All Bets Are On - H50 Danny/Stve

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Title: “All Bets Are On”
Fandom: H50 vagggguuueeellyyy AU (I guess either is or it isn’t, but the only real difference is that Steve decided to follow in his father’s footsteps and be a cop and Chin was probably never kicked off the force)
Characters: Grace and Danny are the main two and Steve plays a big role, then the majority of everyone else makes an appearance.
Pairing: Danny/Steve
Summary: Grace is a smart girl. Danny needs to take her advice.
Rating: PG-13 to be on the safe side.
Spoilers: None really.
Warnings: slashy
Disclaimer: Who gave me the rights to H50? No one yet. But I'm still hoping.

Author's Note:

I wasn’t interested in adding Lori and I just don’t feel the characters have a connection with the new Gov. So I made them cops with a Police Chief. And now I think this note is longer than the story itself…


Danny had had Grace for the weekend and now he was taking her back to Rachel’s. He was thankful his daughter had never become particularly sullen, even though she was fifteen. She did have a little attitude, but he guessed he shouldn’t be surprised considering who her parents were. Today though, she seemed quieter than usual. He glanced at her often, doing his best to read her expression and talk to her without pushing too hard about what was bugging her. They weren’t too far from Rachel’s when she finally spoke up.

“Danno?”

“Yeah, Monkey?” He was thankful that she was talking. She rolled her eyes at “monkey”; she usually told him she was getting too old for that, but today she refrained from reminding him.

“Mom tried to answer a question I had, but I still don’t understand.”

Her statement was not encouraging and he was starting to feel more nervous. “Why don’t you ask me and I’ll do my best, okay?”

“Mom says men have trouble talking about their feelings when they love someone,” she said. He was sure he was having a heart attack, but he did his best to continue breathing. “And she said that you especially have trouble because of how things didn’t work out with you and her.” Danny chuckled a little at her response and breathed a sigh of relief, even if he was a little annoyed with Rachel.

“Well, I don’t know if I have more trouble, but yes, men do sometimes find it difficult to tell people how they feel.”

“You don’t have trouble telling me.”

“You’re special, baby, besides, you’re easy to love.”

“Hmm,” she said looking thoughtful. She was quiet for a little while and Danny was thankful for how easy he’d gotten off with that question. Danny pulled into the long drive way after waiting at the gate. As he was unbuckling his seat-belt (he wanted to talk to Rachel before he left), Grace spoke up again, “Danno?”

“Yeah, sweetheart?”

“Steve is special, too, isn’t he?” she asked, sounding curious but not timid.

“Oh yes, Steve is a crazy kind of special,” he said laughing.

“Does that mean he’s not easy to love?”

“What?” Danny was confused.

“Is that why you haven’t told him? Because he’s not easy to love? ‘Cause I think you should tell him anyway,” she paused to give him what was one of her most persuasive faces, whether she realized it or not, and then continued, “He needs love.” Thank God he wasn’t still driving because he would have jerked the car into the lane next to them and caused a serious accident.

“Baby, Steve and I work together and I’m definitely his friend...”

“Danno, he needs you to tell him,” she informed him while she gave him one of those pleading looks that only she could give. He would have a pile of goo if it weren’t for the heart attack he was having.

“Sweetie, where is this coming from?”

“He looks at you the way you used to look at Mom when you were living in that hotel.”

“How I looked at your mom? How did you... When did you see that?”

“You looked at her that way all the time in the beginning, it was pretty obvious you wanted her back, at least it was until you met Steve.”

“No, well, I mean yeah, but when did you see Steve look at me that way?”

“I knew it! I knew you loved him. I so called it,” she said looking all too pleased with herself. Danny spluttered in response, but she did him the favor of continuing without a coherent response from him. “He looks at you that way every time I see you two. Danno,” she put her hand on his arm, in a very supportive way, which felt pretty strange to Danny who was still reeling over his daughter giving him dating advice, “tell him already.”

“Grace, it’s - we work together,” he said, sounding almost as desperate as he felt.

“So?” she said, in earnest, not with attitude like she answered when someone told her she had homework to do.

“There are office rules and -”

“You’re telling me you seriously haven’t seen the HPD pool going?” she asked, looking at him like he’d grown a tentacle from his forehead.

“What are you talking about?”

“Danno - I’ve seen the bet going on the date for the McGarrett-Williams Wedding. How have you missed it?”

“Oh - Oh my God, if the Chief sees that -,” he was really panicking now as much as he would’ve liked to remain calm about this.

She rolled her eyes at that. “He already lost. He had you guys down in October of last year.”

Danny could feel the look he was giving his daughter, the one he couldn’t stop - baffled, afraid, and somehow hopeful.

“Honey, I - ” he started and she sighed at him as though she was about to take pity on him. When had this happened? When had his daughter grown to the point of giving him advice?

“Do us all favor and just go tell the man you love him,” she patted his shoulder and looked him in the eye, “okay?” After that she gave him a quick peck on the cheek, informed him that she loved him and Steve, and bounded towards Rachel’s front door.

Danny was attempting to comprehend a lot of things at once. Processing what just happened kept overriding his ability to remember why he wanted to speak with Rachel. But thoughts of Steve kept overriding both of those things, so now, now he was...

He stared at his steering wheel. He never made it out of the car before starting it back up and pulling out of Rachel’s drive. He’d put off saying what he need to say for too long to wait one minute more.

**********

A year later, Danny was walking towards his little girl who looked beautiful in her dress, a soft pink that made her glow; of course she was always beautiful to him. He’d teased her for it when she’d picked it out, saying “I thought you’d outgrown pink!” She laughed and informed him that “A woman never outgrows a color that looks perfect on her,” and it was his turn to laugh and cry a little inside thinking she really was growing into a young woman - when had that happened? The world turned too quickly, alas there was a little he could do about that.

He kissed her cheek and she leaned into it, hugging him with one arm while the other balanced her drink.

“Congratulations, Danno!” she said happily as she straightened. “And where is the other man of the hour?” she asked looking around his shoulder.

“Oh he’s -” Danny stopped when long arms wrapped around him from behind and a chin settled on his shoulder. Danny was grateful Steve hadn’t picked the top of his head as he was sometimes wont to do.

“He’s right here.” Steve’s breathing tickled Danny’s neck and he couldn’t help but smile as he soaked in the comfort of family. Kono walked over smiling, looking darling in her simple halter blue dress, the beginnings of her baby bump showing.

“So, boss, where are you taking Danny for the honeymoon?”

“Oh, it’s a surprise,” Steve moved to stand beside Danny and gave him a smirk as he laced their fingers together and bumped Danny’s shoulder with his arm. Out of the corner of his eye, Danny could see Chief Brady.

“Oh I’ve got to talk to the Chief,” Grace said suddenly and walked briskly off to meet him.

The conversation continued around Danny, but he watched his daughter as she talked animatedly to the Chief who was shaking his head. And if he wasn’t very much mistaken and that was not likely - he was a detective after all, the Chief was handing Grace money. He extricated himself from the group, which Steve didn’t allow without a brief kiss that, regardless of its chasteness, made Danny flush and flutter and never want to leave, but he really needed to know what that was about.

He didn’t make it to the conversation before Grace had run off to see Mary who’d flown in for the ceremony. “That daughter of yours,” the Chief laughed when Danny joined him, “she’s something else. Did you really teach her to play poker?”

“Yes,” Danny answered. “And to throw a mean punch, fight dirty, and properly pitch a baseball.”

“I guess I shouldn’t have expected anything less from you, Detective Williams,” he laughed, “She’s quite a girl.”

“What was in that envelope you gave her?”

“Saw that did you? Well, I guess that’s what I pay you for. She swindled me, Danny, and I’ll be damned if I’m not impressed.”

“She swindled you?”

“Everyone had bets on when you and McGarrett would figure out what was going on between you two and finally get together. Everyone lost. Then she came in and told the station she could get you two to tie the knot in a year and well, she nailed it.” He paused for a moment and then laughed, “I should never have bet with a girl who had inside information. Ah, well, no one’s fault but mine. Congratulations, Detective Williams. We’ll see you in a few weeks! Maybe that’ll give me enough time to figure out who can handle a partner like McGarrett now that the two of you are married. Kono is pregnant and Chin has his own department, ah, but that is not your problem though, is it? Enjoy your honeymoon,” the Chief patted Danny’s shoulder, “I’m going home to my wife, go spend some time with yours,” he said with a wink and walked away. Danny enjoyed the playful dig at Steve but was glad that Steve didn’t hear it; the whining would have been bad enough but then the pouting would follow.

Danny watched Brady go and then turned to watch his daughter who as laughing with Kono and Mary. He wasn’t sure whether to be proud or angry but he had to laugh at her audacity. She was in so much trouble for betting on his life, or she should be, except her cheating to win a bet may have made him the happiest he’d ever been. He shook his head, he didn’t know what to think other than: That’s my daughter.

“You look like a mad man standing over here alone laughing at the air,” Steve’s voice washed over him, better than any wave.

“I just found out our Grace bet on when we’d get married,” he said, “and won by setting us up.”

“She sounds a lot like you,” Steve laughed and then looked a little surprise. “Yeah, our Grace,” he said it like he was trying it out; letting it roll over his tongue, pausing like he savored it before continuing. “I guess we’ll have to buy her a car and then ground her from driving it. Come on, Danny, let’s go home to our bed and tomorrow, we’ll go on our honeymoon.”

“And you’re really not going to tell me where we’re going are you?”

“Nope. It’s a surprise,” Steve said grinning. Danny chuckled; happily anticipating spending the night trying to get it out of him, there was something he intended to do with his tongue that he suspected SEAL training had not trained Mr. Navy Ninja to withstand.

Comments

[sanguine2.livejournal.com]

this was made of so much happy -
I LOVE your tricky Grace and her wonderful relationship with her Dad!
(and I love that you gave her a second, pretty wonderful Dad)
yummy fic!