Disclaimer: Ideas are fictional; not making any money on this. Hawaii 5-0 belongs to CBS. That's okay because none of this would work on TV.

Grace set the table while Steve and Danny finished cooking. They all sat down together to share breakfast. Danny asked Grace "What took you so long Monkey? I thought I was going to have to come up and get you."

Grace explained that her mom had called. Danny wasn't surprised that Rachel phoned Grace. He knew Rachel was probably going into 'Grace withdrawal', an ailment he had suffered from constantly since the divorce.

"How's your omelet Grace? I wasn't sure what you liked in it, but Danno said cheese would be okay." Steve wasn't sure if Grace liked the dish or not. She was eating slowly and looked puzzled.

"It's good, thank you. Danno, I was wondering why you and Step-Steve aren't sleeping in the same bedroom like Mommy and Step-Stan." Grace had decided there was no time like the present to ask her question.

Steve had just taken a sip of coffee and was now choking. Danny was a little more fortunate; he had a forkful of eggs halfway to his mouth when Grace dropped her bombshell. Now Danny was a little frantic. He looked over at Steve who was still red in the face but at least he was breathing again.

Danny didn't quite know what to say. Then he had an inspired thought. "Step-Steve, do you want to handle the question?"

Frankly, Steve wasn't sure he could field the question without giving his feelings away. He thought things were progressing nicely with Danny. They were forming a cohesive little family with Grace. Danny and Grace had even ventured into his room this morning, although Steve suspected that Grace had initiated the foray. He went with a neutral "Why do you ask Grace?"

Grace chewed on her lower lip and explained, "I was thinking this morning that we were doing the same things that I used to do with Mommy and Danno before the divorce. So I wondered why you and Danno aren't doing the same things that Mommy and Danno used to do."

Now Steve had another movie going in his head. It was getting to the point where a new show started every hour. He didn't want to tell her, "Well Grace, it's because Danno and I are men" because he hoped someday Danno would be in his bed. It would be too confusing later.

Then Steve noticed the shift in titles: he had moved from Uncle Steve to Step-Steve. She thought of him as another parent, the same as Stan. Frankly, he had hoped for a better title, maybe Super-Step-Steve. But Step-Steve was more than he had ever hoped for. Now he had the goofy grin on his face again.

It's fourth down and long yardage. Steve punted back to Danny. "I'm not sure why Danno isn't sharing my bedroom. It's got a big comfy bed in it. I only sleep on one side of the bed. I don't snore. Why aren't you sharing my bedroom Danno", Steve asked, doing his best to keep an innocent look on his face.

Danno stared thoughtfully at Steve. 'What is the super-SEAL up to now?' He knew that Steve was skilled in strategic operations. It would help if Danno knew what the objective was now. He did a rapid review of the facts.

He had asked Steve if he could bring Grace for a visit, and Steve had asked them to stay for the weekend.

Steve had re-done the extra bedrooms so they were ready for guests.

When Danny asked if he could stay for a couple of months, Steve immediately agreed.

Steve had cooked family meals for them.

Steve was talking more often about his childhood.

When Danny had brought home the news that Grace now considered them a family, Steve thought it was a great idea. Even if it meant the couple of months stay was now open-ended and that he could not bring women home for a 'sleepover'.

Danny often found himself touching Steve, or vice versa. The contact was comfortable and often prolonged.

Steve seemed really happy these days.

Danny is really happy these days.

Baseball is Danny's game but he knew a little about the football. When your opponent least expects it, sometimes a first down pass to the end zone pays off. What the hell, it would be worth it to see the look on McGarrett's face. "I guess we just hadn't thought about it. You know what Grace, I think it's a great idea. How about after breakfast, we move my stuff into Step-Steve's room?"

Danny was talking to Grace but he was watching Steve's face carefully. Oh, the innocent look on Steve's face was gone now, replaced by something more intense. For a moment, Danny was afraid Steve was going to call a personal foul and take away the touchdown. Steve closed his eyes briefly; the innocent look was back again.

Steve put his hand on Grace's shoulder and she turned to him. "Grace, it's a good thing you're here. It looks like Danno and I are going to need your help if we're going to be a real family. That's what I want more than anything in the world."

Grace gave Steve her biggest smile. "No problem Step-Steve. I want us to be a family. You do too, don't you Danno?"

Both Steve and Grace gave him their best puppy dog eyes. "Is that what you want Danno?" Steve held his breath, praying that Danny wouldn't call his bluff now and leave with Grace.

That thought must have shown on Steve's face. Danny needed to make a decision. Is it possible that Steve is attracted to him too? It certainly seems that Steve not only wants them to stay but also wants Danny in his bed. "Yeah, that's what I want. Let's clean up the dishes and we can move my stuff."

The move was anti-climactic compared to the minefield at breakfast. Danny was surprised that Steve had such a variety of suits, shirts, and shoes considering his limited work uniform. But there was plenty of room in the walk-in closet that Steve's parents had shared. Danny's skimpier wardrobe barely filled half of his side of the closet. 'I guess Steve is the woman in this relationship if we're judging based on clothes.' Steve had only used half of the dresser and chest of drawers. Or had Steve re-arranged his clothes just for this eventuality?

The master bath was oversized, with a long double-vanity, walk-in shower, and a separate over-sized tub with jets. Danny muttered that he would continue to use the hall bath, but Steve pointed out that there was plenty of room. Plus the shower had multiple sprays and the Jacuzzi came in handy after a brutal day at work. Now Danny had a little movie going in his head. Shit, shit, what had he agreed to? What kind of game was Steve playing?

"Hey Steve, how did you end up with such a nice master suite? The closet and bath are bigger than my old living room."

"My mom used to complain about the closets and the small bath. My dad spent almost a year changing the extra bedroom into a walk-in closet and master bath. Over the years, he upgraded the fixtures. He had just finished the year before Mom was killed." Steve looked sad now. He had been quite animated since breakfast, helping Danny carry his clothes in and everything. Whatever was going on, it obviously wasn't a game for Steve.

Steve was deep in his own thoughts. It was a good thing he had abandoned 'Operation Danno' because it looked like Commander Grace was running her own op. Steve liked where she was going so he happily want along with the ride.

Danny stopped stowing his shave gear in cabinet. "Steve, I can sleep in the other room and sneak in before Grace gets up. Or I can just stay in here during Grace's week here." Just standing in the same bathroom with Steve was putting him on overload. He had an image of shaving at the sink while Steve comes in and strips out of his board shorts before stepping into the shower.

Steve sighed and tried to decide how to handle this. Truth be told, he was uncertain too. He knew how he felt about Danny, but he had never been with a man. He suspected the same was true for Danny. Gee, they were both 35 year old virgins when it came to this. How embarrassing is that? He had down all the moves when it came to women. Now he was changing the playbook.

"Danny, I don't like that idea. First, it would be deceiving Grace, and I don't ever want to do that. Second, we would be going through an adjustment period every week. We would be living one way with Grace, and another way when she is at Rachel's. It would be a matter of time before our little family had a breakdown. That would break my heart."

Steve decided that nothing less than the truth would work now. He was willing to take it slow and let them both adjust to their new dynamic. It would be worse if Danny and Grace stayed for a while and then left because the strain was too much. He would lose Danny and Grace. At least if Danny left now, he could salvage something with both of them.

Danny searched Steve's face for the truth and saw love and concern in his eyes. Danny thought about what would happen tonight laying on one side of the bed with Steve on the other. Would he even be able to sleep with Steve there? He thought about being in the big bed with Steve and Grace this morning. They were all cuddled up together. Danny had liked it a lot. He thought about cuddling with Steve without Grace as a buffer. Yeah, that worked for him.

"No that wouldn't work, would it? Listen, we need to talk about this but not when Grace could walk in any minute. And we have a full day ahead of us. I just need to know that this is not a game for you and that there is something going on between us, something new."

"Danno, I swear this is no game. I've never been more serious about anything. I don't know what you're feeling but I'm certain how I feel. Can we talk tonight after Grace is in bed?

Steve looked vulnerable now. Danny had seen smug, arrogant, cocky, and scary Steve. He had never seen this Steve before. "Yeah, it's a date. Two Longboards on the lanai after Grace is in bed."

Steve smiled that half-smile of his and replied, "It's a date".

I had planned on continuing this story for a while but Commander Grace high-jacked my story while I wasn't looking. There will be a sequel following very shortly with a more mature rating and a slash warning. Hope you join me.