Here I am again with another long story. :-) I hope you enjoy it.

Disclaimer:Of course I don't own anything H50. I'm just a crazy fan havin some fun.

/././

Grace could smell the coffee. But nothing else. Her dad usually had breakfast started before she got up. He joked that pancakes were the best alarm clock on a Saturday morning. Maybe he overslept. She knew he'd been up late and then she'd heard him again around 2:30. She remembered looking at the clock on her nightstand.

Crawling out of bed, she had a plan. She would practice her stealth skills. It made her laugh because Danno really didn't think it was funny. Uncle Steve had been teaching her how to move around the house without making noise. Her dad called it sneaking and immediately banned it. He wasn't a fan of his best friend's efforts to turn his daughter against him.

Her door was cracked open like always. She stood there and listened for a few seconds, holding her breath. The house was quiet. Danno had definitely slept in. And Grace would never let him live it down.

Hand over her mouth, she fought back a giggle. It had been a long time since she was the first one up. Basically it never happened. She could remember one time when she was a little kid when her Mom had been away for the weekend and a sleepy Danno was awakened by his flying Monkey. It was the first and last time she ever jumped on his bed.

Her surprise attack had been well worth the scolding and the tickle torture. Despite his good nature, her dad had not been impressed, and she'd promised to never do it again. It was gonna be really hard to keep her word now.

She crept into the hall, tiptoeing to her dad's room. A faint alarm went off in her head when she realized his door was wide open. He always closed it part way – like hers. Never this wide. She hoped he wasn't sick. That would ruin their time together.

Grace kept going, one hesitant step at a time, listening for Danno's faint snore. The only sound, though, was her heart thumping out of her chest.

Uncle Steve always said it was normal to be scared. You just couldn't let it threaten the operation. You had to use the unwanted emotion to drive you, to remind you of what was at stake. Most fears were products of our own minds, figments of the imagination. Grace needed that advice now more than ever.

Her dad always stressed the importance of evidence. Everything was okay until proven otherwise. So, she considered what she knew.

Danno had been up late doing work stuff, and she knew he got cranky on tough cases. Maybe he'd forgotten to set his alarm. It was the weekend after all.

She would complete her mission and report back to Uncle Steve. He'd be proud she got the drop on her dad. She only wished she had her phone. A picture would be great blackmail.

Grace had to be sure Danno was sleeping or her plan would fall apart. She took a quick peek into the room. To her surprise, his bed was empty, covers and pillows on the floor.

"Danno?"

She swallowed her panic. And it was tough because part of her really, really wanted to cry. She had to be strong. Her dad and Uncle Steve had taught her better. Maybe Danno was outside. Maybe he was in the kitchen working. She convinced herself that was it. He was frustrated by a case. Wouldn't be the first time.

She decided she'd better clear the rest of the house before totally freaking out like a five year old. There was no sign of her dad in the bathroom. The shower was dry. It didn't look like he'd even brushed his teeth. She'd have to scold him for that later. But maybe she'd give him a pass this time. She just needed to find him, to touch him and make sure he was real.

A nervous flutter made her take a deep breath. Remain calm. She could do this – what ever it was. Uncle Steve always stressed confidence under pressure.

The rest of the house was empty too, including the kitchen. She could almost see her dad there at the table, laptop open and coffee in his hands. But no such luck, she was alone.

Alone.

She couldn't help it now. Tears threatened and her throat closed around the next word. "Danno?"

Whirling around, she had one last shred of hope. Maybe he'd left her a note. If he had to leave in the middle of the night, he would write her a note.

"But you wouldn't just leave me. Right Daddy?" She stuttered, shocked by how loud her voice sounded.

There was no note and the coffee hadn't even been touched. The automatic timer had done its job. Danno probably set it up before he went to bed. The sink was spotless. No signs of a hasty breakfast or late night fridge raid. Her dad didn't know she knew about his munchy attacks. The thought of him staring into the refrigerator at midnight gave her a brief reprieve from the building terror that was snaking up her body and threatening to strangle the courage right out of her.

Grace shook herself. Right now, she was safe. Crying like a baby would not help her find her dad.

So she checked out front in one last ditch effort to stay strong. Her tummy rolled over as she peered out the window. The Camaro was still there.

Now she was scared.

"Danno? Where are you?" She dropped to the floor, sobbing, completely lost for a few seconds.

Uncle Steve.

She ran back to her room and grabbed her phone. Uncle Steve would know where her dad was. He could help.

She found him in her contacts list, chest tightening at the picture. Uncle Steve and Danno stood, arm in arm, like everything was okay. Deep down, she knew it wasn't anywhere close to being okay.

"Gracie, good morning. Danno make too many pancakes again?" The familiar drawl of his laughter made her feel worse.

"No Uncle Steve. Danno's not here."

"Grace – wait – where is he?"

"I don't know I looked everywhere." The words all ran together. "His car's here too."

"Did you try to call him?"

No, she hadn't. How silly of her. A flicker of hope pulled at her chest. "No."

"Do you see his phone anywhere?" Steve's calm, determined voice gave her the boost she needed to get up.

She ran to her dad's room, eyes scanning everything. Now she was thinking about blood and guns and her dad. Then she saw it, and Grace really wanted to puke.

"His phone's here."

"What about his badge and gun?"

"His badge is here too. Not sure about his gun. I'm not allowed to touch it. He locks it up."

"Ok – good. That's okay, Grace."

Steve was already on the move. "I'm on my way to you. Are you safe?"

"Yes, the doors are all locked. No sign of a break-in. Just covers all over the floor in his bedroom."

He realized he needed to preserve the scene. "Grace, please go to your room and shut the door. Wait for me. Okay?"

"Okay, Uncle Steve. Do you think Danno's okay?"

He could tell she was trying hard to be tough for her Super SEAL Uncle. He knew he had to be honest with her.

"I don't know, Gracie. Please just go to your room. I'll be there soon."

/./././

My plan is to post every other day...but I can be convinced otherwise... ;-)