A/N Takes place before the whole Charlie drama. The plot is mine, though sadly the characters aren't. Hope you enjoy it.


We Still Have Tomorrow

o.o.o.o.o.o

Danny tried to sit still. He really did, he tried not to fidget. He was in a beautiful place with a soothing air around him. He really liked this place. He could see the city from here, but it was only in his periphery, reassuring him with the knowledge that he was still part of the crowd, and wasn't really lost to civilization sitting here.

But if he turned his head a little and forgot the city, he was alone with the horizon. Magnificent rocks standing as walls for the waves crashing into them, and in the distance there was only the ocean. Blue water everywhere. It was beautiful, even he had to admit. It was calming.

He really, really liked this place. He spent so much time sitting here thinking about his life and his choices.

But if he had to spend one more minute in this paradise he was going to scream.

Where. The. Hell. Was. Steve.

He winced. Okay, bad choice of words.

He knew that Steve was still suffering but SuperSEAL promised him he would be here. So where was he? Danny was going crazy waiting for that crazy ninja to appear. He told him to be here and it was almost sunset.

He fished out his phone from his pocket. He knew it was useless, but he still wanted to look – yep, no service here.

Okay, so if Steve wasn't coming to Danny, than Danny had to go to Steve. Which one was the mountain in this case?

He pinched the bridge of his nose. He really didn't want to start thinking about stupid things like comparing himself to an inanimate object. Really, was a mountain an object? Or was it a…

He growled. He was really going crazy. He had so much to do instead of thinking of stupid things and sitting here waiting for someone who was clearly not coming.

You should have come, Steve. Now I'll drag you kicking and screaming if I have to, but I'm not going to wait anymore, paradise or not.

o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o

He found him on the lanai. Steve was just sitting there, watching the water. He looked like a statue, so still. For a moment Danny remembered a song about two lovers who were only a step from each other, one of them reaching out to the other, but they were without hope, for they were only two statues on the top of a rock. This is what Steve looked, kinda. Knowing that you could never reach what you want, but locked in that last desperate moment when you still think you can reach it.

Danny sighed. He knew that Steve really had it bad but he had hoped that his fearless leader would at least try, and not just sit there like a lump of misery.

He took a moment to prepare himself for the inevitable confrontation, and sat down in the chair next to Steve. Oh, how many times had they sat here watching the waves. He vaguely remembered something about friends not needing to watch each other, because real friends always looked in the same direction.

God, today he was full of wisdom. He smiled to himself. No pun intended, really. Maybe this was not so bad after all. He was afraid that he couldn't make jokes anymore, but he was not struck by lightning for cracking jokes, so everything was kosher. Heh, another joke.

He was so deep in thought and smiling about his apparent wit that he almost jumped when Steve finally talked.

"Danny?"

Danny cleared his throat and looked at him.

"Steve?"

But as he looked at him he could see that Steve was still lost in his thoughts. It was very unnerving to see his friend in this state. Steve always knew what to do, and even when he was still, his body was in action, you could see him actually be still, like a conscious effort, every muscle knowing its place in the system. But as he was sitting here, he just…was. Without a purpose, without energy.

Danny always thought that out of the two of them he would be the one who wouldn't accept a situation like this. Steve was prepared to face everything, to accept losses, and Danny was the one who wasn't. He thought he would panic, he would run around screaming, or just lie motionlessly on the ground wishing himself away from the world.

He was very, very surprised when it was almost the opposite.

"Do you…" Ah, yes, Steve, still sitting next to him. He waited for him to finish his thought. And finish he did.

"Do you miss Grace?"

Yes, he knew that his Steve was still inside somewhere.

And this was the one question that wiped the smile off his face and almost made him run around screaming at the injustice of the situation.

Yes, he missed Grace. She was his Monkey, she gave him purpose, he loved her with all his heart, and now, sitting here, ha almost broke down crying, knowing he would never see her again.

He cried, cried and shouted for days after he first woke up after that day. He didn't want to accept. How could he? Knowing that he would never kiss her daughter again, would never take her to another dance.

But uncertainty was one thing he had to learn to live with as a father. Never knowing what the next day would bring. And maybe, just maybe that was what helped him in the end. Knowing that anything could happen – even this.

And now it seemed that even though Gracie was his daughter, it was Steve who couldn't walk on. Steve, the man who, though never planned ahead, was always in control of every situation – except this. Danny smiled ruefully. Yes, death was an ugly thing.

"There isn't a moment when I don't miss her. But I accepted that this is how it's going to be." He paused and looked at Steve. "And at least I know that she still has everyone around her, while here you are the only one who can console me. And you're doing such a great job." He finished sarcastically. Sarcasm was good. Steve always reacted to it. And yes, something flickered in his eyes. So Danny continued."You know, I'm almost happy that you're here with me. I wouldn't dare imagine you consoling Grace. She would probably starve to death next to you, you haven't moved for days!"

Steve growled. "Danny, it's not funny. You shouldn't make fun of…"

"Of what, Steve?" Danny interrupted. "That again you were stupid enough to run into a situation without backup…"

"You were my backup." Steve mumbled, but Danny continued, not acknowledging him.

"And for the first time in your life you were stupid enough to actually die?"

"For the first time?" Steve was amused. And Danny was happy. Finally, he was getting his Steve back. There was some fire in his eyes and he didn't look like a living corpse anymore. Pun definitely intended. "And it doesn't even matter that we saved the whole island?" Steve asked.

"Details, Steve. The point is that this," and he waved his arms around, while Steve looked on with a smile on his face, "is entirely your fault."

"That we died?"

"No. That even in death we are still here. In this pineapple infested hellhole."

Steve smirked. "I thought it was heaven. And I wouldn't offend the Boss too much, He might decide that you don't have a place in paradise."

"I might have to talk to him about our different interpretations of paradise." Danny grumbled.

They sat for some time, watching the water. Déjà vu. Danny tried to sit still, he really did. He tried not to fidget. He was in a beautiful place, again, with a soothing air around him. He really liked this place. Just like the cliffs. And just like there, he was still restless. And he was sure Steve noticed this, because he was, well, Steve. And he was also sure Steve was annoying him on purpose with his calm aura. He couldn't stand it anymore.

"So?"

"So what?" Steve chuckled. Danny growled. Definitely on purpose.

"Are we going, or what?"

Steve smiled at him. Infuriating crazy ninja. "I don't know, Danno. I could spend eternity here."

"Yeah, well, I couldn't. And because we arrived together, we have to go on together. So let's go because I want to see what is on the other side, or wherever. I just hope it's pineapple-free."

"Danny, it's heaven. I am sure they have pineapples."

Danny stood up. "I almost don't care. Because I'm sure they have normal pizza as well." He looked at Steve, but he was still sitting in the chair.

"Can't we go tomorrow?"

"Why? Wanna pack up your grenades? I don't think they recruit in that army."

Steve shot him a glare. "It's the Na…" Danny turned to him and lifted his eyebrows. Steve stopped and cleared his throat. "Anyway, thought we could watch a last sunset here. We still have tomorrow to go on."

Danny stood for a minute before replying. "Yes, we still do." He sighed and sat down. "Okay, one last sunset. But tomorrow we are going to leave even if I have to drag you all the way there."

Steve, the impossible man smiled at him. "I love you too, Danno."

Danny just grumbled. "Yeah, yeah, you'll have eternity to show just how much." But even as he said it, he sat next to Steve and watched the sunset.

End.