bag and pulled out the ingredients.
“What are they up to out there?” Danny asked on her return.
“She’s telling Steve about her school trip the other day, to the Dole Plantation,” she started. “And she’s got her camera with her too, so you can see the pictures.”
“Pfft, damn pineapple! Bet Steve is loving it!” Danny said with a laugh.
“He did have quite a big grin on his face,” Rachel said. “They get on well don’t they?”
Danny couldn’t help, but smile.
“They do,” he said, smiling even more. “The first time I met him I couldn’t imagine him even near a child, but he’s amazing with her and loves her like his own.”
“She thinks the world of him. She’s always talking about how her ‘Uncle Steve and Danno keep Hawaii safe’.” Rachel paused and looked at Danny. “You’re really happy aren’t you?”
He blushed slightly and nodded. “I really am, Rach. After this,” he said gesturing between the two of them, “I never thought I’d get that feeling again, but God. He’s everything I could ever want.”
“I’m happy for you two. I really am,” she said and moved to hug him.
He hugged her back. “Thank you. It really means a lot to hear that. I’ll bring her back tonight.”
She bid him goodbye and made her way back towards the front door and gave him a smile as she left.
“Ready then, monkey?” Danny called.
“Yep, Danno,” she said as she walked back into the kitchen, grabbing her apron from the back of the door. “Is Steve helping?”
“No, he is not,” Steve said following close behind. “I’ve got a few errands to run, but I’ll be back in a couple of hours.”
He gave them both a kiss on the head and said, “Save me one though,” and bid them farewell as he left.
“What are we doing then?” Grace asked as Danny started to measure out the ingredients.
“Well, your mom has given us different chocolate chips, which she says he likes…”
“Who doesn’t like chocolate, Danno?”
“Good point! So why not, a mixture of them all, and writing ‘Happy Birthday Charlie’ on them in icing. What do ya think, monkey?”
“I love it! Mom and Stan will love them!” Her eyes lit up as she spoke.
“You think?” She nodded in response.
“What color for the icing?” Danny asked.
“He’s a boy, Danno,” Grace said with a ‘duh’ tone. “It has to be blue.”
“Blue it is,” Danny said with a grin as he picked up his phone and texted Steve to pick some food coloring up.
**********
“Oh, Danny!” Rachel said as he opened the various containers revealing the cookies. “They look, I can’t even…”
“Are they okay? I wasn’t really sure what to do.”
“Stan,” she called, beckoning him over. “Come and look at what Danny and Grace have made.”
“Do you like them, Mom?” Grace asked, holding onto one of Steve’s hands, swinging their arms in between them.
“I love them, Grace,” she said and kissed her head.
“They are amazing,” Stan said as he arrived. “Thank you, Danny. Thank you so much.”
“You’re welcome,” Danny said, smiling.
“And you,” he said, tickling Grace. “You’ve done a wonderful job. Charlie will love them!”
“I hope so! It was so much fun,” she said, grinning up at Stan, as he kissed her forehead.
“Uncle Steve,” Grace said, looking up at him. “Come see what Charlie got for his birthday.” He grinned at Danny, Rachel, and Stan before Grace dragged him away.
“I’ll put these in the kitchen,” Stan said, packing the containers up and heading into the kitchen.
Rachel looked over at Danny; his eyes fixated on Grace and Steve. She gently nudged him in the side.
“What was that for?” Danny asked.
“You,” she said, as she watched Charlie waddling over to Grace and Steve.
“What have I done?” he asked, eyes still fixated as Steve picked up Charlie.
“Danno!” Grace called and waved at him. “Come see Charlie!”
“Nothing,” she said with a smile. “I’m just happy for you.”
“Thank you,” he said and pulled her into a hug.
“Go,” Rachel said as she broke off from the hug. “She wants you.”
He kissed her cheek and walked towards the trio, giving Charlie a kiss. Rachel stood back and watched as Charlie climbed out of Steve’s arms and into Danny’s, smiles plastered on all of their faces. Danny turned and faced Rachel, a smile plastered on her own face, and winked at her, before turning back to them.
He really was happy.
age thirteen.
“Hey, Gracie-Facie,” Steve said, knocking on her bedroom door before entering.
“Hey, Stevie-Weavie?” she said, trying to rhyme his name.
Steve cocked an eyebrow at her. “Yeah, moving on…”
Grace grinned at him. “Hi, Steve.”
“Can I have a quick word?” Steve asked.
“Um, sure…” she said, biting her lip.
“You’re not in trouble,” he said as he perched on the edge of her dresser. “I just wanted to ask you something.”
“Okayyy.”
“Danno’s happy, right? With me?”
“Happy?” she started. “Steve, I’ve never seen him as happy as he is now.”
Steve grinned as she spoke. “And you? You’re happy with everything?”
“Of course I am, Steve. Why?”
“Um,” he said, wiping his hands down his pants leg. “I, um…”
“Jeez, Steve…spit it out!”
“IwanttoaskDannytomarryme.”
“Huh?” Grace said. “I know I said spit it out, but at a speed I can actually understand would be nice.”
Steve took a deep breath before speaking again. “I want to ask Danny to marry me…if it’s okay with you.”
“OH MY GOD! Seriously?”
Steve responded with a nod. “I’ve wanted to for a while, but wanted to ask you first.”
“I don’t even know what to say, Steve,” she said and made her way over to him. “Yes, a hundred times, yes.”
He pulled her into his arms and hugged her. “And you think he’ll say yes?”
She pulled away slightly and looked up at him. “Steve, I KNOW he’ll say yes. He’s crazy about you.”
“There is one more thing, Grace. I know it’s what you and your dad do, but the cookie thing…do you mind if I steal the idea?”
“How?”
“Well, you know what you two did for Charlie’s birthday, with the writing?”
Her eyes lit up and a smiled formed on her face.
“You want to do it via cookies?”
Steve nodded. “If that’s okay?”
“On one condition,” she said. “You let me help you.”
“You’ve got yourself a deal.” Steve grinned as he spoke. “How do we get Danno out of the house though?”
“Um, I’ve got an idea,” Grace said. “But, do you mind if I tell Mom?”
Steve shook his head. “If it’ll help to get him out of the house.”
“Leave it to me, Steve,” she said as Steve pulled her in for another hug.
**********
“Rachel, you have GOT to be kidding me.”
“No, Daniel. I am not kidding you.”
“But why today, Rach; you KNOW what we do today."
“Is making cookies really more important than your daughter’s school grades?”
“We’ve had all summer to do this, Rachel.”
“Daniel, please don’t argue. It’ll only be a couple of hours, and can you please bring her back tonight instead of tomorrow? I want her to get a good night’s sleep before school starts.”
“That’s a joke right? Bringing her back a day early?”
“Do I sound like I’m joking?”
“Do I even get a say in this?”
“Daniel…”
“Fine. I’ll be there in half an hour.”
**********
“Fucks sake,” Danny said as he stomped down the stairs.
“Danny, what’s wrong?” Steve asked, walking out of the kitchen.
“Rachel. She wants me to go over to hers and ‘discuss Grace's school grades.’”
“What, now?” Steve asked.
Danny nodded. “It’s not like we’ve had all damn summer to do this. AND, she wants Grace back tonight instead of tomorrow saying she wants her to have a good night’s sleep before school.”
“What? She said that?”
“Yes,” Danny said, fuming. “Honestly, Steve. I’m so fucking angry with her right now.”
“I know, babe,” Steve said and pulled Danny in against his chest. “Look, go now. The sooner you go, the sooner you’ll be back, right?”
Danny took a deep breath and stepped back from Steve. “Is Grace still in the shower?”
Steve nodded. “You know her; she’ll be in there at least another hour.”
“Ha, true,” Danny said with a small smile. “Tell her I’m sorry, yeah?”
“I will,” Steve said, and kissed Danny lightly. “Text me when you’re on your way back.”
Danny nodded, picked up his phone and keys, and walked towards the door. “See you later, babe.”
Steve followed him to the door, standing in the doorway watching him leave. As soon as he had backed out of the drive way, he ran up the stairs, taking them two at a time.
“Grace?” he said, and knocked on the bathroom door. “He’s gone.”
She unlocked the door and came out, phone in hand. “Jeez, I thought he’d never leave! I spoke to Mom, she said he sounded pretty pissed?"
Steve cocked an eyebrow at her. “I’ll pretend you didn’t say that, but yes, he was.”
Grace grinned at him. “Sorry! Mom said she’d text when he arrives and when he leaves.”
“Let’s do this!” he said as they made their way back down the stairs and towards the kitchen.
“What flavor are we making?” Grace asked, as Steve started to measure out the ingredients.
“They’re called Hawaiian Drop Cookies,” he said as he handed her the recipe.
“They sound really nice,” Grace said, and she read it through.
“Hopefully they’ll taste as nice as they sound!” he said, as he started mixing things together.
“You know they will,” she said with a smirk in his direction. “Thank you, by the way.”
“For what?” he asked.
“For letting me help you,” she said as she poured pineapple and coconut into Steve’s mixture.
Steve shook his head. “I should be thanking you. You’ve welcomed me into your life and your family, and you’ve shared your Danno with me.”
“You make him happy, Steve, and when Danno’s happy…I’m happy,” she said and smiled up at him.
“Thank you,” Steve said as he started to scoop the mixture onto the trays. “It really does mean a lot to hear that.”
Grace smiled at him and shrugged. “Just telling you the truth. Have you thought about how you’re gonna hide these from Danno when he gets back?”
“Well,” Steve said, as he put the tray into the oven. “I was thinking, he’s going to text when he’s leaving Rachel’s, right?”
Grace nodded in response. “Yep, and Mom said she would too.”
“Okay, good. How about we go out for dinner, you ‘forget’ something, and we have to come back here before taking you home. I’ll just say I’m tired or something and stay here, then Danno will take you home, and I’ll get everything arranged.”
Her eyes widened as he spoke. “I LOVE it, Steve; it’ll definitely work!”
“You think so?”
She nodded. “Without a doubt.”
“Come here,” Steve said as he pulled her in for a hug and kissed the top of her head. “I’m going to have to buy your Mom a ton of flowers and chocolates for this, aren’t I?”
“Oh, you’ll be repaying her for a long time,” she said. “It’ll be worth it though.”
“I hope so,” he said nervously.
“It will be! Now, let’s get this icing done and finish these!”
**********
“What do you think?” Steve asked, as he finished icing the question mark onto a cookie.
“They look amazing!” Grace said with a smile. “What about the dot on the question mark though?”
“Ah, now that,” Steve said, as both their phones beeped simultaneously, “is a surprise.”
They both picked up their phones and read the texts. “He’s on his way!” they both said as they started blitzing the kitchen.
They, somehow, managed to get the kitchen cleaned and tidy in record time.
“Right, everything’s ready, isn’t it?” Steve asked.
Grace nodded. “Yep, I’ll ‘forget’ my phone, which Danno knows I can’t be without it!”
Steve grinned. “Grace, we all know that!” he said as he walked towards the back door to lock it.
Grace rolled her eyes, but smiled. “And your point is?”
“Let’s get going; if we wait outside, he has no reason to come in.”
Steve had barely shut and locked the front door when Danny pulled into the driveway.
“Hey, babe,” Steve said as he walked towards the driver’s side, leaning in through the open window to give him a kiss. “How was it?”
“I’ll tell you later. You guys going somewhere?”
“Steve’s taking us out for dinner!” Grace said as she pulled the passenger seat forward and climbed into the back seat.
“You are?” Danny asked him, as Steve pulled the seat back and climbed in.
“I am; thought it would be nice before school starts and everything.”
“Sounds good to me,” Danny said as he backed out of the driveway.
**********
“Grace, how could you forget your phone?” Danny asked, as they turned into their street. “It’s normally attached to your hand!”
“Sorry, Danno,” she said. “I thought it was in my bag. I won’t be long.”
Steve ‘yawned’ as they pulled into the driveway. “Mind if I stay here, babe? I’m shattered.”
“Yeah, that’s fine. I won’t be long anyway,” Danny said, as he leaned across the console and kissed Steve.
“Must you two do that in front of me?” Grace asked from the back, rolling her eyes.
Steve grinned as he pulled away. “See you in a bit.” He unbuckled his seat belt and got out of the car, pulling his seat forward to let Grace out.
“I won’t be long, Danno.”
“Ready then, Steve?” Grace asked, as he unlocked the door and switched the alarm off.
“As ready as I’ll ever be!” he replied, a hint of nervousness in his voice.
“Good luck,” she said and hugged him. “Not that you’ll need it.”
“Thank you, for everything, Grace,” he said and hugged her back.
She pulled away and picked her phone up off the table. “Ooh, three texts!” she said happily as she walked towards the door. She turned back to look at him.
“Thank you for making my Danno happy. Love you, Steve.”
He smiled back at her. “Love you too, Grace,” he said before he shut the door.
**********
The drive to Rachel’s didn’t take long, the traffic pretty quiet at that time of night, and before he knew it, they were pulling into Rachel’s street. He pulled up to the gates of her house and punched in the access code and drove up, parking outside the front door.
Grace unbuckled her seat, grabbed her backpack, and opened the door. She made her way to the front of the car and hugged Danny through the window.
“Mom said you can pick me up from school on Monday if you like?”
“We’ll be there, monkey. Hope you have fun,” he said and hugged her a bit tighter.
“It’s school, Danno; school and fun should never be in the same sentence.”
He grinned at her and let go. “Love you, monkey.
“Love you too, Danno.” She looked at him and smiled. “I’m really glad you have Steve.”
“Me too, monkey, me too.” She turned and walked towards the door, Rachel waiting to greet her with a smile on her face.
“All set?” she whispered to Grace.
“All set,” Grace said back with a grin on her face. “Expect flowers and chocolates from Steve.”
Rachel laughed as Grace spoke. “Oh, with the mood I put Danny in, I expect a lot more than that!”
They watched as Danny pulled out of the driveway, knowing smiles on both their faces.
**********
“Steve? Babe?” Danny called as he walked into the house.
“Up here,” Steve called from upstairs.
“Want me to lock up?” Danny called back.
“Yes, please,” Steve called back. “I’ve done the back, so just the front.”
Danny locked the front door, set the alarm, and made his way to the stairs.
He stepped onto the first one and kicked something.
“What the fuck?” he said to himself as he looked down.
“Will.” He saw written on, what appeared to be cookies.
He slowly walked up the next two steps, taking his time as he did, before seeing the next one.
“You.”
“Will you…” he said to himself, as he walked up the next two steps.
“Marry.” He felt his heart thumping faster and faster as he processed the words. His mouth felt dry as he took the next two stairs, slower than the previous ones.
“Me.” He felt tears stinging at his eyes as he got to the landing and saw their bedroom door open, with one final cookie just inside the door, the room lit only by candlelight.
“?” He looked down and saw a silver ring posing as the dot. He put his hand over his mouth, took a deep breath, and bent down to pick the cookie up. His eyes met a trouser leg, and he slowly followed it up and was greeted by Steve, on one knee, in the middle of the room.
“Well, will you?” Steve asked, his heart thumping equally as hard as Danny’s.
Tears were freely flowing from Danny’s eyes at the sight in front of him, his hands shaking as he tried to pluck the ring from the cookie.
“Yes,” Danny mumbled through the tears.
“Yes?” Steve asked.
“Yes, yes, yes. A million times, yes.”
Steve took the ring from the cookie and pushed it onto Danny’s finger, his own hands shaking as he did.
“I love you,” Steve mumbled as he wiped away one of Danny’s tears and pulled him against his chest. “So fucking much.”
Danny closed his eyes and blinked away the few remaining tears.
“iloveyou, iloveyou, iloveyou,” he mumbled over and over and plastered Steve’s face with kisses.
“Thank you, Steve. Thank you.”
age fifteen.
“For God’s sake! Just leave me alone!” Grace nearly screamed at Danny as she came barging through the front door and stormed upstairs, slamming her bedroom door.
“What on earth was that about?” Steve asked, walking out of the kitchen towards Danny, who was standing in the doorway with a dumbfounded expression.
“I have no idea. She wasn’t exactly talkative on the drive over, but all I did was mention we’d been shopping for cookie stuff, and she lost it!”
“Want me to talk to her?” Steve asked.
“Nah.” Danny shook his head. “She got her temper from me; best to leave her for a bit.”
“If you’re sure?”
Danny smiled. “It’s good, thanks, babe. Anyway, how was your day?” he asked, but his eyes drifted off to the staircase.
**********
Steve quietly walked up the stairs and to Grace’s room. He knocked gently on the closed door.
“Grace?” he said softly.
“What?” she replied with a sniff.
“Can I come in? I have food,” he said and looked down at the plate of grilled chicken and vegetables in his hand.
She wanted to say no, but as if on cue, her stomach grumbled at the mention of food.
“Fine,” she said shortly. Steve opened the door slowly and saw Grace curled up on the bed under the covers and facing the wall. He put the plate on her dressing table and moved over to the bed sitting on the end.
“Wanna talk about it?”
“No,” she said, still staring at the wall.
“You can, you know, talk to me,” Steve said. “About anything.”
She slowly moved and sat up, with her head bowed.
“It’s nothing.”
“Nothing wouldn’t have you up here, by yourself, crying. Is there something wrong at home? Have I done something? Danno? School?”
“It’s just...” she started and bit her lip. “Nothing, Steve. It’s nothing.”
“Come here,” Steve said and motioned her over. She looked up and saw his arms open. “I know you don’t want to talk, but can I at least give you a hug?”
She wiped her eyes, smiled at him, and edged forward into his arms, letting out a sigh as she did.
“Thanks, Steve,” she mumbled into him before moving back slightly and looking at him.
He looked down at her. “It’s what I’m here for, Grace, and I mean it. Anything at all, you can come to me, okay?”
“Okay,” she agreed. “Is Danno okay?” she asked, biting her lip again.
“He’s confused and worried about you,” he said.
“He doesn’t need to be.”
“Gracie, he’s your father. He’ll always worry about you; we both will.”
“But I’m not a little kid anymore. I’m fifteen. I don’t want to be making cookies with my Dad on a Saturday night. I want to be out, like a normal teenager,” she said and retreated back to the other end of the bed.
“Is this what it’s about?” Steve asked, and she slowly nodded, and looked down again.
“I told one of my friends about it, and she laughed Steve, and said that she didn’t know I was still a baby who made cookies with my Dad. It was so embarrassing.”
Steve shook his head. “Why didn’t you tell Danno? I’m sure he’d understand. He knows you won’t be doing it forever.”
“But does he?”
“Does he what?”
She rolled her eyes slightly. “Know we won’t do it forever.”
“Grace, of course he does.”
“Then why does he still get so excited over it? It’s just cookies.”
“As you once said to me, it’s not just cookies. It’s what you’ve done since you were three, Grace. He knows you’re growing up, but you’ll always be his little girl.”
She picked at a loose thread as he spoke.
“Do you think it’s babyish?” he asked.
She shrugged. “Yes. No. I don’t know,” she mumbled back. Steve stood up and moved towards her.
“Just think about it. I know he wants to do it, but I also know if you don’t want to, he’ll understand,” he said and kissed her on the head.
“Steve, can you not tell him, please?”
“I won’t lie to him, Grace. If he asks, I’ll give him a shortened version, but I won’t go into detail. I promise.”
“Thank you,” she whispered and smiled at him. “Love you, Steve.”
“Love you too, Gracie; we’ll be downstairs if you want to talk,” he said and headed towards the door.
“Tell Danno I love him,” she said to Steve.
“I will, Gracie,” he said as he left the room, shutting the door behind himself.
**********
Danny quietly knocked on Grace’s door.
“Grace, you still awake?” Hearing no reply, he slowly pushed the door open. “Grace?” he repeated.
He walked across the room and stood next to the bed. He looked at his daughter and carefully ran his hand across her hair.
“I love you so much, Gracie. No matter how old you are, I’ll always be your Danno,” he said and kissed her head before leaving the room.
“You okay, babe?” Steve asked as he waited outside the room for him. Danny nodded.
“Yeah,” he sighed. “She was sleeping. This is the first time we’ve ever gone to sleep on bad terms. Fuck, I just wish she’d talk to me,” he said and scrunched his eyes up, trying to stop the tears from falling. Steve pulled him against his chest and rubbed his back.
“I’m sorry, babe.”
“I know she’s growing up, and I know she won’t always want me around, but...” He didn’t even know how to finish the sentence.
“I know, babe, I know,” Steve said and hugged him tighter.
“Night, Danno, love you,” she said into the darkness as a tear rolled down her face.
**********
BANG!
Danny awoke with a jolt.
“Steve!” he hissed into the darkness and elbowed him in the side. “Steve! Wake up!”
“What?” he mumbled in a dazed voice.
“I think there’s someone downstairs,” Danny said and flicked a lamp on.
“Fuck, what?” Steve said, now fully awake.
“I heard a bang from downstairs,” Danny said, already out of bed and pulling on a pair of pants and a t-shirt. “You go make sure Grace is okay; I’ll go down.” He took the gun Steve had already pulled out of the bedside drawer and leant over and kissed him.
“Be safe, Danny, love you,” Steve said, and pulled his own pair of pants and t-shirt on.
“I will, love you too,” Danny said as he crept out of the door and down the staircase, being careful to avoid the creaky steps. He quickly, but quietly, made his way down the staircase; his eyes adjusted to the darkness when a light from the kitchen caught his eye. He quietly headed towards the kitchen when Grace appeared from around the corner.
“Fuck!”
“Shit!”
They both said in unison. “Grace, it’s four am; what the hell are you doing?”
“I could ask YOU the same!” she said and motioned towards the gun.
“I heard a noise,” he said and put the gun on top of a cabinet. “And language, please.”
“Oh, sorry, yeah. That was me. I dropped a tray,” she said.
“A tray? What on earth are you doing with a tray at four am?”
“Um,” she said and nodded towards the kitchen. “I’m sorry, Danno.”
It didn’t take him long to work it out what she doing. He shook his head. “Don’t apologize, Grace. I get it.”
She moved towards the couch and sat on the arm.
“But Danno, I am sorry. I was having a bad day and took it out on you when you were the one person that would make it better. Did Steve tell you?” she asked.
“He said some, but he told me he’d promised you he wouldn’t, and you know he doesn’t break promises. I know it’s something to do with the whole cookie thing, and if you don’t want to tell me, I won’t make you. You’re growing up, Grace, and I know that one year, you’ll want to stop...”
“It’s just something someone said. I took it to heart, when really, I shouldn’t have. I don’t want to stop doing it, Danno. Even when you’re old, grey, and wrinkly, which, y’know,” she said and looked him over with a grin, “isn’t that far away, I still want to.”
“Hey! I’m still very blonde, thank you!” he said and ran a hand over his bed-head. She couldn’t help, but laugh.
“If you say so, Danno.”
“Come here,” Danny said and opened his arms. She climbed off the couch and into his arms; with her back to the stairs. “I love you so much, Gracie, and anything you want or need, I’m here. It’s what a Danno is for.”
“Thank you, Danno,” she whispered and tightened her grip on him. “Love you too, always.”
Danny looked up and saw Steve standing half-way up the stairs. Danny smiled at him, and Steve stuck a thumb up in a silent, “everything okay?” question. Danny nodded and closed his eyes and held onto Grace, never wanting to let her go.
Steve watched silently as they finally let go and walked to the kitchen together. They both knew it wouldn’t last forever, but for now, cookies were the answer to everything.