Title – McGarretts Say It Better (Or Awkward Mother-Son-Danny Conversations)
Sequel To – A Touch Of Exhaustion To Send You To Sleep
Author – Moonbeam
Summary – Doris McGarrett is alive, seems like things are just going to be great now. Except that's not how the world works for Steve and Danny. A series of snippets based on in show conversations with the Steve-Danny twist. Sequel to 'A Touch Of Exhaustion To Send You To Sleep'.
Spoilers – Direct spoilers for (1)s03e01 – La O Na Makuahine (Mother's Day)
Rating – General (G) but subject to change
Disclaimer – I don't own anything, just a poor relief teacher/uni student. But oh the fun that could be had if I did.
Author's Notes – The first time I watched this episode (I have now watched this scene A LOT) I just couldn't believe how politely Steve handled the whole his Mother back from the dead thing and I kept hearing Danny jumping in so I thought to myself why not write a couple of little snippets with the understanding that all the stuff in ATOETSYTS (I'm lazy) happened. And hello. I have two more scenes in mind, and kinda written so I hope someone is interested in reading them. Let me know.
Warnings – At the moment nothing more than some Doris bashing.

McGarretts Say It Better (Or Awkward Mother-Son-Danny Conversations)
by Moonbeam

/ / / Mum? \ \ \

Steve pushed open the door but Joe put his hand on Danny's chest and stopped him from following Steve to the door. Danny looked at Joe in question.

"He needs to go alone," Joe said quietly.

"Mum?" Danny pushed Joe out of the way and came to stand beside Steve. The woman inside the house, Steve's mum, didn't even look at him just pulled Steve into a hug.

Then she made tea.

Danny couldn't sit still but Steve just stared at her. Danny didn't know if he should be comforting Steve or leaving him alone. There was a small part of him, cowardly, that wondered if he should leave them alone but there was something in the way Steve kept looking at his mother that kept Danny silent and sitting next to him. Danny was careful not to touch Steve since that wasn't his information to share. He just hoped his physical presence was enough comfort for the conversation that was about to occur. Steve was sitting straight even though he looked like he'd been kicked in the stomach and then given a puppy. Danny knew that, for a while at least, Steve would be able to keep that military control. Then things would turn bad.

"I know you have a lot of questions Steve," she said as she sat down and Danny bit down hard on his lip to keep all the things he wanted to say in. He went through the list in his head and his mother would wash his mouth out with soap for at least half of them. Although, his mother might have understood in the circumstances.

Steve jumped on Shelburne straight away and Danny wanted to smile at the way Steve deflected from the possibility of actual talk of feelings with the woman who had abandoned him. Danny started calculating the cost of raising Grace to eighteen to stop himself from saying something. This had to be about Steve, and Danny knew if he started he'd never stop because for the last two years he'd been watching Steve struggle to deal with his father's death and the idea of a teenaged Steve being sent away and trying to deal with his mother's made Danny want to break his rule and hit a woman.

Steve's mum was a spy…that explained so much…Danny thought about his lawyer brother and chef sister and realised he really was the normal one.

When Steve asked about Mary and himself Danny threw his good intentions to the wind and slipped his hand over until it was pressed into Steve's thigh. Steve didn't react but something in the curve of his back told Danny he appreciated it.

"I wanted to be a mother," Doris said pulling Danny's complete attention to her.

"And what a great mother you were," Danny said. "Fuck, never mind me."

Doris looked at him. Danny felt as though she was trying to think him out of existence. She should be happy that Steve was next to Danny, if he hadn't been Danny might be inclined to say what was really on his mind. How could she ever think of leaving her son like that, how could she kill herself, how could she walk away from Steve and her family and then sit across from him twenty fucking years later and drink fucking tea like they were just here for a fucking visit…Danny counted to thirty…seventy really slowly in his head.

"That's why you pretended to be dead?" Steve asked and pulled Doris' focus back to him.

Danny turned to look at Steve with surprise; his Steve was a stickler for respect. He called Danny's parents Mr and Mrs Williams regardless of what Danny's mother said and yet he'd just called his mother Doris. Danny desperately wanted to get out of this room, to pull Steve out and work out how to fix it but he knew that whatever came from this meeting it was important and later he would try and put the pieces back together.

"Since when does a son call his mother by her first name?"

"Since you failed to be one twenty years ago," Steve said his mask cracking a little around the edges and Danny couldn't stop himself.

"I think he's earned the right to call you anything he wants," Danny said unable to keep his mouth shut. "After all, you're dead."

Danny stood with Steve and watched Steve's composure start to fall apart. He didn't move with Steve though, he waited and watched Steve knowing he could and would drag Steve out of here the second he needed to. Doris continued to ignore Danny like he wasn't even in the room and Danny tried to work out if anything could ever convince him to do this to Grace.

"Pack a bag," Steve said abruptly. Danny turned to Steve; that was his commander voice again. Danny knew whatever this was it was going to be a bad idea and it was going to cause them pain.

They were going home, and he was going calling Grace and ask her about whatever stupid show she loved at the moment so she would just talk to him for a while.

As they walked out of the little Japanese house Danny realised he hated…and he really tried not to hate anyone, but he hated Steve's mother more fiercely than he'd ever hated anyone.

When they were on the plane Steve said he needed to talk to the captain and asked Joe to stay with his mother. Danny didn't care what he needed to say he followed him anyway to try and steal a moment alone. Between one curtain and the next Steve turned and pulled Danny in close, he kissed him. It was rough and sloppy but Danny didn't care and met him at every point until Steve pulled away suddenly and dropped his forehead until it was touching Danny's.

"My mother is alive," Steve whispered.

"She is," Danny said. "How are you?"

Steve smiled. "No idea, thank you for being there."

Danny pulled him closer for a much softer kiss. "Nowhere else I'd rather be."

"Liar," Steve kissed him again quickly and then turned to go into the cockpit. Danny didn't move from his spot. He didn't want to be anywhere near Doris without Steve there, he knew he'd end us saying something that he shouldn't.

"So you are dating my son," Doris said behind him making Danny spin.

"We are," Steve said coming back out of the cockpit.

"You're gay?" She asked one eyebrow raised.

"Yes." Steve replied and Danny tried to work out if he should talk or just let the two McGarretts who were staring so completely at one another just keep going.

"You didn't introduce him."

"Danny Williams," Danny said just to break the back and forth.

Doris looked down at him and Danny truly felt like she was looking down on him more than just physically. "You work together, he's your partner."

"Yes he is," Steve said stepping closer to Danny in the tiny space.

"Unwise," Doris said before turning and walking out.

"Well," Danny said with a sigh. "That went well."

Nothing else was said about it until Steve stood and went to the bathroom.

"You're a cop," Doris said turning to look at Danny.

"I think we already established that," Danny replied not bothering to be as polite as he normally would with an in-law.

"New Jersey from your accent."

Danny turned and looked at her more fully. "Let's not pretend that you haven't had Joe giving you information on Steve and his life for a moment shall we?"

Doris nodded. "Why are you dating my son?"

"Maybe if you hadn't been dead for the last twenty years and knew him you wouldn't have to ask that question."

"You don't like me," Doris said with a strange smile.

"I don't like what you did to Steve."

Doris nodded and turned back to Joe just before Steve walked out of the bathroom. Danny sighed; this was not going to go well at all.

TBC?