A/n: As promised, "the talk" that everyone has been so anxiously waiting for. I've decided that this is going to be the last chapter of this story and that I am going to continue on with the next part in another story. I have to break it up or this thing is going to be ridiculously long. So keep your eyes out for the next installment in this McDanno saga!

Now this home that we built is still standing. It's foundation is on solid ground. Do we roll up our sleeves and repair it, or burn it down?—Randy Travis, Hard Rock Bottom of Your Heart

I don't want to be someone who walks away so easily I'm here to stay and make the difference that I can make….and in the end you're still my friend at least we did intend for us to work yeah we didn't break, we didn't burn, we had to learn how to bend without the world caving in. I had to learn what I got, and what I'm not and who I am. I won't give up on us, god knows I'm tough enough, we've got a lot to learn and god knows we're worth it.—Jason Mraz, I Won't Give Up

"I called." Steve stated softly as the silence dragged on between them.

"I know." Danny replied as he jammed his hands in his pockets. "I'm sorry I missed it. I was driving down the Poli highway through a monsoon with a screaming kid in the back seat. I had enough distractions and was trying to make it here in one piece." He explained, rocking slightly on his feet. Steve recognized it as one of his partner's nervous ticks. "Why did you call?"

Steve let out a long breath. Now that his partner was actually standing there in front of him, the words seemed a lot harder to actually say. Say 'em or choke on 'em. The little voice in his head (which was starting to sound suspiciously like Mason) encouraged. He licked his lips and attempted to swallow the lump in his throat.

"I wanted to say I was sorry." He admitted.

"For what? For lying? For keeping secrets? For lashing out and pushing me away?" Danny retorted, his voice slightly bitter sounding. Steve narrowed his stare at him as he heard his own words repeated back to him.

"How long were you standing there?" He inquired.

"Long enough." Danny answered quickly. "Here's what I don't get Steve. How could you possibly think I wouldn't understand your motives? I'm not some blissfully ignorant civilian who doesn't realize that there are some truly fucked up people in the world. I know, Steve. I see it every damn day, same as you. I knew how dangerous Wo Fat was. I knew the things he was capable of doing. I didn't need you to protect me from it!" Danny ranted, his eyes bright with indignation.

"I didn't want anything to happen to you." Steve replied, keeping his voice slightly lower than his partner's.

"That's bullshit and you know it. I face danger every single day on the job and it's never bothered you. It wasn't that you were afraid I would get hurt; it was that you were afraid I would stop you. You thought I'd say no and you didn't want to hear it. Well newsflash Steve, I wouldn't have stopped you. I wouldn't have liked it but I would have understood why you had to go. You weren't the only one affected by the things Wo Fat did. Makayla is my daughter too. I sat right alongside of you in this hospital, watching her struggle to survive." Danny's voice caught at the end and he looked away to hide the tears in his eyes.

"I never wanted to hurt you." Steve insisted.

"You keep saying that like I'm supposed to believe it." Danny huffed.

"Don't you?"

"I believe that you love me. I believe that you really did have good intentions for doing the things that you did. But I also believe that you didn't think I was capable of handling this and that's what hurts. Because not only am I your husband, Steve, I'm your partner. And if you can't trust me to have your back no matter the situation then we've got more problems." He informed matter-of-factly.

"You know I trust you." Steve replied, shaking his head.

"Yeah well you have a funny way of showing it." Danny shot back at him. Silence stretched between the two men for a few minutes as their words hung unsettled in the air. Eventually Steve nodded his head towards the empty chair, encouraging Danny to sit. This was going to take awhile.

"Why did you leave?" Steve finally asked, breaking the tense quiet in the room. "I mean, after everything with Rachel, I didn't think you'd be willing to walk away from another marriage so easily."

"I wasn't 'walking away', Steven. I just needed some time and space to think. We aren't exactly in a good place at the moment. Besides, you were the one who said you didn't need me and pushed me away, remember?" Danny pointed out as he settled into the chair.

"I was upset and lashing out. You knew I didn't mean it." Steve said rolling his eyes.

"That doesn't make it okay." Danny argued. "I was trying to help you."

"I didn't want your help." Steve countered.

"So you made it clear." His partner sighed and ran a hand across his forehead.

The silence that fell between them again was interrupted by a small whimper from Makayla as she started to wake up. She snuggled her face into Steve's shoulder for a moment before she lifted her head up. She blinked a few times as she came around and then a small smile broke out as her eyes fell across her father's face.

"Dada?" She asked as if she didn't believe what she was seeing. Steve shared a similar look of wonder as he realized what he'd just heard.

"Did she just…?"

"Yeah, it's her new trick." Danny confirmed with a smile. "Makayla, who's that?" He asked, pointing towards Steve.

"Dada!" She squealed as she sat herself up on his chest.

"Look at you, Mak!" Steve laughed. His smile threatened to break his face as he looked at his daughter. "You've gotten so big and smart while Daddy was away." He cooed.

"She's also already learned the word 'no' which should make the next oh…seventeen years interesting." Danny added, smiling himself as he watched the two of them interact. Steve's grin however began to fade as reality set in.

"I missed it." He whispered.

"Missed what?"

"Her first word. I missed it." He repeated, the joy now gone from his voice and replaced with sadness.

"No babe, don't beat yourself up over this. She just started talking this morning. You haven't missed anything." Danny insisted but Steve wasn't convinced.

"I missed the moment, Danny. That first exciting moment when you realize that she gets it, that she can communicate. I wasn't there for it." He stated as tears began to prick at the back of his eyes.

"You didn't miss anything, Steven. You just had that moment, right here. It doesn't matter where or when it happened. You got to experience the wonder of hearing your child say her first word." Danny corrected. He leaned forward slightly in his chair and rested a hand on Steve's good leg in reassurance.

Steve looked up at Makayla who was still smiling at him as she sat on him. He had been through a lot of terrible things in his life-the loss of his parents, the loss of friends, the destruction and misery he had both seen and created during his days as a SEAL—and he had made a lot of mistakes along the way as well. But somewhere along the way, despite all the pain and bad choices, he had still managed to find someone who loved him and that had given him the blessing of two amazing daughters. He had been given a second chance at a family whether he deserved it or not.

And as he lay there in that hospital bed with Danny and Makayla there with him, he realized that the greatest mistake he could possibly make was to let the two of them walk out of his life without a fight. They, along with Grace and the cousins and Mason, were the only things that truly mattered to him in this world. Without them, he had nothing. Without them, he was nothing.

"What are we going to do, Danny?" Steve asked as he looked over at his partner. "I don't want you to go. I don't want to live without you and I don't want to miss another moment in my children's lives. I want us to stay together. I know that you probably hate me, but do you think there is any way that you could possibly love me again?" Tears began to fall rapidly down his face as he pleaded with the man he loved.

"I don't hate you, Steven. I hate what you did." Danny reached up and brushed a few of the tears off of his cheek. "I don't want to live without you either. I want to stay together too but there has to be changes. You can't keep putting yourself in harm's way all the time. My heart can't take it. And you have to trust me enough to open up to me and tell me when something is bothering you so that I can help." His voice was soft as his tears began to mix with his partners.

"I promise." Steve vowed. He reached over and clasped Danny's hand with his good arm.

"It's going to take awhile for things to go back to normal. There a lot you and I still have to work out. But I'll be damned if we let this thing go without even trying to fix it." Danny declared. Steve just nodded and pulled their joined hands up to his lips where he placed a chaste kiss on Danny's knuckles.

"I'm glad you decided to come back." He acknowledged with small smile. Danny rolled his eyes and leaned over to give Steve a proper kiss.

"I didn't come back you goof….I came home."