FIC Surprise Visit
Title: Surprise Visit
Characters: Steve McGarrett/Danny Williams, Grace Williams, Mrs. Williams
Fandom: Hawaii Five-O (Shifter Verse AU)
Summary: A quiet weekend’s plans get disrupted when someone makes a surprise visit.
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Minor bad words, nothing really major
Disclaimer: No one recognizable belongs to me…too bad, right?
Author's Note: This is sorta from this prompt on kinkme_h50 , but since I didn’t stick to the prompt, I’m not counting it as a fill. Part of the Shifter verse that I’ve been writing for emocezi , but not one of the ones I was planning (yes, clearly I fail on actually writing what I plan). This is the farthest into the verse I have gone…this is future fic for the current show. Thanks to grnidshrk for the absolutely awesome header for the series (and icon) and to samjohnsson for how to embed the translations. I should have a master post up later tonight or tomorrow morning :-)
Danny frowned as his cell phone cheerily burst out with Age of Aquarius and he quickly dug it out of his pocket, flipping it open as Steve turned the corner that would take them back in the direction of headquarters. “Ma, what’s wrong?” he asked, bracing a hand against the dashboard as Steve took a corner a bit too fast this time. He spared a second to glare at his partner. “Not in a race,” he hissed at the other man.
Steve had the intelligence to look sheepish and mouth “Sorry” at him, motioning to the phone as if asking what was going on. Danny shrugged in reply, trying to catch what his mother was saying through the ambient noise.
“Ma, Ma. MA!” he broke in. “I can’t hear you. Where are you?”
“I’m at the Honolulu Airport, sweetie. I thought it’d be a nice surprise if I flew in and was at your place to make dinner for you and Grace when you got back from picking her up for the weekend,” she answered suddenly much clearer.
“You’re. Where?” Danny asked, as he felt the blood drain from his face. Steve looked at him sharply, obviously smelling a change and moved a hand over to his leg, squeezing gently.
When his mother replied this time, she sounded a bit confused, “The airport, Danny. Are you all right? I’m going to get a cab and take it to your apartment. I’ll see you after you pick Grace up.”
“No!” Danny yelped. “Ma, don’t do that,” he continued in a somewhat calmer voice. “Give me a couple of minutes and I’ll head over and get you.”
“Can you do that? I mean is it okay with your boss?” she asked.
Danny glanced at Steve who was watching him as much as he was able since the other man was driving. The dark haired man nodded now, saying quietly, “I’ll take you if you want.”
“Yeah, it’s fine with him,” Danny answered his mother. “I’ll just be a couple of minutes and then I’ll come get you. Let security know a member of Five-O is coming to get you, okay?”
“All right, Danny. I love you.”
“Love you, too, Ma.” Danny dropped his head back against the headrest as he hung up the phone. “Crap. Crap. Crap. CRAP!”
“What’s wrong?” Steve rubbed Danny’s thigh comfortingly. “Do you want me to take you?”
“My mother. My mother who not only does not know I’ve moved out of my shithole of an apartment, but does not know I’ve moved in with you and am sleeping with you. Much less about the whole tiger and hoa hana thing. My mother is at the Honolulu airport.” He rolled his head sideways to look at Steve. “I’m screwed.”
“Just bring her to the house,” Steve said. “We’ll figure it out from there. Starting with, it’s expensive to live on the island and I had the house.” He leaned over and kissed Danny on the forehead, not caring that they were sitting in the back parking lot of their headquarters. “We can handle this. I’ll pick up steaks for dinner and we’ll cook when you get there. Do you want me to get Grace?”
“No. Wait. Yes. Otherwise Rachel will have a shit fit because I’m late.” Danny took a deep breath. “Okay, I can…” He looked over at Steve who was giving him a look of quiet confidence. “We can do this. Do you need me to talk to Chin before I leave?”
“Nope,” Steve replied. “Just go. Don’t leave her sitting there. I’ll take care of everything here. And get Grace. And see you at the house.”
Danny glanced around before leaning over and kissing Steve quickly on the lips. “Sometimes your Army anal retentiveness comes in handy,” he said as he got out of the car.
“Navy!” Steve yelled after him. “I was in the Navy!”
Danny grinned to himself as he slid behind the wheel of his own car. It was nice to know that there were some things he could still get under Steve’s skin about. With everything that had changed in their relationship, it was nice to see some things remain the same.
When he reached the airport, he left the car in the designated zone for police and hurried into the building looking around for his mother. A security guard waved him down almost as soon as he entered. “Detective Williams?” he questioned.
Danny nodded, flipping his ID open and showing it. “My mother?” he asked.
“She’s fine, sir. Found one of our guys and said you’d be here soon. This way.”
Danny followed him to a security office where he found his mother sitting patiently, her bag by her side. “Danny,” she said cheerfully when he entered. “You really didn’t have to come get me.”
Enfolding her in his arms, Danny hugged her tightly. “Yeah, I kinda did, Ma,” he replied. He kissed the top of her head, marveling as always that the woman who had always seemed like a giant to him was so slight in his arms. “Come on. I’ll explain later.” He nodded at the guards. “Thanks, guys.”
“I don’t understand why you wanted to come all the way over here to pick me up. Is there something wrong with the cabs here?” she asked as he guided her through the airport.
“No, Ma, there’s nothing wrong. You just would have gone to the wrong place,” he explained.
“You moved? When did you move? Why? Why didn’t you tell me?” she demanded as they settled into the car.
“Yeah, Ma, I moved. I didn’t tell you because I’ve been a little busy with work and Grace and all. I didn’t think it was a big deal.”
“So where are you living now? Is it a nice place? A safe place?”
Danny bit his lip so he didn’t smile at the thought of his mother asking if he was living in a safe place. “You do remember I’m a cop, right? And I carry a gun? Yes, it’s a safe place. My partner, Steve, inherited a house from his dad and since he’s got no family here, I’m living there. He’s got enough space that Grace has a room and it works out for all of us.”
“I’m not sure I like the idea of you living with someone else,” she said as Danny pulled off the highway. “You saw how well that worked out with the bitch.”
Danny winced, although he couldn’t disagree with his mother’s assessment of his ex-wife. “Ma, its fine. Steve’s a good guy. You’ll like him. And Grace adores him.” He jumped as his phone rang, the song Everyone is Totally Insane announcing that the subject of their conversation was the caller. “What, McGarrett?” Danny asked.
“Our little princess would like to know if we may have pizza for dinner instead of steaks,” Steve replied. “She doesn’t understand why we want to waste time with cooking,” he drew out the final word not unlike Grace would. In the background, Danny could hear Grace saying, “Please, Danno? Pretty please?”
“Hang on a moment.” Danny glanced over at his mother. “Is it all right if we have pizza for dinner? Grace is asking for it.”
“That sounds fine, dear. Is that Grace?” she replied.
“No, it’s the two of them,” he answered her before telling them, “All right pizza it is, but there had better not be any fruit on mine!”
“Yeah, yeah, Danno, we know. Pizza is crust, mozz, and cheese. I think I’ve heard the rant enough. You almost here?”
“About ten more minutes,” Danny replied. “You should order it.”
“Already done. See you soon.” Danny could almost hear the grin in his voice as he added, “Love ya, Danno.”
As soon as Danny hung up the phone, his mother asked, “Your partner has Grace?”
“It was a divide and conquer thing, Ma. I came to get you and he went to pick Grace up so Rachel didn’t have to wait. He didn’t mind.” Danny changed the subject, hoping to get his mother off the topic. He still wasn’t sure how he was going to broach the subject of his relationship with Steve. In the meantime, he knew he could distract her by asking about his numerous relations still on the mainland.
When Danny pulled his Camero into the driveway next to Steve’s, he could see Grace waiting under the portico. She knew better than to run towards the car when it was still running, but she was jumping up and down with impatience by the time he turned the car off. Apparently Steve had laid down the law though because she stayed put even after Danny exited the car. She turned back towards the open door as they started up the walk and asked, “Now, Kika?”
“Are they away from the car?” Steve’s voice came from inside the house.
“Yes, sir,” Grace answered promptly.
“Then yes,” he replied.
Grace grinned at that and tore up the walkway, slamming into Danny’s legs. “Kika said you said yes to pizza, Danno.”
“Hello to you, too, Monkey,” Danny replied, swinging her up into his arms and hugging her. “Why were you banished to the porch?”
Grace leaned over, squirming until Danny had to put her down or risk dropping her. She immediately bounded over to her grandmother. “Hi, Nana,” she cried, throwing her arms around the second person with only slightly less enthusiasm.
Steve had come out onto the porch now; taking the bag Danny had gone back to the car for. He made an abortive move towards the shorter man and Danny blocked his mother’s view with his body, gripping Steve’s arm for a moment. He hoped it would be enough until they had a minute of privacy. His raised eyebrows were enough to ask the other man what had happened with Grace. “Its fine,” Steve assured him in a quiet voice. “I just didn’t want her out of my sight.”
“Problem?” Danny murmured.
Steve bared his teeth. “Not anymore.” He raised his voice as Grace and Danny’s mother got to the steps. “Mrs. Williams, welcome to Honolulu. And welcome to our home.” Kneeling down in front of Grace, he suggested, “Why don’t you show your grandma to the room she’s going to use? She’ll stay in the room Aunt Mary uses. And let Daddy clean up and change?”
Grace nodded happily. “Okay.” Tugging on the hand she held, she led her grandmother away. “It’s this way.”
“Go get cleaned up,” Steve said. “Take five minutes. I can handle them.”
Danny pulled him towards their bedroom in reply. “I don’t get five minutes of you?”
“Is that what you want?” Steve asked.
“I think it’s what you need,” Danny answered. The door clicked shut behind them. Grace knew to knock on the door before entering and the five minutes they would take now weren’t something they minded having interrupted. “You okay?” Danny asked as Steve wrapped his arms around him and buried his nose behind Danny’s ear.
Steve just inhaled for a minute, breathing in Danny’s scent. He nosed down the other man’s neck, following the scent he wanted and darting his tongue out to take tiny tastes. “Don’t start something we don’t have time to finish,” Danny groaned.
Steve pulled back far enough to whisper, “You offered.”
“No, I asked if you were okay and offered to let you take a scent hit,” Danny argued. He pushed against Steve, pleased when the other man backed off without an issue. Looking him over, he was pleased to notice nothing marring his countenance but stress lines. “You planning to tell me what happened when you went to get Grace?” he asked as he undid his tie and moved towards the closet.
“I told you. It’s taken care of,” Steve replied, watching as Danny economically stripped down and headed into the bathroom. He picked up Danny’s service weapon from where the other man had set it on the dresser and locked it away in their lockbox. From the bathroom, he heard the sound of the shower start up. Figuring the pizza would arrive soon, he stuck his head into the bathroom. “Hey, your gun’s locked up. I’m gonna go back out in case the pizza gets here.”
Danny poked his head out of the shower. “Okay. Hey?” Beckoning Steve closer, he pulled him into a lazy kiss. “Thanks.”
“Uh-huh,” Steve murmured as he pulled back. “Right.”
“Steve?”
“Yeah?”
“Go deal with Grace and the pizza and my mom.”
“Right. Grace. Mom. Pizza.”
Danny chuckled to himself as Steve left the bathroom. Whatever was disturbing Steve couldn’t be too bad if the man allowed himself to be distracted that much by Danny kissing him.
By the time Danny rejoined the rest of his family, they were seated at the table with the pizza. Grace had pizza but no drink and was picking at her food, almost pouting. “Daddy,” she cried as soon as she saw Danny, “Kika won’t let me have soda.”
Danny looked at Steve, who shrugged in response, obviously knowing why she was appealing to her father, but willing to be overruled if Danny felt the need. “I think the pizza is enough of a treat,” he replied. “What would you like instead?”
She pouted for a minute, before getting a look of calculation in her eye. “Can I have Kool-Aid?” she asked.
“May I…?” Steve corrected, without pausing to think about how it looked to their guest. Grace was used to him having a say in everyday activities and generally reacted with an even temper.
Danny nodded in response, snagging the slice Steve held out to him on his way into the kitchen. “A small glass, Grace,” he answered, before taking a bite and setting the pizza on the plate that Steve had left out for him, well used to Danny’s habits.
When he turned back around with the pitcher in his hands, he almost jumped to find his mother right there. “Ma!” he yelped. “Please don’t do that.” He set the pitcher down before he dropped it.
“Why is that man correcting your daughter? And what exactly is she calling him?” She crossed her arms, glaring at her son. “Daniel, I was going to overlook you sharing a house with another man, but I’m not sure I like him having influence on Grace.”
“Danno?” Grace had come to the doorway, obviously looking for her drink, but she’d caught the end of what her grandmother had said and now she was looking worried. “Why doesn’t Nana like Kika?” she asked.
Danny knelt down, inviting Grace into his arms. “It’s not that she doesn’t like him, Monkey,” he assured her. “Nana just didn’t know that I was living here and she doesn’t know Kika, so she doesn’t know if she should trust him.”
Grace seemed to consider this for a minute before proclaiming, “He’s my Kika just like Daddy is my Danno.”
His mother didn’t look reassured by her words and Danny kissed the top of her head. “Go finish your dinner, Monkey. And then you can watch a movie for a little bit.”
“May I watch Kiss of the Dragon?” she asked slyly.
“No and don’t think I’m not wise to you. You’ll watch one of your movies, Missy.” Danny tweaked her nose. Sticking his head into the dining room, he said, “Steve? I’m gonna go out onto the lanai with Ma and talk to her. Grace can watch one of her movies when she’s done eating.”
“You need to eat, Danny,” Steve responded. He quickly piled a couple of slices of pizza on a plate and brought it over to him. “Eat,” he reminded him.
“I will,” Danny responded, accepting the plate. Turning he motioned for his mother to proceed him out the door, snagging a bottle of water as he followed her.
Setting the plate and bottle on the table, he picked up the lighter from the shelf it sat on and lit the torches placed around the patio to keep the bugs away. Sitting down, he began eating; knowing Steve would check to be sure he had. In these cases, he had learned it was better just to wait his mother out. No matter what he said, she would make her own decisions about things and once she’d had her say, he might be able to get a word in edgewise.
“How did you meet Steve?” she asked when he’d had time to eat an entire slice of pizza.
Danny nodded; apparently she wanted more information before she made her proclamations which was a good thing. “Through work. On a case actually. I was investigating his father’s murder and Steve…” he sighed, trying to figure out how to explain those first few hectic days where they barely understood each other much less what was going on around them. “Steve wanted to find the answers himself. Didn’t like a haole cop telling him what to do. We butted heads over, well, everything.”
“And you ended up working with him?”
Danny took a drink of water, using the time to gather his thoughts. “Steve’s,” he laughed, “Steve’s a boulder in constant motion. He wants his way and it takes a river to stop him. The governor offered him carte blanche on a task force to go after the high profile creeps. Yeah, we’re at her beck and call at times, but we do real good. We’ve got a team that we’re proud of and we’ve solved cases no one should have.”
“That doesn’t explain what you’re doing here. And why he has influence over Grace.”
“What do you want, Ma? I’m a grown man. You don’t trust me to make my own decisions?”
“Your track record doesn’t instill much confidence in me,” she replied. “Are you sure you can trust this man?”
“Steve has never had anything other than my best interests in mind,” Danny answered. “And Grace’s for that matter. The first week…the very first week Steve knew me; he pulled strings and gave me a weekend at a hotel so Grace could swim with the dolphins. Since then he’s done everything in his power to help me with Grace and to protect me.” He glanced back towards the house where he knew Steve was most likely fighting his instincts to come to Danny’s aid. “I would have lost Grace because of Rachel’s manipulations if not for him, Ma. I would have lost my little girl.”
“Is this what’s best for you though? What about your job? Aren’t you worried about repercussions?”
“This isn’t Jersey,” Danny pointed out. “And things are a bit…different here. As Steve is constantly reminding me. And our team is more than just a job and a workplace. It’s all about ohana, family. Even before Steve and I got involved, the team was more than just a group of people who worked together. Hell the other two who work with us are cousins and are related to half the island I swear. If there are repercussions…it won’t be because of our private lives.”
“Why didn't you tell me? Are you ashamed of him? I raised you better than that, Daniel. Why didn't you tell me about him when I called last week?” she demanded.
“I can’t have a private life?” he replied.
She reached out, grabbing his ear and twisting, still faster than he would ever be. “Ow! Ow! Ow! Ma, leggo!” he yelped.
“Answer. The. Questions, Daniel Marshall Williams.”
“God, I’m not fifteen anymore, Ma. I am allowed to have a sex life,” he bitched and then winced as she smacked him on the back of the head.
“I didn’t tell you because I was sitting in the middle of headquarters when you called and we do attempt to be discrete at work. It doesn’t always happen, but we do attempt it. And no, I’m not ashamed of him. I’m not ashamed of anything, but it’s not exactly something I can blurt out over the phone. Oh hey Ma, by the way, I’m sleeping with a guy now and we’re shacked up together.”
She made a motion to smack him again, but he ducked this time. “You don’t need to be sarcastic about this.”
“How do you want me to be, Ma? How about we just drop this, okay? I’m happy, I’m not being coerced. And we’re safe. I promise.”
The rasp of the door drew his attention away from his mother and Danny motioned to his daughter who was hovering in the doorway, Steve a guarding presence behind her. Steve continued to hover in the doorway as Grace flew across the lanai and into Danny’s arms. “Hey, Monkey,” he greeted her as she cuddled up next to him. “Did you need something?”
“Kika said to tell you its bedtime. Will you come tuck me in?” she replied.
“Absolutely,” Danny replied. He shifted her over, putting her down on the ground so he could get up. “Go change and brush your teeth. I’ll be in when you’re ready.” He waited until Grace started into the house, making sure Steve was watching her, before turning to his mother. “I’m happy, Ma. Truly happy for the first time in a long time. I love Steve and I’m confident that he loves me and with my place in his life. Please trust that I know what I’m doing.” Standing up, he picked up his plate and went into the house.
Steve met him in the hallway on his way to Grace’s room. Danny started to brush past him, but stopped when Steve slid his arms around him. His first reaction was to tense, but after a moment the familiarity of Steve’s touch calmed him and he relaxed. “Grace’ll be fine for a moment,” Steve whispered. “She’ll call if she needs you. Just breathe.”
“I’m not going crazy,” Danny replied, his voice muffled from where it was pressed against Steve’s chest.
“No, if you were going to go crazy, I would have driven you there a long time ago,” Steve teased.
“Glad you understand that.”
Steve’s arms tightened around him in answer before he pressed a kiss to the top of Danny’s head. “You get things settled with your mom?”
“As settled as they’re gonna be.” Danny pushed away gently. “I need to go tuck Grace in.”
“You need to?” Steve questioned. “You’re changing our routine?”
“All right, we need to,” Danny replied, rolling his eyes. “Come on.”
When they entered the little girl’s room, Grace was sitting up in bed, a copy of the book they’d been reading in her lap. She held it out to Steve, with a hopeful look on her face. “Your turn to read, Kika,” she reminded him.
“I think you’re right,” Steve answered, accepting the book from her. “So where were we?” He settled down next to Grace, lifting his arm so she could lean against him.
Danny smiled at them as he lowered himself onto the end of the bed, leaning against the wall. He rested his hand on Steve’s shin as the other man began reading in a low voice. Grace followed along, interjecting comments and questions as he went. Danny rubbed his shin, proud of Steve’s patience. He’d come a long way in the months they’d been doing this; treating her interruptions not as the disrespect he’d once seen it as, but now as a child’s honest curiousness.
Grace’s eyes were starting to droop long before they finished the chapter, but Steve continued reading until it was done, closing the book quietly when he got to the end. He eased her down into a prone position, tucking the blankets up around her chin, and kissing her on the forehead. Danny kissed her himself, whispering, “Sleep tight, Monkey.”
“Night, Daddy. Night, Kika,” Grace murmured sleepily.
“Night, Sweetie,” Steve added, pausing at the door as Danny turned on her nightlight and turned off the overhead. He slipped his arm around the other man’s shoulders as they left the room. “So I’m assuming our plans for tomorrow are shot?” he asked.
Danny groaned. “I forgot about that. No, we’d better not change them. I’m not dealing with both Grace and Kono pouting at me. But I meant what I said. Grace is not surfing.”
Steve grinned, kissing the side of Danny’s head. “I know. We know. Boogie boarding only. Never mind that all of us learned a hell of earlier than her.”
“Don’t go there, McGarrett. She’s lucky she’s getting these lessons.” He shuddered. “My daughter and a bikini.”
Steve chuckled as he started clearing off the table. “Is now a good time to point out that it’s actually a better idea for her to wear a one piece? And that Kono does know what she’s doing?”
“Yeah, that’s helpful, thanks,” Danny answered; picking up the beer Steve had been drinking from and finishing it off. He looked at his mother as she entered the dining room, studying the two of them. “You need something, Ma?”
“Did Grace go to sleep?” she asked.
Danny nodded, accepting the beer Steve brought back for him. “Yeah, we’ve got plans for tomorrow so she actually went down pretty fast.” He motioned towards the living room. “You’re welcome to join us or we can see about getting you transportation.”
She watched the two men settle themselves on the couch; Steve providing support for Danny to lean against. “What are you planning to do?”
“Kono, one of the other members of our team,” Steve explained, “is giving Grace boogie board lessons. We were all planning to spend the day down at the beach. Like Danny said, you’re welcome to join us, but only if you’re willing to understand that this is our family and our time together.”
She tipped her head in acknowledgment of his words. “I can understand why you wouldn’t be exactly welcoming to me…”
“You’re Danny’s mother and until you hurt him, I’d never turn you away, but you came in here and drew conclusions about things you know nothing about,” Steve replied. Danny’s hand tightened on his, offering support.
“I’ll admit I might have been a bit hasty,” she said, “but you need to see it from my point. I came here expecting to find my son living alone, spending time with his daughter. Not shacked up with another man.”
“And now?” Danny asked.
She looked the two of them in the eye, took in the comfortable way they sat together and the ease in which they’d worked together and dealt with Grace. “You’re obviously good for my son and obviously care for him greatly. And anyone who is willing to understand that my granddaughter comes first with Danny obviously understands my son.” She leaned forward a little. “But if you ever, ever hurt my son or my granddaughter in anyway…no one will ever find your body.”
Steve nodded solemnly. “Yes, ma’am. I understand.”
“Good.” She stood up, crossing the room and leaning over to kiss each of them briefly on the head. “Good night, boys.”
Steve let out a breath once she left the room. “Well,” he said. “That went well.”
“Oh yeah totally,” Danny grumbled.
Steve bent his head, kissing Danny lazily. “It could have been a lot worse,” he said when they separated. “Now come on. That little girl of yours gets up awfully early.”
Danny allowed himself to be pulled to his feet. “Oh, now she’s my little girl?” he asked as he followed Steve towards their bedroom. A soft chuckle was the only response as their door clicked shut behind them.
Characters: Steve McGarrett/Danny Williams, Grace Williams, Mrs. Williams
Fandom: Hawaii Five-O (Shifter Verse AU)
Summary: A quiet weekend’s plans get disrupted when someone makes a surprise visit.
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Minor bad words, nothing really major
Disclaimer: No one recognizable belongs to me…too bad, right?
Author's Note: This is sorta from this prompt on kinkme_h50 , but since I didn’t stick to the prompt, I’m not counting it as a fill. Part of the Shifter verse that I’ve been writing for emocezi , but not one of the ones I was planning (yes, clearly I fail on actually writing what I plan). This is the farthest into the verse I have gone…this is future fic for the current show. Thanks to grnidshrk for the absolutely awesome header for the series (and icon) and to samjohnsson for how to embed the translations. I should have a master post up later tonight or tomorrow morning :-)
Danny frowned as his cell phone cheerily burst out with Age of Aquarius and he quickly dug it out of his pocket, flipping it open as Steve turned the corner that would take them back in the direction of headquarters. “Ma, what’s wrong?” he asked, bracing a hand against the dashboard as Steve took a corner a bit too fast this time. He spared a second to glare at his partner. “Not in a race,” he hissed at the other man.
Steve had the intelligence to look sheepish and mouth “Sorry” at him, motioning to the phone as if asking what was going on. Danny shrugged in reply, trying to catch what his mother was saying through the ambient noise.
“Ma, Ma. MA!” he broke in. “I can’t hear you. Where are you?”
“I’m at the Honolulu Airport, sweetie. I thought it’d be a nice surprise if I flew in and was at your place to make dinner for you and Grace when you got back from picking her up for the weekend,” she answered suddenly much clearer.
“You’re. Where?” Danny asked, as he felt the blood drain from his face. Steve looked at him sharply, obviously smelling a change and moved a hand over to his leg, squeezing gently.
When his mother replied this time, she sounded a bit confused, “The airport, Danny. Are you all right? I’m going to get a cab and take it to your apartment. I’ll see you after you pick Grace up.”
“No!” Danny yelped. “Ma, don’t do that,” he continued in a somewhat calmer voice. “Give me a couple of minutes and I’ll head over and get you.”
“Can you do that? I mean is it okay with your boss?” she asked.
Danny glanced at Steve who was watching him as much as he was able since the other man was driving. The dark haired man nodded now, saying quietly, “I’ll take you if you want.”
“Yeah, it’s fine with him,” Danny answered his mother. “I’ll just be a couple of minutes and then I’ll come get you. Let security know a member of Five-O is coming to get you, okay?”
“All right, Danny. I love you.”
“Love you, too, Ma.” Danny dropped his head back against the headrest as he hung up the phone. “Crap. Crap. Crap. CRAP!”
“What’s wrong?” Steve rubbed Danny’s thigh comfortingly. “Do you want me to take you?”
“My mother. My mother who not only does not know I’ve moved out of my shithole of an apartment, but does not know I’ve moved in with you and am sleeping with you. Much less about the whole tiger and hoa hana thing. My mother is at the Honolulu airport.” He rolled his head sideways to look at Steve. “I’m screwed.”
“Just bring her to the house,” Steve said. “We’ll figure it out from there. Starting with, it’s expensive to live on the island and I had the house.” He leaned over and kissed Danny on the forehead, not caring that they were sitting in the back parking lot of their headquarters. “We can handle this. I’ll pick up steaks for dinner and we’ll cook when you get there. Do you want me to get Grace?”
“No. Wait. Yes. Otherwise Rachel will have a shit fit because I’m late.” Danny took a deep breath. “Okay, I can…” He looked over at Steve who was giving him a look of quiet confidence. “We can do this. Do you need me to talk to Chin before I leave?”
“Nope,” Steve replied. “Just go. Don’t leave her sitting there. I’ll take care of everything here. And get Grace. And see you at the house.”
Danny glanced around before leaning over and kissing Steve quickly on the lips. “Sometimes your Army anal retentiveness comes in handy,” he said as he got out of the car.
“Navy!” Steve yelled after him. “I was in the Navy!”
Danny grinned to himself as he slid behind the wheel of his own car. It was nice to know that there were some things he could still get under Steve’s skin about. With everything that had changed in their relationship, it was nice to see some things remain the same.
When he reached the airport, he left the car in the designated zone for police and hurried into the building looking around for his mother. A security guard waved him down almost as soon as he entered. “Detective Williams?” he questioned.
Danny nodded, flipping his ID open and showing it. “My mother?” he asked.
“She’s fine, sir. Found one of our guys and said you’d be here soon. This way.”
Danny followed him to a security office where he found his mother sitting patiently, her bag by her side. “Danny,” she said cheerfully when he entered. “You really didn’t have to come get me.”
Enfolding her in his arms, Danny hugged her tightly. “Yeah, I kinda did, Ma,” he replied. He kissed the top of her head, marveling as always that the woman who had always seemed like a giant to him was so slight in his arms. “Come on. I’ll explain later.” He nodded at the guards. “Thanks, guys.”
“I don’t understand why you wanted to come all the way over here to pick me up. Is there something wrong with the cabs here?” she asked as he guided her through the airport.
“No, Ma, there’s nothing wrong. You just would have gone to the wrong place,” he explained.
“You moved? When did you move? Why? Why didn’t you tell me?” she demanded as they settled into the car.
“Yeah, Ma, I moved. I didn’t tell you because I’ve been a little busy with work and Grace and all. I didn’t think it was a big deal.”
“So where are you living now? Is it a nice place? A safe place?”
Danny bit his lip so he didn’t smile at the thought of his mother asking if he was living in a safe place. “You do remember I’m a cop, right? And I carry a gun? Yes, it’s a safe place. My partner, Steve, inherited a house from his dad and since he’s got no family here, I’m living there. He’s got enough space that Grace has a room and it works out for all of us.”
“I’m not sure I like the idea of you living with someone else,” she said as Danny pulled off the highway. “You saw how well that worked out with the bitch.”
Danny winced, although he couldn’t disagree with his mother’s assessment of his ex-wife. “Ma, its fine. Steve’s a good guy. You’ll like him. And Grace adores him.” He jumped as his phone rang, the song Everyone is Totally Insane announcing that the subject of their conversation was the caller. “What, McGarrett?” Danny asked.
“Our little princess would like to know if we may have pizza for dinner instead of steaks,” Steve replied. “She doesn’t understand why we want to waste time with cooking,” he drew out the final word not unlike Grace would. In the background, Danny could hear Grace saying, “Please, Danno? Pretty please?”
“Hang on a moment.” Danny glanced over at his mother. “Is it all right if we have pizza for dinner? Grace is asking for it.”
“That sounds fine, dear. Is that Grace?” she replied.
“No, it’s the two of them,” he answered her before telling them, “All right pizza it is, but there had better not be any fruit on mine!”
“Yeah, yeah, Danno, we know. Pizza is crust, mozz, and cheese. I think I’ve heard the rant enough. You almost here?”
“About ten more minutes,” Danny replied. “You should order it.”
“Already done. See you soon.” Danny could almost hear the grin in his voice as he added, “Love ya, Danno.”
As soon as Danny hung up the phone, his mother asked, “Your partner has Grace?”
“It was a divide and conquer thing, Ma. I came to get you and he went to pick Grace up so Rachel didn’t have to wait. He didn’t mind.” Danny changed the subject, hoping to get his mother off the topic. He still wasn’t sure how he was going to broach the subject of his relationship with Steve. In the meantime, he knew he could distract her by asking about his numerous relations still on the mainland.
When Danny pulled his Camero into the driveway next to Steve’s, he could see Grace waiting under the portico. She knew better than to run towards the car when it was still running, but she was jumping up and down with impatience by the time he turned the car off. Apparently Steve had laid down the law though because she stayed put even after Danny exited the car. She turned back towards the open door as they started up the walk and asked, “Now, Kika?”
“Are they away from the car?” Steve’s voice came from inside the house.
“Yes, sir,” Grace answered promptly.
“Then yes,” he replied.
Grace grinned at that and tore up the walkway, slamming into Danny’s legs. “Kika said you said yes to pizza, Danno.”
“Hello to you, too, Monkey,” Danny replied, swinging her up into his arms and hugging her. “Why were you banished to the porch?”
Grace leaned over, squirming until Danny had to put her down or risk dropping her. She immediately bounded over to her grandmother. “Hi, Nana,” she cried, throwing her arms around the second person with only slightly less enthusiasm.
Steve had come out onto the porch now; taking the bag Danny had gone back to the car for. He made an abortive move towards the shorter man and Danny blocked his mother’s view with his body, gripping Steve’s arm for a moment. He hoped it would be enough until they had a minute of privacy. His raised eyebrows were enough to ask the other man what had happened with Grace. “Its fine,” Steve assured him in a quiet voice. “I just didn’t want her out of my sight.”
“Problem?” Danny murmured.
Steve bared his teeth. “Not anymore.” He raised his voice as Grace and Danny’s mother got to the steps. “Mrs. Williams, welcome to Honolulu. And welcome to our home.” Kneeling down in front of Grace, he suggested, “Why don’t you show your grandma to the room she’s going to use? She’ll stay in the room Aunt Mary uses. And let Daddy clean up and change?”
Grace nodded happily. “Okay.” Tugging on the hand she held, she led her grandmother away. “It’s this way.”
“Go get cleaned up,” Steve said. “Take five minutes. I can handle them.”
Danny pulled him towards their bedroom in reply. “I don’t get five minutes of you?”
“Is that what you want?” Steve asked.
“I think it’s what you need,” Danny answered. The door clicked shut behind them. Grace knew to knock on the door before entering and the five minutes they would take now weren’t something they minded having interrupted. “You okay?” Danny asked as Steve wrapped his arms around him and buried his nose behind Danny’s ear.
Steve just inhaled for a minute, breathing in Danny’s scent. He nosed down the other man’s neck, following the scent he wanted and darting his tongue out to take tiny tastes. “Don’t start something we don’t have time to finish,” Danny groaned.
Steve pulled back far enough to whisper, “You offered.”
“No, I asked if you were okay and offered to let you take a scent hit,” Danny argued. He pushed against Steve, pleased when the other man backed off without an issue. Looking him over, he was pleased to notice nothing marring his countenance but stress lines. “You planning to tell me what happened when you went to get Grace?” he asked as he undid his tie and moved towards the closet.
“I told you. It’s taken care of,” Steve replied, watching as Danny economically stripped down and headed into the bathroom. He picked up Danny’s service weapon from where the other man had set it on the dresser and locked it away in their lockbox. From the bathroom, he heard the sound of the shower start up. Figuring the pizza would arrive soon, he stuck his head into the bathroom. “Hey, your gun’s locked up. I’m gonna go back out in case the pizza gets here.”
Danny poked his head out of the shower. “Okay. Hey?” Beckoning Steve closer, he pulled him into a lazy kiss. “Thanks.”
“Uh-huh,” Steve murmured as he pulled back. “Right.”
“Steve?”
“Yeah?”
“Go deal with Grace and the pizza and my mom.”
“Right. Grace. Mom. Pizza.”
Danny chuckled to himself as Steve left the bathroom. Whatever was disturbing Steve couldn’t be too bad if the man allowed himself to be distracted that much by Danny kissing him.
By the time Danny rejoined the rest of his family, they were seated at the table with the pizza. Grace had pizza but no drink and was picking at her food, almost pouting. “Daddy,” she cried as soon as she saw Danny, “Kika won’t let me have soda.”
Danny looked at Steve, who shrugged in response, obviously knowing why she was appealing to her father, but willing to be overruled if Danny felt the need. “I think the pizza is enough of a treat,” he replied. “What would you like instead?”
She pouted for a minute, before getting a look of calculation in her eye. “Can I have Kool-Aid?” she asked.
“May I…?” Steve corrected, without pausing to think about how it looked to their guest. Grace was used to him having a say in everyday activities and generally reacted with an even temper.
Danny nodded in response, snagging the slice Steve held out to him on his way into the kitchen. “A small glass, Grace,” he answered, before taking a bite and setting the pizza on the plate that Steve had left out for him, well used to Danny’s habits.
When he turned back around with the pitcher in his hands, he almost jumped to find his mother right there. “Ma!” he yelped. “Please don’t do that.” He set the pitcher down before he dropped it.
“Why is that man correcting your daughter? And what exactly is she calling him?” She crossed her arms, glaring at her son. “Daniel, I was going to overlook you sharing a house with another man, but I’m not sure I like him having influence on Grace.”
“Danno?” Grace had come to the doorway, obviously looking for her drink, but she’d caught the end of what her grandmother had said and now she was looking worried. “Why doesn’t Nana like Kika?” she asked.
Danny knelt down, inviting Grace into his arms. “It’s not that she doesn’t like him, Monkey,” he assured her. “Nana just didn’t know that I was living here and she doesn’t know Kika, so she doesn’t know if she should trust him.”
Grace seemed to consider this for a minute before proclaiming, “He’s my Kika just like Daddy is my Danno.”
His mother didn’t look reassured by her words and Danny kissed the top of her head. “Go finish your dinner, Monkey. And then you can watch a movie for a little bit.”
“May I watch Kiss of the Dragon?” she asked slyly.
“No and don’t think I’m not wise to you. You’ll watch one of your movies, Missy.” Danny tweaked her nose. Sticking his head into the dining room, he said, “Steve? I’m gonna go out onto the lanai with Ma and talk to her. Grace can watch one of her movies when she’s done eating.”
“You need to eat, Danny,” Steve responded. He quickly piled a couple of slices of pizza on a plate and brought it over to him. “Eat,” he reminded him.
“I will,” Danny responded, accepting the plate. Turning he motioned for his mother to proceed him out the door, snagging a bottle of water as he followed her.
Setting the plate and bottle on the table, he picked up the lighter from the shelf it sat on and lit the torches placed around the patio to keep the bugs away. Sitting down, he began eating; knowing Steve would check to be sure he had. In these cases, he had learned it was better just to wait his mother out. No matter what he said, she would make her own decisions about things and once she’d had her say, he might be able to get a word in edgewise.
“How did you meet Steve?” she asked when he’d had time to eat an entire slice of pizza.
Danny nodded; apparently she wanted more information before she made her proclamations which was a good thing. “Through work. On a case actually. I was investigating his father’s murder and Steve…” he sighed, trying to figure out how to explain those first few hectic days where they barely understood each other much less what was going on around them. “Steve wanted to find the answers himself. Didn’t like a haole cop telling him what to do. We butted heads over, well, everything.”
“And you ended up working with him?”
Danny took a drink of water, using the time to gather his thoughts. “Steve’s,” he laughed, “Steve’s a boulder in constant motion. He wants his way and it takes a river to stop him. The governor offered him carte blanche on a task force to go after the high profile creeps. Yeah, we’re at her beck and call at times, but we do real good. We’ve got a team that we’re proud of and we’ve solved cases no one should have.”
“That doesn’t explain what you’re doing here. And why he has influence over Grace.”
“What do you want, Ma? I’m a grown man. You don’t trust me to make my own decisions?”
“Your track record doesn’t instill much confidence in me,” she replied. “Are you sure you can trust this man?”
“Steve has never had anything other than my best interests in mind,” Danny answered. “And Grace’s for that matter. The first week…the very first week Steve knew me; he pulled strings and gave me a weekend at a hotel so Grace could swim with the dolphins. Since then he’s done everything in his power to help me with Grace and to protect me.” He glanced back towards the house where he knew Steve was most likely fighting his instincts to come to Danny’s aid. “I would have lost Grace because of Rachel’s manipulations if not for him, Ma. I would have lost my little girl.”
“Is this what’s best for you though? What about your job? Aren’t you worried about repercussions?”
“This isn’t Jersey,” Danny pointed out. “And things are a bit…different here. As Steve is constantly reminding me. And our team is more than just a job and a workplace. It’s all about ohana, family. Even before Steve and I got involved, the team was more than just a group of people who worked together. Hell the other two who work with us are cousins and are related to half the island I swear. If there are repercussions…it won’t be because of our private lives.”
“Why didn't you tell me? Are you ashamed of him? I raised you better than that, Daniel. Why didn't you tell me about him when I called last week?” she demanded.
“I can’t have a private life?” he replied.
She reached out, grabbing his ear and twisting, still faster than he would ever be. “Ow! Ow! Ow! Ma, leggo!” he yelped.
“Answer. The. Questions, Daniel Marshall Williams.”
“God, I’m not fifteen anymore, Ma. I am allowed to have a sex life,” he bitched and then winced as she smacked him on the back of the head.
“I didn’t tell you because I was sitting in the middle of headquarters when you called and we do attempt to be discrete at work. It doesn’t always happen, but we do attempt it. And no, I’m not ashamed of him. I’m not ashamed of anything, but it’s not exactly something I can blurt out over the phone. Oh hey Ma, by the way, I’m sleeping with a guy now and we’re shacked up together.”
She made a motion to smack him again, but he ducked this time. “You don’t need to be sarcastic about this.”
“How do you want me to be, Ma? How about we just drop this, okay? I’m happy, I’m not being coerced. And we’re safe. I promise.”
The rasp of the door drew his attention away from his mother and Danny motioned to his daughter who was hovering in the doorway, Steve a guarding presence behind her. Steve continued to hover in the doorway as Grace flew across the lanai and into Danny’s arms. “Hey, Monkey,” he greeted her as she cuddled up next to him. “Did you need something?”
“Kika said to tell you its bedtime. Will you come tuck me in?” she replied.
“Absolutely,” Danny replied. He shifted her over, putting her down on the ground so he could get up. “Go change and brush your teeth. I’ll be in when you’re ready.” He waited until Grace started into the house, making sure Steve was watching her, before turning to his mother. “I’m happy, Ma. Truly happy for the first time in a long time. I love Steve and I’m confident that he loves me and with my place in his life. Please trust that I know what I’m doing.” Standing up, he picked up his plate and went into the house.
Steve met him in the hallway on his way to Grace’s room. Danny started to brush past him, but stopped when Steve slid his arms around him. His first reaction was to tense, but after a moment the familiarity of Steve’s touch calmed him and he relaxed. “Grace’ll be fine for a moment,” Steve whispered. “She’ll call if she needs you. Just breathe.”
“I’m not going crazy,” Danny replied, his voice muffled from where it was pressed against Steve’s chest.
“No, if you were going to go crazy, I would have driven you there a long time ago,” Steve teased.
“Glad you understand that.”
Steve’s arms tightened around him in answer before he pressed a kiss to the top of Danny’s head. “You get things settled with your mom?”
“As settled as they’re gonna be.” Danny pushed away gently. “I need to go tuck Grace in.”
“You need to?” Steve questioned. “You’re changing our routine?”
“All right, we need to,” Danny replied, rolling his eyes. “Come on.”
When they entered the little girl’s room, Grace was sitting up in bed, a copy of the book they’d been reading in her lap. She held it out to Steve, with a hopeful look on her face. “Your turn to read, Kika,” she reminded him.
“I think you’re right,” Steve answered, accepting the book from her. “So where were we?” He settled down next to Grace, lifting his arm so she could lean against him.
Danny smiled at them as he lowered himself onto the end of the bed, leaning against the wall. He rested his hand on Steve’s shin as the other man began reading in a low voice. Grace followed along, interjecting comments and questions as he went. Danny rubbed his shin, proud of Steve’s patience. He’d come a long way in the months they’d been doing this; treating her interruptions not as the disrespect he’d once seen it as, but now as a child’s honest curiousness.
Grace’s eyes were starting to droop long before they finished the chapter, but Steve continued reading until it was done, closing the book quietly when he got to the end. He eased her down into a prone position, tucking the blankets up around her chin, and kissing her on the forehead. Danny kissed her himself, whispering, “Sleep tight, Monkey.”
“Night, Daddy. Night, Kika,” Grace murmured sleepily.
“Night, Sweetie,” Steve added, pausing at the door as Danny turned on her nightlight and turned off the overhead. He slipped his arm around the other man’s shoulders as they left the room. “So I’m assuming our plans for tomorrow are shot?” he asked.
Danny groaned. “I forgot about that. No, we’d better not change them. I’m not dealing with both Grace and Kono pouting at me. But I meant what I said. Grace is not surfing.”
Steve grinned, kissing the side of Danny’s head. “I know. We know. Boogie boarding only. Never mind that all of us learned a hell of earlier than her.”
“Don’t go there, McGarrett. She’s lucky she’s getting these lessons.” He shuddered. “My daughter and a bikini.”
Steve chuckled as he started clearing off the table. “Is now a good time to point out that it’s actually a better idea for her to wear a one piece? And that Kono does know what she’s doing?”
“Yeah, that’s helpful, thanks,” Danny answered; picking up the beer Steve had been drinking from and finishing it off. He looked at his mother as she entered the dining room, studying the two of them. “You need something, Ma?”
“Did Grace go to sleep?” she asked.
Danny nodded, accepting the beer Steve brought back for him. “Yeah, we’ve got plans for tomorrow so she actually went down pretty fast.” He motioned towards the living room. “You’re welcome to join us or we can see about getting you transportation.”
She watched the two men settle themselves on the couch; Steve providing support for Danny to lean against. “What are you planning to do?”
“Kono, one of the other members of our team,” Steve explained, “is giving Grace boogie board lessons. We were all planning to spend the day down at the beach. Like Danny said, you’re welcome to join us, but only if you’re willing to understand that this is our family and our time together.”
She tipped her head in acknowledgment of his words. “I can understand why you wouldn’t be exactly welcoming to me…”
“You’re Danny’s mother and until you hurt him, I’d never turn you away, but you came in here and drew conclusions about things you know nothing about,” Steve replied. Danny’s hand tightened on his, offering support.
“I’ll admit I might have been a bit hasty,” she said, “but you need to see it from my point. I came here expecting to find my son living alone, spending time with his daughter. Not shacked up with another man.”
“And now?” Danny asked.
She looked the two of them in the eye, took in the comfortable way they sat together and the ease in which they’d worked together and dealt with Grace. “You’re obviously good for my son and obviously care for him greatly. And anyone who is willing to understand that my granddaughter comes first with Danny obviously understands my son.” She leaned forward a little. “But if you ever, ever hurt my son or my granddaughter in anyway…no one will ever find your body.”
Steve nodded solemnly. “Yes, ma’am. I understand.”
“Good.” She stood up, crossing the room and leaning over to kiss each of them briefly on the head. “Good night, boys.”
Steve let out a breath once she left the room. “Well,” he said. “That went well.”
“Oh yeah totally,” Danny grumbled.
Steve bent his head, kissing Danny lazily. “It could have been a lot worse,” he said when they separated. “Now come on. That little girl of yours gets up awfully early.”
Danny allowed himself to be pulled to his feet. “Oh, now she’s my little girl?” he asked as he followed Steve towards their bedroom. A soft chuckle was the only response as their door clicked shut behind them.