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.

Summer 2018

It's the first week of August again, and Danny still hasn't reconciled with the Hawaiian school calendar. He remembers all the times that he waited for Grace to get out of class. He's not here with Steve to pick up Grace today. She is a junior in high school now and drove home after class. This week she is living with Stan and Rachel, but Danny knows that she is waiting at their home this afternoon. Today is Jack's first day of kindergarten.

Steve and Danny worked a short day today so that they could drop him off in the morning and pick him up this afternoon. It was fortunate that it was a slow day at Five-0, because Papa Steve was an absolute mess. Danny wasn't sure why because Jack already had two years of nursery school under his belt. He got along well with the other kids in spite of being taller than most of them. That didn't keep Steve from obsessing about sending their son off to the cold world of academia.

Jack was so cute this morning in his uniform of blue polo shirt and khaki pants. He had his little backpack that held his school supplies and lunch. He kept his hair short and was the image of Steve at that age. Jack's understanding of the unconventional configuration of his family was still a little murky. He knew that he looked like his Daddy Steve, and he had several of his mannerisms. He often stood with his hands on his hips like Steve did, and he often tugged up the right side of his pants even though he didn't have a gun and holster pulling that side down.

Yet in so many ways, he was Danny too. Jack was a Yankees fan, he talked with his hands, and he did not like pineapple on his pizza. Jack was also quick to tell his family exactly how he felt about anything and everything. His early test scores gave him high marks in vocabulary.

Leah still took care of Jack at home when he wasn't at school. Since someone was home a lot of the time, Steve relented to his children's pleas for a dog. They visited the local pound one weekend and found a mixed breed that seemed to be part Labrador retriever and part some other indeterminate breed. His name was Drexel, and he was already well trained by his former owners who were transferred overseas unexpectedly. The owners didn't want to put him through the trip and quarantine.

Jack and Drex (as Jack called him) were constant companions, along with Charlie, Andy (Charlie's little brother), and Kekoa (Chin and Malia's son). The boys were different ages, but the bigger kids always watched out for the smaller kids. The fort that Steve and Danny spent a long weekend constructing was a favorite hangout for the boys, and Drex stood guard to make sure they stayed out of the water unless an adult was with them.

Jack thought of the boys as his brothers even though they didn't live under the same roof. He knew that Grace was his sister, and he knew that Charlie and Andy were her brothers. That surely meant that they were his brothers as well. Jack knew that Kekoa wasn't really his brother, but he didn't want to hurt his feelings by telling him that. So Kekoa was a brother too. The boys usually spent the night together at one of their homes at least once or twice a month.

The nights at the McGarrett-Williams were their favorite. Sometimes Steve pitched a tent and they camped out in the backyard. Sometimes they spent the weekend at the cabin (which Grace wisely opted out of) where Steve and Danny taught them how to fish. At night, Steve pointed out the constellations, and they had smores after supper.

It was so much more than either Steve or Danny ever imagined that day in the garage when they drew their weapons. They visited Danny's family every summer, and Mom and Dad came for a winter vacation every February. They hosted festive meals every Thanksgiving and Christmas, still including the occasional stray serviceman or servicewoman left on base.

They were working under a new governor after Governor Denning decided not to run again. The new man was content to let Steve run Five-0 as he saw fit. Steve mellowed over the years, and it had been a long time since he exhibited any Neanderthal tendencies (as Danny called them). Shane and Jesse were now seasoned veterans who were breaking in the newest rookies to the squad.

Kono was still unmarried and currently dating a local businessman. He was very rich, very handsome, and very much in love with Kono. Kono was doing her best to resist his charm, but Steve and Danny knew it was just a matter of time. Kono was in love with him also, but she didn't think he would tolerate a cop's life. Only time would tell if the relationship blossomed into something more permanent.

Max surprised them all when he married last year. A teacher from the mainland spending her summer vacation on the islands caught his eye. She was an average looking woman who saw behind the nerdish tendencies and slightly awkward social interactions. It was love at first sight, and Max proposed the week before she was due to go home. They were married a week later, and although they hadn't announced it, Danny suspected that they had a baby on the way.

Grace had grown up to be a beautiful young woman. She made the honor roll at school, excelling in math and science. In fact, she won the science fair last year at school with Steve as her mentor. She was dating now, and either Steve or Danny made it a habit to meet her dates wearing their badges and guns. Of course, Steve taught Grace enough self-defense moves to make sure that she could stop an overeager suitor without much difficulty.

They had their rough patches. Danny had almost as many white hairs as Steve from teaching Grace to drive. Strangely enough, Steve still couldn't ride with her. He claimed it was too nerve-wracking, but Danny knew that Grace's driving scared Steve silly. Danny figured it didn't bother him as much after so many years of riding with Steve.

Then there was the phone call they received late one weekend. It was shortly after Grace turned 17, and Rachel let her take the Lexus out to go to the movie with friends. Grace's friends talked her into going for a drive by the beach after the movie, and she lost control of the vehicle. No one was seriously injured, and the second call Grace made (after 911) was to Steve and Danny.

Danny was sick when he saw the wreckage. The Lexus hit a barricade on the shore side of the ride before slamming into a tree on the opposite side. All the airbags deployed, and it took the firemen over thirty minutes to extract the girls from the back seat. Steve managed to calm the girls and Danny down before calling Rachel and Stan. Once he assured them that Grace and the other girls suffered only minor cuts and bruises, Rachel calmed down and agreed that maybe Stan should come to the scene while she stayed with Charlie and Andy.

HPD determined that excessive speed or alcohol was not involved; it was mostly a case of a young driver on a curvy road. Grace was still shaky behind the wheel, and she shied away from driving in the evening. Steve knew it would take time for Grace to regain her confidence, and as far as he was concerned, that was not necessarily a bad thing.

As Steve watched their son run to the car, he was struck for maybe the millionth time that Jack was such a miracle, their miracle. Jack gave a high-five to Danny and then to Steve. "Danno, I had the best day. I knew some of the kids in class already from my old school. The teacher was surprised that I could write my whole name. She called me John, but I told her that everyone calls me Jack like my Grandpa McGarrett."

The last part put a lump in Steve's throat. He tried to tell Jack about his late grandparents, and even found some old home movies in the attic. Steve had a local studio move them from film to DVD so Jack could watch them whenever he wanted to.

"That's great Jack because your old man here worried about you all day. I finally had him put his head on his desk and take a nap after lunch." Now that it was over, Danny couldn't resist teasing Steve.

Steve ignored him and picked Jack up for a big hug. "Don't listen to Danno. I knew that you would be fine. Did you eat all of your lunch?"

"Uh-huh, and I shared my apple slices with one of the other kids at my table. She shared her oatmeal cookies with me." Jack had inherited Steve's charm too.

Steve drove his family home where Grace was waiting to hear about Jack's day. They played in the water for a while before grilling out for supper. Grace was staying the night, so they watched a movie before Jack went to bed. Tomorrow things would be back to normal or as close to normal as they got for the McGarrett-Williams home.

Later that evening, Steve and Danny sat on the lanai and drank a beer. They sat in silence for a while, enjoying the cooler air and dazzling starlight. Steve was the first to break the silence.

"Before I met you, before this all began, I never thought about the future. I never thought beyond the current assignment. Now I can see so much ahead of us. Grace will graduate from high school in a couple of years. It won't be long before she goes to college. Some day you'll walk her down the aisle."

Steve waited for Danny to erupt at the thought of Grace with some guy. Instead he laughed. "Can you picture the father-daughter dance? It will have to be the extended-play version of some song because three of us will be dancing with Grace. I get first dibs, but you and Stan can arm wrestle to see who dances next."

"That means I'll go next. Stan has turned out to be a decent guy, but he's still a wimp. I can only imagine what the future holds for Jack. Today was just his first day of school. He has his whole life ahead of him. He did really well at t-ball this summer. I think he's picked up a lot of your skills."

"That's lucky for him. You still can't bat. I'm glad he likes school. We'll probably need to watch for the ADHD when he gets a little older. He's focused enough now, but from what I've read, it can be a problem in the higher grades."

"I managed well enough, although I had a problem concentrating during class. I was smart enough that I could pick up the material by reading the textbook or borrowing someone else's notes. I guess that I outgrew the worst of it by the time that I started at Annapolis. I still have to fight it, as you've noticed. My dad didn't understand my poor impulse control when I was Jack's age. He was hard on me then, and it frustrated me even further. I've tried to teach Jack the techniques I used to overcome the worst of it."

"I guess it must be working because he hasn't tried to fly off the roof yet."

"Danny, I hate to tell you that I was 13 when I tried that. I had wings and everything, but sadly I didn't fly. I did break my arm. It wasn't the first time."

"God help us! I was lucky to survive Grace's first accident. Should I ask what else I can expect?"

"Danno, you're better off not knowing. I know it sounds a little strange, but I think maybe this is a better environment for Jack than when I was growing up. He gets a lot of physical activity, and that helps to calm him enough to sleep at night and sit long enough to do his schoolwork."

"At least we know enough to watch for the signs and try to get help through it. Can you imagine what it's going to be like here when Jack's a teenager? This place is already the kids' favorite hangout. Our grocery bill will be enormous."

"At least we'll know where Jack is and what he's doing. We see a lot of bad stuff on the job. We know that even good kids go bad. Sometimes it's because mom or dad don't bother to pay attention to what the kids are up too. Jack will know that he won't get much past us. I just hope that he won't resent us for it."

"Babe, we're not doing our jobs if he doesn't resent us at some point. He'll get over it. We all did. Have I told you what a terrific Dad you are? It's not surprising because you were so great with Grace. But I wasn't sure how you would do with a baby or a toddler. You are so great with Jack and the rest of the kids. Probably it's because emotionally you're all about the same age."

"But you love me anyway, Danno." Steve leaned over to kiss Danny. He wanted to take Danny upstairs and make love to him. Even after over 7 years together, Steve still wanted Danny so much it scared him.

"Yes, I love you, you big goof. Are you ready to go in? You're eye-humping me, which is kind of silly because we can go upstairs and do it for real."

"Yes, I'm ready to go in. I love you too, Danny." Steve led Danny in and secured the house for the night. Together, they climbed the stairs and checked on Grace and Jack before they went to the bedroom.

It had been a stressful day for Steve, and Danny knew all the ways to help Steve calm down enough to get a good night's sleep. Having sex with Steve was a bonus. Over the years, they both sustained a multitude of injuries. It was part of the job. They took care of each other in sickness and in health. It was part of the vows they took last year when same sex marriage was legalized in Hawaii. This time, they had cake.

It made things easier for them when women hit on them. "Sorry, but I have a really jealous husband" usually stopped them in their tracks. They kept the same rings, marking this event with a tattoo instead. The tattoo pictured a phoenix rising from the ashes. The date of their first meeting was inked underneath. Danny said that was the day that he started his rise from the pit of despair he fell into after his divorce. Steve teased that Danny screamed like a girl when he got his, but even Steve had to admit the spot low on the front side of the hip was very tender skin.

Now when Steve saw the ink on Danny it always made him smile. His Danno got it just for him. That day was the beginning of a new life for Steve too. He had been too long without family. Later that night after Danny fell asleep Steve couldn't help thinking about the day. It seemed like just yesterday they brought Jack home from the hospital, and now he was starting school.

He remembered cuddling with Grace in his dad's recliner after his deployment that first year. He remembered her first boy-girl party and her first day of high school. He remembered the day Danny took a shot to the chest during a warehouse raid. Even with the Kevlar vest, Danny sustained serious bruising around the heart. They almost lost him that day.

Steve had his own close brushes with death. There was the knife wound that collapsed his lung and the head wound he sustained when members of a drug cartel jumped him outside HQ one night. He was on desk duty for months after that injury.

Danny stirred, sensing that Steve was still awake. "Go to sleep Steve. You've had a busy day, and tomorrow we get to do it all over again." He moved his hand up and down Steve's back, something that always relaxed Steve.

Steve smiled and gave Danny a soft kiss. "Yes we do, and thank God for that. We get to do it again."

This is the final chapter of the McGarrett-Williams family, although I'll probably revisit them for one shots sometime in the future. Thanks to all my readers for your support over the last several months.