Here's a little present for all of you, my lovely readers. Thank you for your support over the past year. I hope you enjoy this story...though I will warn you (and I hate warnings!), it does take a bit of a sharp turn. If you've read some of my other stuff...you won't be surprised. ;-) Enjoy!

Why he was careening down an icy road in the fading daylight he did not know. Especially since this was Christmas Eve and he was supposed to be nestled under his favorite afghan on his parent's couch watching what ever five programs his father had in rotation. What scared him the most about the treacherous conditions wasn't the fact that he'd already fishtailed twice trying to navigate the curvy stretch of road or that he'd managed to do a donut rather than make a left turn. No, what scared the shit out of him was his bleeding daughter and frantic partner in the backseat of his parents' beat up Ford.

"Danny? How long?"

"Please stop asking me that. How is she?"

He couldn't take his eyes off the road. Not even to sneak a quick glance in the rear view mirror. Because if he saw what was happening behind him, he might lose it. How he was even driving was beyond him. But Steve didn't have much experience on snow covered and icy roads, so Danny didn't have a choice.

"She's holding her own. Right, Gracie?"

They both held their breath waiting for an answer.

"I'm fine, Danno." A hiss of pain. "That hurts, Uncle Steve.""

"I have to keep pressure. You know that."

"They never tell you how much it hurts."

Grace sounded so put together, so much an adult. It physically hurt Danny. "Oh God, I'm so sorry, baby."

"Danny." A warning from Steve in the quick response.

"Yea yea..." Danny muttered as he merged onto the highway. Traffic meant civilization and help. The regional hospital center was only minutes away now. "Eyes on the road, I know, Steven. I've been driving just as long as you."

"Focus." Now Steve's voice was calm.

Danny wasn't sure if he was talking to him or Grace, so he took the advice anyway. But he couldn't shut up.

"It's ok. It's gonna be okay." Now he was just rambling. "We're almost there. You'll be home before you know it, Monkey. Santa can come. Everything will be just fine."

"I'm okay, Daddy. It doesn't-" Grace didn't finish the sentence as she breathed through a wave of pain.

And Danny lost his mind for a few seconds. "Ah God, your mom is gonna kill me. I'm so sorry, Grace."

She was quick to reassure him. "It wasn't your fault, Danno."

His heart twisted at the innocence in her voice. He knew she didn't blame anyone. But that didn't stop Danny.

"No, it was your Uncle Steve's fault."

"What? You're blaming this on me?"

"You had to argue with the guy about the tree. We don't even need one. My mom has a great one in the family room. What the hell were we even doing there?"

"It wasn't a tree, Danny. It was a wreath. And I wanted to give your mom a gift."

"Our presence is enough, Steven."

"Dad! Uncle Steve!" The strength in Grace's voice startled both men. "Shut up! I'm bleeding to death here."

"Grace!" Now Danny was pissed. "Don't you ever say that."

"I see the apple didn't fall far from the tree." Steve chuckled.

Grace grinned at Steve and then winced. "Please don't argue, okay? It was an accident."

/././

Traffic began to slow down. A river of brake lights appeared ahead of them.

"Oh God, what's the hold up? Doesn't anyone know how to drive in this mess?" Danny was lost in his own world of complaining. "We should have waited for the ambulance."

"You heard what the dispatch said, Danny. Their only two buses were busy with a pile up on the interstate." Steve's voice was calm, meant to steady his best friend. It didn't seem to be working.

"Why is this taking so long?" Bad roads, holiday traffic. Earthquake, zombies. Any number of terrible events ran through his mind. Danny shook it all off, except for one word echoing in his head. Focus. In Steve's voice, no less. "Maybe this is the exit."

"No Danno, look!" Grace was sitting semi-upright. "It's the mall!"

"Only you would know where the mall is."

"Gramma took me there."

Danny maneuvered around the exiting vehicles, finding the far left lane pretty much clear.

"Why on earth did my parents decide to buy a cabin in the woods anyway? We could be having a perfectly normal Christmas back in Jersey. Not the god awful middle of nowhere of Eastern Pennsylvania."

Everyone in the car knew why there'd been a change of scenery for this holiday.

Matty.

And Danny, Steve and Grace were the only family to make it out to the cabin in time for Christmas Eve. The rest of Danny's siblings were tied up with their own festivities until after the weekend. The whole thing was such a spur of the moment trip. It had all been Grace's idea. Very little planning had been involved. And they'd made it the previous evening just before the snow hit the area.

"The Poconos are beautiful, Danny."

"It's great here, Dad. So much snow!"

"That's the point. Why doesn't this car have snow tires?"

"Danger at every turn." Steve rolled his eyes.

Grace giggled.

"Hey! No giggling. You're supposed to be gravely injured."

"Ah huh. See who's joking now? Not funny, Danno." She joined Steve in mocking her dad.

"Shit, Grace, hold still."

Danny sat bolt upright. "What's wrong? God, Steve, don't lie to me."

Steve was focused more on Grace than her hair-trigger hysterical father.

"Grace, lie back, okay? You're bleeding again. I don't want you to move."

Danny caught a glimpse of her terrified eyes in the mirror. Her face lit by the fluttering lights of passing cars and holiday displays.

"Steve?" He was two seconds away from totally freaking out.

"Danny, she's gonna be alright. I've got this."

"Gracie, I have to tighten the tourniquet a little, okay?"

"I know, it's gonna hurt." She sounded so sure of herself.

Danny swerved when his daughter cried out in pain.

"Hey, Danny, keep the car on the road, alright?"

"I'm okay, Daddy. Really."

"We're almost there. Almost there." Danny mumbled to himself, both hands strangling the steering wheel to keep them from shaking. "Almost there."

Finally the blue hospital sign jumped out from the side of the road.

"This exit, Danny."

With a flick of his turn signal, he changed lanes in lightning fashion. Or as fast as the suddenly slushy highway allowed him to go. He got in line behind a conga line of cars following a snow plow.

There was a space open close to the ER entrance. Danny didn't give a shit that it was handicapped. He'd pay the fine and apologize if he'd put somebody out. Right now, he had to get his daughter inside that building. Steve jumped out of the car and darted toward the sliding doors, reappearing in seconds with a wheelchair for Grace.

Danny was around to her side in a flash, reaching out to help his best friend settle his very calm teenage daughter into the waiting chariot. Steve was his rock right then, and he took control of the situation with relish.

"Let's go, Gracie. You ready? I bet we can beat Danno into the ER."

His partner's new title was Master of Distraction, and best of all, Grace was eating it up.

"Giddy up!" She grit her teeth and smiled.

Danny shook his head. Where did this creature come from? He did not want her to turn out like her Uncle Steve.

"Hey, you two. Please be careful! We don't need to add broken bones to the list of injuries."

"Danno!" This particular tone of voice was meant to communicate from daughter to father that he was embarrassing her. Danny knew it all too well.

"Yea, Danno, lighten up!" Steve rolled his eyes at his partner and then jogged toward the doors, gliding smoothly, obviously giving his precious cargo the least jarring ride.

They were met by a rather intense looking woman wearing a scrub top covered with dancing elephants. "What do we have?"

"Chainsaw." Danny couldn't say another word.

The triage nurse nodded, and Grace was whisked away by a waiting orderly, Danny and Steve at their heels.

/././

Danny leaned against the water fountain, not really taking a drink. He could never stand chlorinated water and this stuff really smelled strong. He figured the hospital had to give their fountains an extra strong dose of the stuff to keep the germs at bay.

His nerves were just about shot. He'd tried to stay in the room with his daughter, but he just couldn't do it. There was so much blood. Never had he been so thankful for Steve.

He needed just a minute to catch his breath. Then he could be strong again for Grace. But every time he let go of the cool metal of the fountain, his hands began to shake.

"Daniel?" The voice of an angel, his mother.

He looked up, surprised and thankful. "Ma. What are you doing here? I said I'd call."

"Well I'm not gonna let you all spend Christmas Eve at the ER, Daniel. Your father is parking the truck."

He fell into his mother's arms, finally letting go.

"Oh honey, I'm sure it'll be fine." She rubbed his back and then pushed him away just a bit. "Now where is my grandbaby?"

He was about to point her in the right direction when Steve popped his head out of the small exam room. His face lit up when he saw Clara.

She marched up the hall and disappeared behind the curtain while Steve joined his partner in the hallway.

"Hey, Danny, it's gonna be alright. Probably just a few stitches."

He nodded, unable to speak.

Steve grabbed him before he hit the floor.

"It's gonna be okay, buddy. I wouldn't lie. Grace is fine. In fact, she's a real trooper. She didn't even cry when they cleaned the wound."

Not what Danny needed to hear. There should be no cleaning of wounds on Christmas Eve. No hospital visits. No accidents. No wildly flung chainsaws anywhere near his daughter.

"I'm sorry, man. I shouldn't have haggled with the guy. It was just a stupid decoration."

"I know. I'm sorry too. I'm an ass. It's just Grace. And the blood. And..."

Steve shook his friend. "Hey, stop. She's gonna need a few stitches. They don't think they need to keep her tonight. It looked worse than it is."

/././

"Merry Christmas, Monkey." Danny wrapped the covers around his daughter.

She wiggled a little in an attempt to get comfortable. "Merry Christmas, Danno. I love you."

He couldn't help but smile at the slight slur in her voice. She was safe and only a little worse for wear. "I love you more."

He tussled her hair just a bit as she grinned up at him.

"Uncle Steve loves you, too."

"What Grace?"

"Tell him." She nodded like she was trying to reassure her dad. "I know you love him, too."

"Of course I do." A knee jerk reaction. "He's my best friend."

"Not like that. Tell him."

"Someone's had too many happy pills."

"Nuh uh. I only took one. Like you said." She closed her eyes for a second, thinking suddenly a chore. "You gave it to me."

"Sssh, you'll wake everyone in the neighborhood."

"We're the only ones here, Dad. For miles."

"Then you'll wake your Gramma and Pop."

"It's nice here." Now her voice was more sleepy than slur. "I miss snow."

"Go to sleep, okay?"

She nodded and snuggled into the blankets as best she could, her leg propped with pillows.

"Tell him." She whispered as she closed her eyes. "It's my Christmas wish, Daddy."

He sighed. How could he possibly turn her down? After the night she had, he couldn't deny her much of anything. Danny didn't need to dwell too much on his feelings for his partner.

/././

"Hey."

Steve looked up from the book he'd been reading. "Hey back. How's our girl?"

Danny smiled. Our girl. It all seemed so right. Which was utterly ridiculous.

"She just fell asleep. Finally."

The fire cracked in the background, and Nat King Cole sang about chestnuts. Perfect, he had to admit. Steve knew how to set the mood.

"That's good. You okay?"

"Yea, I'm good." He flopped beside Steve on the couch. Why did this have to be a big deal?

"It's snowing again." Steve got up and stood at the picture window. "Wow, it's beautiful."

Somehow he made that trite, overly used word sound magickal.

"Uh huh. Beautiful." Danny wasn't talking about the snow.

Steve turned. "You sure you're alright, buddy? Maybe you should get some sleep. S'been a long day."

Danny stretched and joined Steve at the window. "I miss this sometimes. The snow."

"Definitely sets the stage, right? For the holidays." Steve seemed just a touch nervous. Maybe his SEAL powers extended to mind reading. Or Grace had told him her wish too.

Danny nudged his best friend and pointed at the ceiling. Steve followed his gaze, but gave him a confused look for about ten seconds.

"Mistletoe, Danny?"

"Mistletoe, Steve."

Steve chuckled. "Why not."

"How do we- uh-"

Danny was on his tiptoes, and Steve leaned over. Both men trying to subdue the other.

Frustrated, Steve frowned at his partner. "Do you analyze everyth-"

Danny cut him off with a quick peck on the lips, knocking Steve backwards just a smidge.

"I hope you can do better than that. That was lame, man." He laughed.

Danny blushed. "What do you expect? If you'd stand still..."

"Do you kiss all your dates like that?"

"Dates? You think? This?"

"Crackling fire. Christmas carols. Snow." Steve waved at the ceiling. "Mistletoe."

"I beg to differ." Danny was now denying everything he thought only minutes ago. "This is not date material."

"Seriously?"

"A fight over a stupid wreath. My daughter bleeding. A fun-filled trip to the ER on snow-covered, icy roads."

Steve sighed. "But we're here now, Daniel."

He took Danny's hands in his own.

Danny exhaled loudly. "I think I need a drink."

"You're the one who kissed me."

"Even more reason to chug some Jack."

"You make no sense."

"Neither does this." Danny went for it again. This time there was tongue involved.

"My, my - Detective Williams - " Steve chuckled as they pulled apart. "Are you taking advantage of me?"

"Shut up."

They kissed again - until they were interrupted.

"Boys?"

"Ma - uh -" Danny pointed at the ceiling.

Steve coughed and tried to slink away, but Danny snagged his shirt sleeve, stopping him.

"I've been around the block, Daniel. You can't shock me. And you can't blame the mistletoe. It's just a silly plant." She slipped past them and into the kitchen. "Besides, you two aren't a secret. Anybody want some tea?"

"Not a secret? What are you talking about?" Danny turned red.

Steve smiled, enjoying the moment. "No thank you, Mrs. Williams. It's been a long day. I think I'll hit the sack. Good night and Merry Christmas."

"Uh yea, me too, Ma. Merry Christmas." He crossed the room and gave her a quick hug and kiss on the cheek. "G'night."

"Good night, Daniel. Steven. Merry Christmas, boys. I'll check on Grace tonight."

"Thanks, Ma." Danny was frozen in the doorway. Bed time suddenly scared him a little.

"Shoo, Danny. Go to bed. You two should talk. Go."

/././

Danny lay on his side, facing the window, waiting. He could hear Steve in the hall bathroom. It didn't seem like a big deal last night to share a room. Bunk beds of all things. And Steve had claimed the top bunk in true control freak fashion. Hell, he practically vaulted into bed the previous evening.

The blind was open just enough to light their room. The snow had stopped and now the full moon bathed the hardwood floor and throw rugs in a silver light. It didn't seem real.

Steve crept in from the hall, toothbrush hanging from his mouth, towel slung over his shoulder. Shit eating grin on his face.

"What?" Danny whispered.

Steve sat on the edge of Danny's bunk. "I feel like a teenager."

Danny caught on, in fact he'd been thinking the exact same thing. "Busted by my mom."

"But she's not here right now." Steve tugged on the covers. "Got any room in there."

"Whoa, I'm not that easy, partner."

"Says who?"

"Says me." Danny kept the covers pulled up to his chin, but he scooted toward the wall, giving Steve some room to lie down. "You're enjoying this."

Steve accepted the invitation and slid under the covers, not saying a word.

Danny kept babbling. "I feel like I'm sneaking a girl into my dorm or something."

"I'm not a girl, Danny." Steve pressed himself against his friend.

"Ugh, I can tell, Steven. So inappropriate."

"Come on. Channel those college years. I can be quiet."

"You are such an animal. Is this why they call you Smooth Dog?"

Steve growled.

"My daughter's in the next room. My folks - what are you doing? Steve, quit it. Come on. Not fair." There was a definite giggle to Danny's mock exasperated tone.

"Sssshhh...You're making too much noise."

Steve bit Danny's neck, making him squeal just a little.

"Now that was uncalled for." Danny braced Steve one hand. "Go - get up on your bunk right- stop that."

"You like it."

"That may be so. Hey, I said-" Now he was giggling. "You don't play fair, babe."

"All's fair, Danny."

"In love and war. Right now, Steven, I don't know which this is..."

"Love..."

Danny ducked the weight of Steve's admission by focusing on his daughter. "Grace knew it."

Steve pulled back. "Grace?"

"She told me you love me. Tonight."

Danny let his hand roam, rubbing Steve's arm, then down across his chest to his belly button. Steve flinched and then retaliated.

The battle was short-lived because Danny needed to finish his thought. "Her Christmas wish was - this - us."

Steve propped himself on his elbow, eyes never leaving his best friend. "Really? Us?"

"Yea." Danny moved closer to his best friend, kissing the tender flesh along Steve's collar bone. "She's drugged outta her sweet mind, but..."

"Gracie's a smart kid." The SEAL whispered before pulling the covers up over their heads and beginning a very important covert operation.

Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed the ride...

Until next time...