Work Text:
Steve did his best to pay attention to the call he was on, but it was incredibly difficult. Danni came in looking very lost. Steve knew she’d been to the doctor for a follow-up appointment. Worry overtook him that he couldn’t care about the call anymore.
“I’m sorry, I’ll call you back. Something needs my attention,” Steve said before hanging up. He stormed the short distance from his office to Danni’s. After shutting the door, he also closed the blinds. Danni’s expression just told him this was something they needed privacy. “Danni?”
She didn’t really reply and it scared him. He knelt in front of her so he could look her in the eyes as he grabbed hold of her hands. “What happened? Talk to me…is something wrong with the baby?”
“....the dates.”
“Dates? What dates?”
“My…my due dates. They’re…wrong.”
Steve frowned, not really understanding what that meant. “Due dates are an estimate but aren’t always exact, right?”
Danni began to explain but then closed her mouth, and tried again, but failed to find the words. Steve gripped her hands to remind her he was there.
“...I did the basic mental math. The basic nine months to have an idea of which month the baby would be born. That’s the month I was expecting. But…the date I was given at my appointment was off by more than a month. Almost two,” Danni began to explain. She then grabbed her phone and pulled up an email that reinforced the confusion and uncertainty she now felt, and showed it to Steve. “Then I got this email.”
“A recall?” Steve asked as he skimmed through the email.
“One specifically from a certain manufacturer. This company makes the brand of pregnancy tests I used. Apparently, they’ve had a lot of complaints about incorrect results…”
“But you are pregnant…” Steve stated with confusion.
“I am! Yes, I am. But…it’s starting to look that not from my one night with Richard. In fact…if the dates my doctor gave me are correct. They better align with…with the night we had when I went to you in anger and distress and needed a friend. When I needed someone who really loved me.”
The information took a moment but then it clicked. Emotions rushed through him like a strong wave. His eyes snapped to Danni’s bump and his heart seemed to speed up in a manic. “You mean…that’s our baby?”
“I don’t know. For sure. But it’s been heavily implied…”
“Can we do a test to figure it out now?” Steve asked.
“I think so. It was the first thing I googled when I could think again. But…it’s expensive.”
“I don’t care, Danni! Look, if it is or isn’t, I don’t care. I love you. And I’ll love them. They’ll be mine because you’re mine. But …if it’s mine by blood…I need to know. So…will you? Have the test? I’ll pay whatever I have to.”
“...I’m kind of scared,” Danni whispered, eyes shining with the vulnerability she felt.
“Don’t be. You believe me, right? What I just said. It’s true. I was all in with thinking it was Richard's. That doesn’t change if there was a fuck up and it’s still his.”
“And if it’s not his? And if it’s yours?” She asked. And he knew what Danni was really asking him.
“We never said it aloud but I think you know my mind better than anyone else. You know what I want. But if I have to spell it out-”
“Please! This isn’t something I want to be left with any plausible deniability.”
“Whether it’s his or not, I want you to leave him. I will do everything in my power, ask for as many favors with people with influence, and we have that influence, Danni…to get us custody of Grace. I want you to divorce Richard and be mine! Fully. To show off, to take out on the town, to cherish. Everything …I want everything from you, Danni. I don’t think that’s ever been a secret.”
“McGarrett.”
Steve lowered the menu to look at Richard before using the said menu to gesture to the seat in front of him. He'd asked to meet at a restaurant for this, but not one he nor Danni ever go to. “Sit.”
“‘I can’t stay long, so make it quick,” Richard said as he took a seat.
“Danni’s told you about the results.” It was a statement, not a question. After learning the truth, Steve took Danni back to his place and they celebrated very intimately the start of their family. As much as he wished for a better post-relations conversation, they talked about the next steps. Other than figuring out how and when to tell Grace with as little damage as possible, the first step was to talk to Richard.
Richard’s bitterness shouldn’t bring him so much joy but it does. In his panic, he acted selfishly and used Danni. His argument of doing it to stay close to his daughter wasn’t as strong as he thought it would be. When Danni moved to follow Grace, she did it without damning anyone else.
If it was up to Steve, he’d make Richard suffer a bit more. String out the pain. But this was Grace’s father after all. For her, as well as Danni’s peace of mind, he would do this quickly.
“Is this where you tell me about filing for divorce?”
“The paperwork’s already begun. I may be abusing some of the systems to push things around quicker than it would normally take, but for Danni and my family, it’s the bare minimum of what I can do.”
“I won’t sign. Being married to Danni’s what’s allowing me to stay here.”
“I’ve thought of that. Personally, I wish you’d been gone back to England for some time now. But I know you’re important to Grace. Still. Somehow. So I’ve gotten your work VISA approved for the next three years,” Steve replied as he pulled out a folder and placed it on the table. “Keep on top of it. If you let it lapse again, you will receive no help from us again.”
“I get this in exchange for a speedy divorce?”
“Yes. With split custody of Grace, but this year granting us all major holidays and birthdays.”
“If I don’t sign?”
“Danni still files for divorce. It’ll take more time, sure, but it’ll get done. But you’ll be sent back home and I will make it impossible for you to ever set foot back into this country. You’ll have to organize a cruise and arrange to meet with Grace once a year on international waters, and that’s me being generous.”
“How was your lunch with Grace?” Steve asked as he prepared dinner for them.
“A little somber. It was very similar to the first time around…”
Steve stopped and quickly washed his hands before joining Danni at the table. Reaching for her hand, he gave it a gentle squeeze, “How is she?”
“This time around it was easier. Once she learned the baby’s real father was you…well, that helped a lot.”
“Yeah?” He asked with a smile breaking out on his lips.
“Yeah. She’s always liked you. And we weren’t ever very subtle with our feelings for each other. Even Grace could tell.”
“She’s very clever.”
“Yeah, she is. Once I promised her that Richard wasn’t going anywhere if he didn’t want to, her worries were calmed. I still want us to spend time with her. Make her feel special and involved. The first time she heard about our divorce she took it very hard. Then when she learned we got remarried, she was so thrilled. Any divorced kid’s dream is their parents getting back together…”
“As I said, she’s very clever. She’s learned about Ohana. And how Ohana means more than just blood family. But the people who genuinely love and care for you. And I love her with all my heart, Danni. So of course we’ll spoil her as much as we will our kid. We’ll shift things around, and while we work on the nursery, we’ll also turn the guest bedroom into hers…this is already her home. But now she’ll be able to mark her territory.”
Danni leaned over and kissed him.
“Did you ever think we’d get to this point?” She asked quietly, even though they were the only ones there.
“I always knew I’d be by your side. But only in my dreams…until you showed up at my door at three in the morning. That night changed everything. I thought I knew how much. It made it absolutely clear what I wanted and that I wasn’t going to let anything get in the way…even your marriage.”
“It feels weird. Having our cake and eating it too.”
“Maybe. But we’re not any regular couple, Danni. Everything is in place. Going forward whatever happens doesn’t matter. We’ve made our family…and I’m never going to let anyone ruin it. I promise.”