bymagajones

Chapter 26 (Epilogue)

After being away from home for two weeks, all Steve’s men wanted to do was bathe, bed their mates, and sleep, and not necessarily in that order. He’d recognized the glints in Chin and Kono’s eyes as they left to return to their home by the ocean. Sure, they’d been together the entire trip, but bunking down around men away from their own loved ones and fighting a hydra didn’t really allow for a lot of intimacy. Steve knew he’d spent every night away missing Danny with an ache that had almost felt physical.

Which was why, instead of bathing or reporting to his father, he found himself leaning against a pillar in the largest garden behind the city walls, right next to the castle, watching Danny hold court. He didn’t bother trying to mask the smile spreading over his face as Danny ranted, arms waving, at the two men standing in front of him. Seated on the huge throne, his feet dangling, Danny should’ve looked ridiculous. Instead his personality and sweeping gestures seemed to take up whatever space his body left.

“…willing to destroy a lifelong friendship for what? True love? World peace? No, for that!” Danny pointed in front of him, and Steve had to push away from the pillar to catch a glimpse of the offending object. He grinned once he saw it. “You should be ashamed. In fact, I’m ashamed for both of you. You’ve wasted my time and the attention of these fine folks.” Ignoring the chuckles of the crowd in front of him, Danny leaned forward. “This is what? A boy?” The men nodded. “You both have females?” Again, the nods. “Here’s what we’re gonna do. He’s going to be a temporary guest at the castle, and each of you will bring along one of your females for a conjugal visit. You get to keep any babies.”

One of the men gathered the courage to ask, “Who gets him?”

“Are we back to that?” Danny’s annoyance quickly turned thoughtful. “I’ll give him to the person who will treat him best and who deserves him the most.”

Steve looked around as the townspeople muttered to each other, flashes of coins catching his eye as they made wagers.

“Where’s Meka?”

The murmur became louder as an older man, led by a boy, walked up to Danny. It quickly became obvious to Steve that the boy was acting as the man’s eyes and cane.

“Here, Your Highness,” the boy said.

Danny climbed off the throne and knelt by the boy. “What’d I say about that?”

The boy grinned. “Danny.”

“There you go,” Danny said, and Steve could just picture how the king was going to react to hearing about that. “So, I have this one – ” he pointed in front of him “ – who’s become a pain in my behind. You think you could do me a favor and take him off my hands?”

The boy’s smile grew larger as he nodded so hard that his little hat almost fell off his head.

“He’ll have to stay here at the castle for a little while, but after that, he’s all yours.”

The boy led the old man over to the goat, rubbing the man’s hands over the animal’s back. “What’s his name?”

Danny looked expectantly at the two men who shuffled nervously and looked away. “Seriously?” Disgusted, he turned back to the boy. “This just proves that you deserve him. You can name him whatever you want.”

The murmur of the crowd turned from surprise to approval quickly, and Steve marveled proudly at how quickly Danny had managed to make the town fall in love with him by just being himself.

Outward appearances to the contrary, Steve had been worried when he and his men had arrived home after dealing with the dragon. Instead of returning with a princess and the promise of children, he’d come home with an ailing commoner and the promise of sporadic visitation from that man’s child with a princess from another kingdom. As soon as he’d gotten Danny settled with the royal physician, he’d requested an immediate audience with the king and queen. Unsurprisingly, neither had been very enthusiastic.

What had been surprising was finding the king at Danny’s bedside the next day, laughing uproariously to one of Danny’s stories. As he’d left, he’d touched Steve – actually clapped him on his shoulder – and said that Danny seemed to have a good head on his shoulders and a strong sword arm.

It was Grace who’d won over the queen. Riding up on her horse, hugging Steve and Danny before curtsying before the king and queen, Grace had smiled, and his mother was lost. Unfortunately, Grace had brought out a never before seen mischievous side to his mother, one that had gotten so out of hand that Danny’d requested an audience with the woman and disappeared with her for almost an hour. Steve had waited outside the chamber doors, pacing with Kono and Chin the entire time. Eventually, Danny had emerged, completely intact, refusing to discuss the conversation. All Steve knew was that the tricks dialed down a bit, and his partner still had his head. And that was good enough for him.

Danny looked over the crowd and noticed Steve, a huge, goofy grin spreading over his face for everyone to see. Before meeting Danny, that kind of open emotion in public would’ve made Steve uncomfortable, but he’d not only gotten used to it, he threw a sappy grin of his own right back.

“Okay, we’re done for the day.” Quite a few of the townspeople groaned, causing Danny to stand tall in front of them, arms held out. “For Pete’s sake. Don’t you people have chores to do, people to feed, animals to fight over?” The crowd laughed at Danny’s smile and eye roll. Placing his hand on the boy Meka’s head, he gave it a gentle shake before getting ready to step down into the crowd.

The king’s emissary, who had leached himself on to Danny practically the moment the king had accepted him as Steve’s partner, held out a hand, stopping Danny from descending. He shouted out some formal speech about this concluding the day’s trials, but everyone milled around talking, ignoring him as usual. Danny just shook his head and smiled wryly, rubbing a hand over his hair while he waited.

Steve still couldn’t stand the emissary, who seemed determined to mold Danny into some semblance of royalty – or at least get him to live and act royally. He was the only one still hoping for that miracle to occur. Danny seemed to take the man in stride, gently teasing him but letting him have his way in small things. Steve had once suggested that the man might be a little in love with Danny himself, to which Danny had replied with a smirk, “it just proves the man has good taste.” They both knew that whatever the emissary’s feelings about Danny, he would never reveal them to anyone, especially Danny. It just wasn’t proper.

Smiling distractedly at the people who clamored to put their hands on his shoulders or touch his arm, Danny’s eyes were for Steve alone. He walked straight to the prince and pressed a hand against Steve’s chest. “None of the hydra’s fifty heads took a bite out of you?” The question was posed lightly, but Steve saw the concern.

“There were only seven heads, and none of them got me,” Steve confirmed with a grin, his hand pressing against Danny’s briefly before he laced their fingers and pulled him in for a quick kiss.

“Kono and Chin?” Danny led the way into the castle.

“Went straight back to their place.”

Chuckling, Danny said, “I’m sure they did.”

“What did you do while we were gone, besides continue your long history with goats?”

“You just had to bring that up, didn’t you?” Danny groaned.

“I suppose I should be thankful that you didn’t just kill him.”

“It was dead when I found it!”

Steve couldn’t help but laugh.

“How about this, funny guy? I’ll stop holding court and will leave it all for you next time.”

Steve’s laughter stopped abruptly. He was pretty sure Danny was teasing him, but he absolutely couldn’t stand holding courty, even after Kono’d figured out a way to keep it outside no matter the weather. “C’mon, Danny. You’re so good at it, and the people obviously love you.”

Danny snorted, pulling Steve toward the kitchens.

“You have such a gift for being fair and just – and you’re highly entertaining.” He pulled his arm back, knocking Danny off balance enough so he could wrap his arms around the shorter man and push him against the wall. “I’ve missed you,” he whispered in Danny’s ear, nuzzling at his neck and reveling in Danny’s unique smell.

Danny’s free arm wrapped around Steve, pulling him closer. “I missed you too, Babe,” the puffs of his breath tickling Steve’s neck.

Closing his eyes, Steve allowed himself to continue to smell until that wasn’t enough. He pressed his lips against Danny’s neck, enjoying the faint salty taste, pressing his tongue against flesh.

“Are you… are you licking me?” Danny pulled back but only far enough so their foreheads touched. “You’re a disgusting goof, you know that, right?”

Steve laughed, a silent puff of air. “But I’m your goof.”

Danny grinned back. “Damn straight. C’mon. Monkey’s here.”

Steve brightened at the thought of seeing Grace. The queen herself had called everyone together after Grace’s first visit had her leaving a day early due to some royal event. Steve sat there, watching her command a table filled with advisors, scribes, mages, and lieutenants, setting up a plan of attack that had even impressed his father. The scribes spent most of the time either taking notes or drafting official correspondence to Grace’s grandfather. Kono had been tasked to liaise with Kamekona, since they’d corresponded recently. The lieutenants poured over maps and came up with potential invasion strategies. Eventually, the king departed, and Steve only lasted another half an hour before finding his father in the middle of a card game in Danny’s suite, a game that Danny swore to Steve later that he had let the king cheat so the man could win.

It had turned out that most of the queen’s machinations hadn’t been needed. Once he found out that Danny was betrothed to the prince of Hawaii, Grace’s grandfather had apparently agreed to a more generous custody arrangement. According to the advisors who had made the trip to Jersey, he had been grudgingly amenable to the document the queen had approved and had made few changes. According to Grace, her grandfather had waited until the advisors had left before turning purple and scattering his servants with his bellows.

So now Grace spent two weeks with them, two weeks with her mother. If, for some reason, either kingdom needed her for an official event, a request for her time had to be sent, in writing, at least two weeks in advance. The only down side to the whole arrangement was that Danny would always slip out of Steve’s bed in the middle of the night to return to his own in case Grace needed him.

“Where is she?”

“In the kitchen.”

Steve groaned. Grace in the kitchen meant that there’d be tons of tasty, unhealthy, homemade treats around the castle. After the last few times, he’d had to institute mandatory calisthenics for all of his military branches. The queen had been so impressed, she’d had a revised exercise regime created for the castle servants, citing the exorbitant cost of new, larger uniforms needed for the entire staff.

Steve could hear the commotion long before the kitchen came into view. Grace stood on her stool, stirring a large wooden spoon in a big pot over a fire. Danny’s hands folded into fists, and Steve put a hand on his wrist. Danny hated Grace’s standing over open flame, but he knew that the she was protected by a multitude of spells cast by Kamekona, Kono, and JennaKaye. Steve suspected that some of the other royal mages had cast spells themselves to make sure that nothing happened to Grace. It was just Danny’s inherent protective nature that made his heart beat so fast underneath Steve’s comforting grip.

Grace looked up, her face brightening. “Steve!”

Danny stood aside so Grace could run directly to Steve, raising her arms so he could swing her up on his hip. She was getting too old and to big for this sort of thing, but Steve wasn’t ready for it to end. Not yet. Thankfully, Grace seemed to feel the same way. “What’re you making?”

“Brownies!” She said. “We’re doing two batches, one with nuts and the other one without so everyone can have some.”

“Great,” Steve muttered with a small smile, mentally cataloguing how much additional exercise he was going to have to give to his men.

“I think Steve wishes you’d maybe cook something a little healthier sometimes,” Danny said, eyes connecting with Steve’s.

Grace’s brow furrowed. “I don’t know how to make brownies any healthier.” She wiggled, and Steve gently slid her to the floor.

“I don’t think that’s what he means, Monkey,” Danny said mildly, returning to Steve’s side and casually linking fingers.

Steve tried to pretend that he still didn’t get a little thrill out of how often Danny and Grace touched him. He’d rarely given thought to how little he’d been touched his entire life, but now… now he craved it when those two were around. He found himself initiating contact, taking Danny’s hand or wrist, laying his hand on Danny’s shoulder. When they were alone, he reveled in discovering new ways and places to touch Danny.

“We could make apple pie,” the queen suggested, dusting flour off her hands. The fact that she’d even gotten anything on her hands still shocked Steve. The first time he’d seen her in the kitchen, sleeves rolled up, he’d turned around and gotten the king to come downstairs.

“Don’t be so shocked,” the queen had said blithely, “I’ve cooked before.”

Steve and the king had shared a look but remained silent, survival instincts still intact.

Now she, JennaKaye, and Grace had become this dangerous triumvirate, and heaven help any man who stood between them and any of their missions. Any man, that is, except for Danny, who seemed to have been given some leeway due to his biological connection to Grace.

One of Grace’s first visits, she’d balked at going to bed at her bedtime. Being her father’s daughter, she didn’t just sulk but threw one hell of a hissy fit, finally turning large, beseeching eyes toward the queen.

“Perhaps this one time,” the queen started. Danny shot her a look more powerful than his daughter’s, and the queen had immediately backtracked. “Actually, I thought we’d have a picnic tomorrow, but we couldn’t possibly if the guest of honor is too tired because she didn’t go to sleep at her bedtime.” Danny had shot her a grateful look, and as far as Steve knew, that was the last time she’d tried usurp his fatherly bounds.

“We’ll have to come up with some healthy recipes for their wedding, won’t we, Grace?” The queen slid an evil glance toward Steve and Danny.

Grace grinned excitedly. “You finally set a date?”

Steve was a grown man. A prince. He shouldn’t have to fight so hard not to cringe in front of a little girl.

Danny scratched at his cheek, glaring a bit at the queen. “We didn’t, actually.” He shifted. “We’ve been busy…”

Steve couldn’t leave him out there on his own. “I just got back from dealing with the hydra,” he said, helpfully pointing toward the entrance.

“We could always help, since you’re both so busy,” Kono said, brushing past them to walk into the kitchen.

“What are you doing here?” Steve asked.

“Where else would we be?” Chin asked from behind.

“Home doing –” Danny’s clearing his voice reminded Steve of the little ears in the room. “home… stuff,” he finished lamely.

Kono grinned at him, dimples flashing. “Don’t worry; we took care of all the urgent items on the to do list.” She crossed her arms and leaned against the table. “So back to the wedding. How about we – ” she waved an arm to encompass Grace, the queen, JennaKaye, and herself “ – take care of the details, and we’ll just come to you with the important questions.”

Steve looked at Danny, who shrugged and squeezed his hand. They hadn’t really talked about it, but Steve knew they were both in it for the long haul. “At least we’ll get to share the same suite.” Steve raised his eyebrows and smiled. No more sneaking around for proprietary’s sake when everyone knew that while he kept his few clothes and even fewer belongings in his own suite, Danny slept every night Grace was at her mother’s in Steve’s bed.

“And then we can get started on babies!” Grace shouted, her face flushed from the heat and her exertions. She stepped down from her stool and let JennaKaye take over.

“Monkey, I thought you’d already covered this with your tutors,” Danny said. “Steve and I –” he waved his free arm between the two of them – “are both guys.”

“But Kono could do something, right?” Grace asked, her voice filled with hope.

Kono looked thoughtful.

For the first time since he’d watched Danny collapse in front of him months before, Steve felt true fear.

“Oh, no,” Danny protested, pointing at Kono. “Don’t even go there, Mage!”

Kono acted like she hadn’t heard him.

“I mean it, Kono. Keep your weird baby making magic away from Steve!”

It took Steve a moment to process what Danny’d said. “What?”

“If we have to have a baby, you’re the one who’s gonna carry it.”

“Why me? I have a dangerous life –”

“You think I don’t?”

“You don’t have to lead the army like I do.”

“You think I’m perfectly safe up there holding court?” Danny had pulled his hand away from Steve’s in order to gesture, and Steve felt the loss.

“Danno, everyone loves you.”

“Not everyone,” the queen said.

Steve caught the look Danny shot his mother, and his heart started to pound in his ears. “Tell me.”

Danny sighed, running a hand over his hair. “First of all, I’m fine. I’m fine.”

Steve waved it aside. That wasn’t the point. “Give.”

Danny sighed. “So, in a trial, someone’s gonna win, someone’s gonna lose. People get pissed off.”

Steve just stared, his arms crossed.

“Two men came at Danno with knives,” Grace said.

Danny’s head whipped around to his daughter. “Who told you?”

Grace shrugged, licking some dough from her fingers. “People talk.”

“People…what? People talk? What people have been talking to you?” Danny turned a disbelieving look toward Steve before returning his focus to Grace.

Ignoring that conversation, Steve began running his hands over Danny’s shoulders, down his arms, turning over his hands.

“Stop mauling me in front of people!” Danny said, trying to pull back his arms.

“Where’d they stab you?” Steve only needed two things at that point: he needed to see where Danny was hurt, and he needed to know the names of the bastards whose blood would be dripping from his knife in less than ten minutes.

“What? You think I can’t take care of myself?” Danny said, slapping at Steve’s probing hands. “Stop that!”

Steve tried to let go, but he remembered seeing Danny in pain, fingers broken and ribs cracked, and he couldn’t shake that fear. He felt two hands on his face. Danny’s hands.

“Babe, I’m right here, and I’m fine. Didn’t you hear me say I was fine?” Blue eyes filled with love and concern bore into his, and he felt himself relaxing.

“So, you’re fine then?” He tried to make it sound funny and whimsical, but he knew it came out forced and weak.

Danny laughed, going along with him even though it was obvious that Danny knew what he was up to. “I’ve been a lawman for quite a few years. I might be rusty, but I can still kick some serious a – ” a glance at Gracie “ – butt when I feel the need.”

Steve looked at Chin, who nodded. Their sparring sessions were now going to have a third member. The trick was going to be convincing Danny to get out of bed at dawn for them.

“What was that?”

Steve brought out his innocent look. “Hmm?”

“That look between you and Chin. What was that?”

“Nothing,” Steve said the same time Chin asked, “how early do you have to get up when you hold court?”

Danny’s head whipped between the two men. “I don’t know what you’re up to, but the answer is no. Just. No.”

Steve hazarded another look at Chin, thankful that their long friendship enabled them to understand each other quickly. Chin shook his head a little, letting Steve know that he and Kono had looked into Danny’s past and hadn’t been able to learn anything about his parents. They’d agreed to say nothing to Danny until they’d gotten hold of substantial information. Even then, Steve had decided to only share what they’d found if the information wouldn’t cause Danny any additional pain. After all, he had a new family now, one who’d chosen and accepted him and loved him.

“Those plans can wait until after the wedding,” the queen said, oblivious to the silent conversation. “We’ll come up with a few possible dates, and you can just pick one of them.”

“See? Easy.” Kono smirked, and Steve knew she was making him pay for only letting her cut off one of the hydra’s heads.

He started to open his mouth in what he knew was going to be another futile attempt to stop plans that were already gathering steam, but Danny nudged him silent.

“Babe, let’s just leave them to it,” Danny suggested, bowing low as he backed out of the kitchen, making Grace giggle. He pulled Steve around the corner, his turn to press Steve against the wall. “I hate it when you leave without me.”

They’d decided that Danny would travel with him when Grace was at her mother’s, staying at the kingdom when Grace visited them. The nights could be lonely, but those were the times when Steve found himself focused on getting home rather than dawdling along the way. Chin had informed him in his own dry tone that the men appreciated the change.

“You’ll have to tell me all about your trip,” Danny said between featherlike kisses.

Leaning forward to try to deepen the kisses, Steve sighed, “I have to report to the king.”

Danny stopped and leaned back, staring at Steve.

Uncomfortable at the scrutiny, Steve tried not to squirm. “What?”

“You came to see me before reporting to your father?” A large smile spread over Danny’s face as he chuckled. “He’s gonna be pissed.”

“I’ll just blame you,” Steve said. “He’ll already be simmering because you told that child to call you by your first name.”

“Who, Meka? He’s a buddy of mine,” Danny said, shrugging. “Besides, fiancés don’t have titles.”

Steve knew that Danny wasn’t worried about the king. Against all expectations, the king had somehow formed a bond with Danny that Steve hadn’t seen happen with anyone else. In fact, the king had once confided to Steve that he knew Danny knew the correct protocols and that the man used them when he thought necessary – he just usually chose to ignore them. What stunned Steve was that his father had said it with a fond smile. He supposed he should be jealous of that bond, but he was all for anything that further cemented Danny’s place in his life and proved that Danny was happy and felt at home with them. With him.

“Come with me. The king’s much nicer when you’re around.”

Danny chuckled, walking with Steve towards the king’s chambers. “You managed all those years without me. I’m sure you’ll be fine.” They stopped in front of the chamber doors. “Hurry up. I’ll be waiting.”

“Fine.” Steve sighed, kissing Danny once more and pressing their foreheads together, never tiring of looking into the eyes of his future.

***************
Final note:

I know I'm supposed to send this out tomorrow, but I'm having power cord issues (think a small crackling sound and a wisp of smoke), and I don't know that I'll be able to do it then. So, you get the finale early!

Thanks for taking this ride with me. I hope you're leaning back, sighing, feeling like you ate the perfect desert and just want to take a moment enjoying the feeling.

I also want to take the time to thank everyone who took the time to comment. I had fun chatting with every one of you.


Master post with chapter breakdown and links to other sites

Danny always loved the times he spent with his daughter, and this was made better by the fact that they had the freedom to be outside. They’d decided to spend the day fishing, but they ended up just playing in the water until they were both drenched. They returned to the camp to change clothes and have lunch – Danny was determined to do better in that area – before he made her take a short nap.

At loose ends and wanting to keep busy, he sauntered up to JennaKaye. “I don’t suppose you have some maps on you that could help me get home.”

JennaKaye looked at him, her large eyes sad.

“Don’t give me that look,” he said, backing away. “I have to go.”

“I know, but… couldn’t you stay?”

Danny blinked at her.

“I mean, do you really have to go?”

Danny sighed. “Yeah, I really do. I don’t belong here. I don’t have family or history.”

“You have us.”

Danny touched JennaKaye’s shoulder. “I appreciate everything you’ve done for me. You’re a true friend, and I promise, I’ll let you know where I end up. If you ever need me, you only have to send a message.”

“At least let me gather some things for you, food and clothing.”

Danny groaned.

“Think of it was payment for services rendered,” Kono said, appearing from the side of the wagon.

Danny grabbed for his heart. “That – that whole appearing out of nowhere thing? That I won’t miss at all.”

Kono grinned at him before looking him up and down. “We’ll get you a vest, some nice, soft breeches –”

“A what? Some – No, no thank you. You want to help? Keep that stuff. Just a button down shirt, slacks, and a tie. Oh, and shoes and socks would be nice.”

Kono arched an eyebrow and looked him over again. “So you like to let it all hang loose, brah?”

Danny crossed his arms over his waist. “Stop looking at me like that. You’re making me feel dirty. And I figured that undergarments would just be a given.” He rolled his eyes. “Of course, I forgot you’ve been hanging out with Steve, the uncouth bastard.”

JennaKaye had taken the time to root inside her wagon and handed Danny a rolled parchment. “Here’s a map. It’s current with all the new roads.” Danny unrolled it slightly to take a look. “The roads are color coded.” She pointed. “Blue for the safer roads, pink for the more dangerous…” Her face turned pinker than the roads she’d colored.

“Thank you, really,” Danny said, touching a hand to his chest. It had been a long time since anyone other than Grace had cared about him, and while it felt a little strange, he appreciated the warmth. “I’m gonna sit down, figure out a route back.” He smiled at the ladies and headed back toward the tent Steve had used as his impromptu war room.

“… saw her heading that way, toward the dragon.”

“And you say she was alone?”

Danny was looking at the map, trying to find Jersey and didn’t pay much attention to the conversation until he recognized the princess’ voice. He stopped, not wanting to intrude on a private conversation; although, he thought, there were plenty of other places around to go if they didn’t want to be overheard.

“Completely alone.”

“Where is her father?”

At this, Danny frowned. As far as he knew, he was the only one with a child around, but Gracie was asleep in their tent.

“I don’t know. I just know that he’s not with her.”

“For some reason, his highness is enamored with her. You and I are going to go rescue her from the dragon, maybe after it singes her a little, and he’ll be properly… grateful.” She didn’t even bother to hide her smug tone.

One of the reasons Danny was such a good lawman was his ability to remain calm in dire situations, to think through options quickly and come up with the best plan of action. All of that disappeared when his daughter was involved.

He walked around the corner and grabbed the princess’ arm, ignoring her shriek of outrage. “You stay away from my daughter. I don’t believe in hitting a woman, but so help me, I will feed your ass to that dragon and not shed a tear.”

“Get your hands off me!” The princess yelled, teeth clenched.

“Gladly.” Danny pushed her away and headed for the road to go get his baby. He was so focused on his daughter that he never even sensed the person who knocked him out from behind.


Master post with chapter breakdown and links to other sites

Danny tried to block out the image of Steve walking toward the princess and focused on his daughter, who pushed back in his arms so she could look him in the eyes. “Did you learn more about the dragon?”

“I did,” Danny said. “Turns out, she’s a girl dragon.”

Grace’s eyes widened. “Really? Can I see her?”

Danny was already shaking his head. “Just because she’s a girl dragon doesn’t mean she doesn’t still breathe fire, and the last thing I need is a daughter with her hair and eyebrows singed off. Your mother and grandfather would put me in another tower.” And Steve wouldn’t rescue me this time, he thought before shoving the loss down deep.

Grace giggled, patting his chest. “You’re not damp this time.”

“I brought towels,” he said. “No one can say that I don’t learn from my mistakes.”

“Speaking of which, have you had breakfast yet?”

“Dam – Darn it, Kono! I almost dropped Gracie!” Danny slowly put his daughter down and turned to the woman who’d almost stopped his heart. “A bell. Couldn’t you wear a bell or something?”

“Nope,” Kono said, tugging a little on one of Grace’s pigtails. “Have you had breakfast yet?”

“I’m really not –”

“Because Grace and I know how bad you are at eating right, don’t we?”

Grace gave Danny one of those I’m-worried-about-you looks that made him feel all kinds of shitty. He glared at Kono, who gave him a big, faux-innocent grin, and sighed. “Lead on, Monkey.” Grace dashed toward JennaKaye’s wagon, and Danny leaned closer toward Kono as they walked at a more sedate pace. “That was a low blow.”

Bumping him with her shoulder, she said, “You need to take care of yourself. It’s been a long time since you were out on your own; there’s no shame in letting your friends help you.”

Danny allowed Kono’s words to wash over him, support him in a way that he hadn’t felt in so long. It helped soften some of the pain he felt as he caught Steve and the princess eating breakfast out of the corner of his eye. Kono took his arm, hugging it to her, and he smiled at her. He supposed he’d gotten more out of this adventure than he’d ever really expected. He knew he wasn’t going to get his guy, but at least he gained some friends, and that was something.

It just wasn’t enough.


“So what did you learn about the dragon?” The princess asked, pouring tea for Steve.

Thanking her, Steve tried to remember what Danny had been telling him. At the time, he’d been focused on muddy Danny, dragging that washcloth over his chest, and he hadn’t really been paying that much attention. And then somehow they just never got back to the dragon on the walk back, which kind of surprised him considering that pretty much all he’d been doing the past few weeks was think about that damn thing.

“She’s pregnant.” He vaguely recalled Danny saying that she was either hurt or pregnant, and Steve decided to make an educated guess that since Danny decided she was female, she was pregnant.

“Does that mean you’re going to have to blow her and the babies up, or will you do it now before she has them?” She said it so calmly, taking a bite of her eggs.

“It’s slay, actually,” Steve said, a little dismayed at her calm acceptance of the dragon’s death. Never mind that he’d spent all this time thinking of inventing ways of killing her himself. He supposed that Danny was rubbing off on him a little bit. The thought made his mind wander a dirty path for a moment, and he had to quietly adjust the napkin on his lap.

“I don’t understand,” the princess said, her voice a little cross. “You always talk about blowing it up, but you correct me when I say it.”

Steve didn’t know how to explain an inside joke to someone who wasn’t in on it. Even if she understood it, she wouldn’t find it amusing, and if anything, she’d probably feel a little excluded.

“Excuse me, your highness,” Chin said, Althor on his arm. “We have an emergency dispatch from the castle.”

Managing to hide his relief, Steve stood. “Please excuse me for a moment.”

The princess smiled politely. “I hope the king and queen are in good health.”

Acknowledging her words with a nod, Steve walked with Chin into Steve’s tent. “Please tell me that you just made that up to save my ass.”

“That would be inexcusable.” Chin’s smile belied his words.

Nodding toward Althor, Steve said, “That was a nice touch.”

“It’s all in the details.”

“After breakfast I want everyone here so Danny can read us all in on what he’s learned.”

“You’ll still have to escort the princess and her retinue back to the inn.”

Steve groaned. There went the rest of the morning and most of the afternoon. And then there were the days he’d waste escorting her back to the castle. Rubbing the back of his neck, he stared at his friend as an idea began to form. “Maybe I can convince her that I need to stay here in order to take care of this. After all, she has twelve of her own guards, right? In the meantime, I need to you to look into something for me…”

It was early afternoon when Steve managed to sit down with everyone – the princess had agreed that Steve needed to stay in the camp and take care of this whole dragon business; unfortunately, she decided to remain close for moral support. He’d gotten Kono and JennaKaye to fashion a more than adequate tent; however, he didn’t want her so comfortable that she would choose to alter her habit of staying in the inn.

He looked around the table at his three generals, his five lieutenants, Kono, and Chin. “Where’s Danny?”

“I’m here,” Danny said, striding into the large tent with papers in one hand and Grace’s hand in his other. He stopped just inside the entrance and kneeled in front of his daughter. “I need you to stay here with JennaKaye while I do this thing, okay?”

Grace looked at JennaKaye, who smiled at her from just inside the tent. She leaned up to her dad’s ear and whispered something to him.

“I promise,” he said, tapping at her nose before standing and walking further into the room.

“That’s the guy,” one of the lieutenants whispered loudly.

Danny walked around the table and got a look at the man. He raised a challenging eyebrow, waiting until the man lowered his eyes.

Swallowing a smile, Steve said, “This is DannyWilliams from Jersey. After some careful research, he’s uncovered some facts about the dragon that we’ll all find helpful. Danny.”

Standing beside Steve, Danny managed to toss a small smile his way without looking him in the eyes before setting down his papers. “Once I determined what type of dragon she was, it was easy to figure out the rest. She’s only going to be here for a few more days, just until she gives birth. After which, she’ll call for her mate, and they’ll fly away, babies in tow. She didn’t mean go into labor here; I think she miscalculated, didn’t realize that being pregnant was going to tire her out so quickly, and she just couldn’t make it to the blue mountains.” Danny shrugged like it happened all the time.

“Great,” the lieutenant muttered. “We’re going to have to deal with more of them.”

Danny leaned on the table and stared at the man. “How did you climb this far in the ranks when you don’t listen? She and the babies will be leaving within the next couple of days.”

“But what about the lives that have been lost? What if she returns when those babies are grown up?” The men at the table began muttering to each other.

Danny rolled his eyes. “I’m sorry. I figured that since all of you have been here with your thumbs up your asses – sorry Gracie – for weeks, and you didn’t even manage to figure out that she was female, or even pregnant, that you would listen to someone who, I don’t know, maybe knows more about this than you do?”

Steve shot a glance at Kono and Chin, who were also hiding their smiles behind their hands, as the tent grew silent.

“What I know,” one of the other lieutenants spoke, “is that they weren’t your people, your family or friends.”

“I’m sorry for your loss, I really am,” Danny said, “but antagonizing her won’t bring anyone back. Have you ever dealt with a momma defending her babies? That’s what you have here. She didn’t come to kill anyone. She was just trying to protect her children. I know I’d kill anyone who tried to mess with my child –” he gestured toward Grace, who waved and smiled, “and I’m just the dad.”

A dad who would do anything for his daughter, Steve thought, watching the love shine between the two.

Master post with chapter breakdown and links to other sites

Danny was dying inside, figuratively curling up into the fetal position and dying. How was he supposed to remember why he couldn’t have Steve when the man stood in front of him, water sliding down his body using the same path Danny wanted to take with his hands? He could barely remember what he was talking about much less keep his longings in check. Sure, Steve was muddy and grassy, but he was still Steve, and frankly, the idea of washing him off felt like slowly opening up that one Christmas present under the tree that had been just sitting there, taunting him, for weeks.

And now there was a waterfall? Danny was doomed.

His mind scrambled for something – anything – to keep his mind off of the firm line of Steve’s back, his incredible ass, those long, powerful legs. Squeezing his eyes shut for a moment to regain control, he almost tripped over a tree root, ignoring the smug look Steve shot his way.

They rounded a small curve as the river widened, and Danny could now hear it, the rush of the water, and then he saw it, a beautiful waterfall on the other side of what looked like a small pond.

“How deep is it out there?” He asked.

“What’s wrong, Danno? Can’t swim?”

“I can swim; I just prefer to do it in emergency situations, like if I have to rescue someone. I don’t swim for enjoyment.”

Steve looked at him, shocked. “Seriously?”

“I’ve never lived near a large enough body of water for it to matter that much,” Danny admitted, choosing not to remind Steve that it had been over ten years since it had even been an issue.

“Well, I haven’t been out there, so I don’t know how deep it is, but don’t worry. I’ll save you if you get into trouble.”

“I said I knew how to swim,” Danny insisted, determined now to drown rather than ask Steve for help if for some reason the old adage didn’t apply and swimming wasn’t like riding a bike after all. He took a determined step toward the water, but Steve held out a hand, blocking his path. He stopped short, making sure they didn’t touch. If Steve even so much as brushed past him, Danny wasn’t sure he wouldn’t tackle the man and have his way with him, mud and grass notwithstanding.

“Let me go first.” Evidently Steve was prepared for Danny’s objections, because he added quickly, “This is my land, and I’m more familiar with any kinds of… fish that might be in there.”

Danny didn’t like the idea that he’d have to be familiar with particular kinds of fish in order to be comfortable in the water; what he liked even less was Steve’s pause before use of said word, ‘fish’, as if there were other, only remotely fish-like things out there too. “Be my guest.”

After hiding his sword – Steve called it a knife, but anything longer than from his elbow to the tips of his fingers was a sword as far as Danny was concerned – Steve slowly waded into the water and trudged forward, looking down every so often but not seeming to be worried about anything. The water was barely up to his waist by the time he got to the waterfall and turned around to face Danny. “We’re good.”

Danny had never seen a striptease. He’d heard about them, masturbated to them, dreamt of them, but he’d never really thought he’d ever actually see one in person. And in truth, he still hadn’t seen one. But if they were even half as hot as watching the water slowly sluice down Steve’s powerful body, Danny would never be able to get through one alive. As it was, his heart was pounding so hard that he only knew Steve had talked because he’d watched the man’s mouth move.

Steve stared at him in silence, his eyes drilling into Danny’s, and Danny felt as if he could see all of the thoughts running through his head, all of the pure want that made his blood so hot that he felt like he was burning up from the inside. And all Danny could do was stand there and stare at Steve, so close but yet too far, since Danny couldn’t seem to make himself move. He wanted to say something, but his breath was coming out in pants. It was just as well, because he didn’t think anything he said would make any sense anyway.

“You’d have to wait until I was already out here –” Steve said, cutting off the thought as he waded back to shore, a dangerous grin on his face. He stopped a few feet in front of Danny and held out his hand.

Danny’s eyes moved from the hand back to Steve’s eyes, and he understood. Part of him just wanted Steve to reach out and take what they both wanted, but he knew that he had to meet Steve partway, to acknowledge that he wanted this just as much. Unfortunately, he still hadn’t regained control of his body.

He saw Steve’s smile start to fade, and he realized that there was no way he could reject Steve like that, make him think that Danny didn’t want him in the worst way. So using everything he had, he reached out, grabbed hold of Steve, and gave himself permission to just feel and be and enjoy, if only for one last time.

Steve pulled him into the water and continued to pull until Danny’s face was pressed against his chest. Danny didn’t mind, but he couldn’t resist saying, “Your muddy chest isn’t the most comfortable thing I’ve ever laid my head against, you know.” He felt Steve’s huff of laughter as the man pulled away, his hand still in Danny’s, and led him deeper into the water.

In no time at all they were underneath the waterfall, and Steve turned Danny away from him. Danny felt nothing but the water for a second until Steve’s fingers ran though his hair, gently detangling the knots, pulling out the twigs. Danny closed his eyes and allowed himself to get lost in the sensation, the scalp massage, the magic of Steve’s fingers. Eventually, Steve worked his way down to Danny’s shoulders, and Danny couldn’t suppress the sigh that escaped him as he relaxed under Steve’s ministrations. He wasn’t aware he’d groaned until Steve spoke, smile evident in his voice.

“Feel good?”

“Mmm,” Danny agreed, focusing on Steve’s hands pressing against his back, slowly lowering until they hit his lower back, just above the curve of his butt. They took their time, the palms of his hands pressing in slow circles, easing out what little tension remained in his body. “You keep doing that, and you’re going to have to hold me up.”

Steve chuckled, his breath warm against Danny’s neck, and suddenly Danny couldn’t wait anymore. He turned and rose to his toes, his hand against the back of Steve’s head as he fused their lips together.

And it all disappeared – the haze from the dragon, the rush from the waterfall – everything except for Steve, Steve’s hands pressing against his sides, running through his chest hair, tweaking his nipple, causing Danny to moan into Steve’s mouth.

Feeling a little left out, Danny’s hands began to explore, trailing down the front of Steve’s body to wrap around and squeeze and twist just enough for Steve’s turn to moan, “Danny, Danny, Danny,” before Steve found Danny’s mouth again.

Running his free hand along the back of Steve’s neck, Danny slightly lost his balance, his mouth tearing away from Steve’s. “This isn’t going to work; you’re like a fucking giraffe,” he complained even as his mouth sought Steve’s again, their smiles fading with each passing second. Danny took his hand off Steve, ignoring the man’s disappointed groan, and shifted, Steve’s erection pressing against his stomach. He shifted again, slightly rocking from side to side. He might not be able to get them both off at the same time, but he was focused on Steve, the hitch in Steve’s breath with the friction. Steve’s mouth pressed against the side of Danny’s face, panting in Danny’s ear. It was one of the most erotic sounds Danny had ever heard. Realizing that Steve needed a little more of a push, Danny slid to his knees.

“Danny,” Steve whispered, his voice almost lost in the sound of falling water.

Gazing at Steve, Danny opened his mouth and took Steve in with one slow, deep slurp. Using one hand to cup Steve’s balls, Danny began bobbing his head, his eyes focused on Steve’s flushed face, watching Steve’s eyes flutter closed, his mouth open as he panted. Humming softly, Danny watched Steve come apart, reveling in the knowledge that he had done this, he’d taken Steve over the edge, and when Steve came with a shout, Danny swallowed everything, milking Steve until he was dry.

“Danny,” Steve said, bending down and pulling Danny up with him, his turn to wrap his hand over Danny.

Danny’s head fell on Steve’s chest, barely noticing the rise and fall of Steve’s breaths as he felt the pull and tug of Steve’s hand on him. He couldn’t stop himself from grinding up against Steve’s hand, his turn to pant and groan until he fell himself shatter. He wasn’t sure how long it was before he gathered the energy to raise his head and smile up at Steve, who was grinning down at him, a happy, sleepy smile that made Danny heart soar.

“So, what’d we do with the soap?”


Master post with chapter breakdown and links to other sites

Instead of using the road, Danny chose to follow the stream beside where JennaKaye had broken camp. Keeping track of his destination was simple thanks to the smoke rising in the area, and he took a circular route, remaining in the bushes where he could see the dragon.

It was larger and more colorful than he’d expected. Crouched by a small thatch of woods, it shifted its weight while staring down about ten men in armour – some of Steve’s army, Danny assumed. The sunlight reflected off its scales, revealing that only about half were actually a shiny green; the others created a rainbow effect that was either beautiful or blinding, depending on one’s angle. Danny focused on the dragon’s head, making note of its size and other distinguishing marks before rifling through his papers to confirm his suspicions. He began to move forward, but the dragon’s head turned his direction, its nose twitching. Backing off, he returned to the stream and began to strip, hiding his notes and clothes in a nearby bush, and quickly doused himself with the chilly water from the creek. After he was wet enough, he took a deep breath and grabbed for some mud.


It was a weary Steve, Chin, and Kono who appeared at the campsite as the sky grew dark. They’d first listened to all the reports and then made plans to bring both Danny and the princess safely to the dragon – at separate times – the following day.

“Hey, guys!” Grace’s bright, cheerful face greeted them at the campfire. “JennaKaye and I made dinner!” She stood up and jumped toward Steve, who had just enough time to grab her before she fell.

“There’s nothing better than coming in from a hard days’ work to find food and two lovely ladies,” Chin said, seating himself.

“I second that,” Steve said, trying to seat himself without dumping Grace on the ground or falling himself.

“That’s not fair. Where’s my lovely man?” Kono complained, sitting beside Chin.

“Danno went to gather intel,” Grace said, climbing off of Steve.

“What? When?” Steve asked, standing and ignoring the plate JennaKaye held out to him. “How long has he been gone?”

“Why did he go alone?” Kono asked, ignoring the plate JennaKaye tried to give her.

“All I know is that he asked me to keep an eye on Grace, and he said that he’d be back later.” She tried to hand the plate to Chin.

“We’re not going to be able to find him in the dark,” Chin said, ignoring JennaKaye.

“Is anyone eating tonight?” JennaKaye asked, frustrated.

“I’ll take it,” Grace said. “I bet it’s good; we’re great cooks!”

“Did he say which route he was going to take?” Steve wasn’t about to agree to wait until the next morning. He couldn’t stand the thought of Danny hurt somewhere, bleeding, needing help while he sat here comfortable in front of the fire.

“Danno’ll be back soon,” Grace said, unconcerned. “He promised.”

“Chin’s right,” Kono said. “There’s no way we would be able to find him tonight.”

“I can’t just sit here and do nothing while Danny is out there somewhere!”

“I guess it’s good then that I came back,” Danny said, walking into the clearing.

Steve stepped forward, managing to refrain from grabbing the man and rubbing his hands all over him to make sure he was okay. Instead he just stared at him, trying to see if he were hurt. “Are you okay? Why are you shivering?”

Danny sat on the log beside Grace. “I didn’t have the foresight to pack a towel.” He nudged Grace with his shoulder. “Hey, Monkey.”

“Eww,” she complained. “You’re all wet!”

“I’m damp,” Danny admitted, “but I’ll dry off soon.”

“You’ll get sick,” Steve said. “Go change clothes.”

“Your Highness,” JennaKaye said, “Umm…”

“I’ll be fine,” Danny said.

“Uh, Your Highness,” JennaKaye said tentatively.

“It’ll only take a couple of minutes,” Steve insisted. “We don’t eat until you change.”

“Except for me!” Grace sang out happily, taking a bite from her plate.

“Except for Grace,” Steve agreed.

“Your Highness,” JennaKaye muttered.

“What!” Steve growled.

“Those are his only clothes.” JennaKaye raised her chin bravely, the quiver in her voice only slightly noticeable.

“But JennaKaye does thoughtfully clean them every night through some magic of hers,” Danny said, still shivering.

“He only agreed to it as a service to the rest of us,” JennaKaye said cheekily.

“And he has no shoes,” Chin said, finally taking a plate from JennaKaye.

“Or socks,” Grace added helpfully.

“Not really helping,” Danny said, his voice shaking slightly as his body shivered.

Steve looked at Danny’s clothing, realizing for the first time that it was the same outfit he’d put on their last morning in the tower. The knees and elbows were starting to show serious wear, and he noticed a tear on Danny’s right shoulder. “Why didn’t you say something?”

“I’m not taking charity,” Danny said firmly.

“It’s not charity,” Steve said, sighing.

“That is what I told him,” Kono said, taking a bite of her food.

“You knew about this?” Steve asked her.

Kono shrugged.

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“You never asked,” Kono said simply.

“Here,” Chin draped a blanket over Danny’s shoulders.

“Thanks,” Danny said, waving away a plate and drawing the blanket around him.

“So let me get this straight,” Steve said, pressing at his temples as he paced. “You’ve been wearing the same set of clothes since we left the tower with no shoes and socks. You go all by yourself to do intel around a dragon, and you return soaking wet.”

“First of all, my clothes are my business, and after ten years without them, maybe I prefer not to wear shoes. Secondly, I find doing intel alone makes it easier for me to get in and out faster and undetected. Remember, I’m a professional.” Danny’s words probably would’ve made more of an impact if his voice had not been shivering.

“Is there dessert?” Grace asked, unperturbed.

“Let’s go see,” JennaKaye said, holding out her hand.

“Kono and I’ll go with you,” Chin said, clasping Kono’s shoulder.

“Oh, but –” Kono’s voice cut off when Chin grabbed her hand and pulled her after him.

For a second, Steve just stood there, staring at Danny. Even with a tinge of blue to his lips, shivering underneath a blanket, he pulled at something within Steve. Walking to sit in Grace’s empty spot, Steve turned toward Danny, fisting his hands to keep them from reaching out. “Danny, I need you to be safe.”

“I was perfectly safe,” Danny said.

“What about the clothes?”

“I told you –”

“Stop being so proud. You’re assisting me – my country. The least we can do is provide you with some clothes. It’s not charity; it’s letting us take care of someone who is helping us.”

“Fine,” Danny said reluctantly, and Steve had to fight back a grin.

“Now, about this wandering around by yourself.”

“I wasn’t ‘wandering around’. I formulated a plan and followed it.”

“Really? And what did you learn?” He folded his arms.

“I figured out a few things,” Danny said, his even voice showing that he was ignoring Steve’s attitude, “but then some of your soldiers showed up and messed up the entire thing. I need to go back tomorrow to confirm my theory.”

“Who’re you taking with you?” Steve asked, already knowing the answer.

Danny sighed. “Steve, I used to do this kind of thing all the time, and I have done research on dragons. I can handle myself. What would make it more difficult is having someone I need to watch out for while I’m trying to work.”

“It’s not like looking for some mean goat. You can’t go alone.” Steve said. “It’s not negotiable.”

Danny glared at him, and Steve prepared himself. “You’re not my king.”

Steve had to laugh. “Is that the adult version of ‘you’re not the boss of me’?”

Danny tried not to laugh but eventually gave in. “I guess so.”

“How about I go with you? I promise, I can take care of myself.”

“Nope,” Danny said, and Steve had to squelch the sudden disappointment he felt. There must have been something in his expression, because after a moment, Danny sighed. “You have to attend to your princess.”

“First, she’s not my princess. Secondly, we can go early, leave before dawn.” He caught the flicker of a look pass over Danny, but he couldn’t read it. He wasn’t sure if it were because of the brief glimpses of the detail he caught in the firelight or if he just didn’t know Danny well enough to be able to track the nuances on the man’s face.

“If – and I’m not agreeing to this yet,” Danny warned, “if I say yes, you have to promise to let me take charge. Trust me and follow my direction.”

Steve shrugged. Danny wasn’t a stupid man, and Steve trusted him. “Promise.”

“You won’t like it,” Danny said.

“What won’t I like?” He was already anticipating spending time alone with Danny.

“The reason I’m like this –” Danny motioned to his body, “ –is because I had to get naked, wet myself down, and cover myself with mud and then grass to mask my scent. I hadn’t planned on it, so I had to put my clothes on while I was still wet, hence…” he motioned to his body again. “You ready to do all that?”

Forcibly tamping down his excitement at being naked and alone with Danny, Steve shrugged, forcing nonchalance. “I’ll remember to bring towels.”

“I’m sure you’ll have at least four hidden in various pockets.” Danny’s arms waved in the direction of Steve’s cargo pants.

“So, what’d you learn? Anything we can use to destroy it?”

“I’m working on a theory.”

“Feel like sharing it?”

“Not without confirmation,” Danny said.

“Why not? You almost get yourself killed doing your intel, but now you won’t even share anything?”

Danny shrugged a shoulder, almost lost in his shivers. “I was perfectly safe, thank you very much.”

“You’re never ‘perfectly safe’ when you’re in the company of a dragon,” Steve reminded him.

Danny rolled his eyes, and Steve smiled fondly at him, fisting his hand to keep it from reaching out, pressing his palm against Danny’s cheek.

They stared at each other in the moonlight for a few short moments before Danny sneezed.

“You idiot,” Steve said fondly, finally giving in to the urge and rubbing the blanket briskly over Danny’s arms. “You’re not going to be any good to us sick.” Danny leaned into him, giving Steve easy access to the front of his body. Adjusting himself so Danny’s back was against him, Steve rubbed the blanket against Danny’s chest, not able to resist slowing his movements to a caress. Sighing, Danny’s damp head fell back against Steve’s shoulder, and Steve felt the tension ease from both of their bodies. Even if neither one were willing to admit it, their bodies seemed to know inherently that they belonged together. Closing his eyes, he leaned his head against Danny’s, ignoring the other man’s dampness. “I need you to take care of yourself.”

Danny’s stomach took that moment to let out a loud rumble, and they both chuckled.

“When was the last time you ate?” Steve asked.

“I ate, um…” Danny muttered, his head still on Steve’s shoulders, his eyes closed.

Steve waited.

Sighing, Danny lifted his head and opened his eyes. “I ate sometime today… I’m sure. Breakfast definitely.”

It was Steve’s turn to sigh.

“I’m doing okay,” Danny insisted. “It’s just tougher than I thought, you know, out here. I knew I had my freedom taken away, but I didn’t realize how much of my free will I’d given up. Decisions were all made instantly, like what to eat or where to eat or even when to eat were pretty much dictated to me. I was told when to go to bed, I was given specific books to read… After ten years, I’m just needing a little time to get used to making my own decisions again.”

Steve’s guilt returned. “I’m sorry I haven’t been here for you –”

“What? Hey.” Danny turned slightly making eye contact. “Enough with the face. I’m a grown man who has indeed lived in the real world, and I’ll be fine. You rescued me from a life stuck in a tower. I think you’ve more than done your part.”

“But I want to do more,” Steve admitted, loving the myriad of expressions that ran through Danny’s eyes. He’d missed this time.

Danny smiled, a small, sad smile. “But you can’t. You have obligations and a princess.”

Steve sighed. “I told you. She’s not –”

“No. We don’t need to talk about her. She seems pretty amazing, the perfect partner.” Danny pulled away, standing, and it took a moment for Steve to realize that the chill he felt was more than the loss Danny’s warmth.

“You’ve soaked through the blanket. You need to change before you get sick.”

“On it, boss,” JennaKaye said, walking into to firelight, clothes in hand.

Danny took the clothes and pointed them at his daughter, who’d accompanied JennaKaye. “I’m getting changed, and then it’s bed for you.”

“Can Steve put me to bed?” Grace asked, sitting next to him on the log, leaning her head against his side and smiling up at him.

Steve couldn’t help it. He melted. And looked hopefully at Danny. “You really should change as soon as possible, and it’s getting really late.”

Danny sighed, rolling his eyes. Turning toward Chin, Kono, and JennaKaye, he gestured toward Steve and Grace. “Look at what I have to deal with. That face times two.” He turned back to Steve and Grace. “Fine. But I don’t want to hear any crazy noises coming out of that tent.”

“I’ll be good, Danno,” Grace promised.

Danny knelt in front of Grace, and Steve could see the unguarded love shining out of his eyes. “Of course you will. I’m talking to Steve.” Grace giggled and Steve couldn’t help but smile at the impish grin Danny flicked over to him before hugging his daughter. “Goodnight, Monkey. Danno loves you.”

“I love you too,” Grace said, flinging her arms around his neck. She quickly let go, though. “Ewww, you’re still wet.”

“Hey, I’m drying off,” Danny protested, standing.

“Slowly,” Steve muttered, grabbing Grace and standing up with her on his hip. “Get changed and eat.” He pointed at Danny. “And stay here. I’ll be back.”

Danny rolled his eyes. “I’ll hold my breath in anticipation.”

Grace giggled again, and Steve turned away to hide his smile.

“Am I too heavy, Steve?” Grace asked.

“I think you weigh less than my surfboard,” Steve said. “Let’s see.” He tilted her and held her under his arm like he would his surfboard and grinned as she laughed. “Yep, just as I thought. Less than my surfboard.”

“That’s my bed.” She pointed to the cot with the pink blanket.

After putting her in the bed and pulling up the covers, he sat on the floor beside her and ran a hand over her head. “You ready to get some sleep?”

“I guess,” she said reluctantly, reminding Steve of how tough he’d found it to go to sleep when he was her age. Abruptly, she rolled over to stare at him, her cheek resting on her hands. “Steve? Do you like my Danno?”

Those eyes, so much like her father’s, stared at him, and he couldn’t lie to her. “I like him very much.”

“He likes you too.”

“Really?” He felt a goofy smile spreading across his face.

“Yeah. I can tell.” She frowned. “But you like that princess too, right?”

Steve felt his smile start to fall. “It’s complicated.”

“That’s what grownups always say,” Grace complained.

She sounded so dramatic that Steve chuckled.

“No, really,” Grace insisted. “That’s what mom told me when I asked her about why she didn’t choose to live with Danno instead of staying with grandfather. And it’s what Danno said when I asked him about his mom and dad.”

That peaked Steve’s curiosity, but he didn’t feel that asking Grace more about the situation was appropriate. He made a mental note to bring it up with Danny at some point.

But Grace wasn’t finished. “Mom also said it when I told her I wanted a baby sister like Danno has.”

That took Steve by surprise. “Danny has a sister? How come she didn’t get to visit him in the tower?”

“She was born sick, and Danny’s mom and dad had to take her somewhere to get better.”

“Poor Danny,” Steve said.

“He was six,” Grace said, shifting slightly to get more comfortable. “They promised him that they’d come back for him,” she yawned, “but they never did. They picked her over him, just like mom picked grandma and grandpa.”

Steve wasn’t liking the picture that was starting to form, and he wasn’t sure what to tell Grace. A small snort and a sigh made him realize that she was already asleep. Relieved, he walked back out to the campfire where Danny sat, eyes half-mast, hunched over a partially eaten plate of food. He didn’t move when Steve sat beside him and gently took the plate. “Danny, go to bed.”

Danny roused slightly, eyes squinting as he looked at Steve. “But you wanted to talk,” he slurred, his voice rising slightly as if he couldn’t decide if he were asking or telling.

Placing his hand gently on Danny’s shoulder, he said, “We can talk tomorrow morning when we go on recon.”

“Right,” Danny said, and Steve knew the man must be exhausted if he weren’t going to continue to argue about it.

Danny continued to sit there, and stare into the fire.

“Danno,” Steve said.

“Right,” Danny repeated, still motionless until Steve nudged him.

“Do I need to carry you too?” Steve teased.

Danny roused enough to throw Steve a sleepy glare before finally pushing himself off the log and stumbling toward his tent.

Steve continued to stare at the campfire, absently eating the rest of Danny’s food as thoughts of lonely little boys and rejected men and loving fathers raced around in his mind.


Master post with chapter breakdown and links to other sites

Steve had only traveled with his mother once, when he was very young, so he’d forgotten all of the baggage a female royal took with her when she ventured out from her home. All of those memories returned the next morning when he and Chin walked to the stables and found two covered wagons, twelve armed guards on horseback, a carriage for the princess and her ladies in waiting, another carriage for the other members of the party who didn’t rank high enough to sit with the princess, and three horses tied to the last covered wagon.

“Really?” Steve asked Chin as they stared in disbelief at the large party. “It’s not that far.”

“She’s a princess, so she needs to have her comforts,” Chin told him.

“I know, but – really?” Steve repeated. “Two covered wagons? I told her that she’d be staying in inns along the way, so it’s not even as though she needs camping gear. And what’s with all the people? I can understand the armed guards, although I think twelve is excessive, but two carriages worth of people? What do all of them do?”

“I have no idea,” Chin said, “but I’m glad we built in additional time to arrive in Ambrosia. It’s going to take hours every morning to get this caravan ready to go.”

Kono trotted up on her horse, Goliath and Chin’s horse trailing behind her. “Everyone seems to be ready,” she said evenly.

Steve wanted to ask about Danny, but the look in her eyes had him changing his mind. He wasn’t afraid to admit it, deep down inside, that he found angry Kono a little scary. Instead he thanked her for Goliath, grabbed his reins, and headed over to the princess’ carriage to confirm that she was comfortable and ready to begin the journey.

She looked just as fresh and beautiful as she had when they’d met earlier that morning at breakfast, and she smiled as he got closer. “It’s a perfect day for an outing,” she said.

“The journey should be nice this time of year. It won’t become dangerous until after we reach Ambrosia,” he reminded her. “We have a dragon to blow up –” he paused so she could correct him until he remembered that she wasn’t in on that joke, so he continued, “and the towns closest to it are on hard times.”

“So we won’t arrive today?”

“It will take at least three days,” he confirmed, squelching the urge to remind her that they’d discussed it earlier over breakfast.

“Perhaps later on, I’ll have them saddle my horse, and I’ll ride with you.”

“It would be my pleasure,” Steve said truthfully. He did enjoy talking to her, and while she didn’t keep Danny from his mind, she did a good job of pushing him to the back so he could focus matters right in front of him.

Three hours later, they’d stopped four times, twice for potty breaks for various members of the queen’s retinue; once because some of the ladies in waiting claimed that they’d seen an injured deer, and they made everyone go look – everyone except for Kono, who’d stopped but who’d also pretended not to hear them ask for her assistance; and once because the princess had decided she was ready to ride her horse, and he’d had to be saddled and decorated before she was placed gently sidesaddle on his back.

Crowds lined the streets as they rode into their first town, and Steve found himself uncomfortable at the attention. The princess, however, took it all in stride, waving and smiling regally as they made their way to the nicest inn.

Helping her off the horse, Steve bowed and said, “Have a wonderful evening.” As pleasant as she was, the princess, and all that came with her, was exhausting. He was looking forward to relaxing in front of a campfire, eating simple food, and lowering his guard. The strain of being all… princely was also wearing on him, and he needed time to recharge.

“You’re not staying here?” She asked, surprise evident in her face.

“No, we’ll be camping outside of town,” Steve said. “This way I can conduct my essential business without disturbing you and yours.” It was the excuse he and Chin had devised in anticipation of her question.

“Then I shall stay with you,” she declared, and despite his personal disappointment, Steve had to smother a smile at the looks of horror and disbelief in her retinue around her, because in their world, the “I” meant “we”, and they had no choice in the matter.

“Your highness, I don’t think that it will be up to your standards,” he said, trying to be diplomatic.

“I shall have dinner with you, and we can discuss it,” she said, a hint of steel underneath her smile.

Steve didn’t like having his plans disrupted, especially when he really needed the time away to just be himself and speak freely, and he didn’t appreciate her having the conversation with him in public. However, he reminded himself that apparently this had been the first she had heard of his staying elsewhere, so it wasn’t as though they’d had the opportunity to discuss it earlier.

“It would be my pleasure,” he said, sighing inwardly.

They allowed the retinue to take a break, and Chin went inside and explained things to the innkeeper – that they would be back in a short while, Steve had instructed him to say, not that they may not return at all.

Kono led the way to the clearing, about twenty minutes outside of town, and they arrived just as the sun was starting to set.

Steve relaxed slightly as he spied JennaKaye’s wagon and then worried about having enough to food to go around. They made their way to the far side and found tables with candles, chairs, and a banquet. He turned toward Kono, whose bland face didn’t mask the triumph in her eyes, and bowed his head in appreciation.

According to custom, he and the princess sat alone while the others sat at tables behind them. JennaKaye walked up, downcast eyes a little fearful, and served them the first course. Figuring she was nervous because she was intimidated, he gave her a small smile and nod of encouragement without a pause in his conversation with the princess.

The next three servings flew by, Steve once again enjoying the princess’ company, especially after she had expressed her surprise how basic he kept his camp. He wasn’t sure what she’d pictured, but she’d already mentioned that they would have to leave in a timely fashion in order to return to the inn in town so she could get a full night’s rest.

The dessert course arrived, and Steve’s brows furrowed at the large, masculine, very un-JennaKaye-like hands that placed the chocolate cake on his plate. He looked up and froze when he saw Danny, who had absolutely no expression on his face. He tried to catch Danny’s eyes, even though he knew he wouldn’t like the expression in them. In the short time they’d spent together, he’d learned that Danny’s eyes always revealed his emotions. But Danny refused to look at him, and Steve felt the loss as if a cold wind had blown right through him.

After dinner, the princess stopped as he was about to give her a hand up into her carriage and said softly, “Make sure you get some rest. You seemed exhausted by dessert.”

Catching Danny standing over by the tables, Steve found himself distracted. He smiled and evidently said something appropriate, judging by the smile she tossed his way as she stepped inside the carriage.

He and Chin accompanied the retinue back to the inn and spent an inordinate amount of time trying to make sure they were all settled for the night before returning to the campground. The emotional part of Steve wanted to race back and see Danny, but the rational, logical part knew that Danny wouldn’t be pleased about the whole princess thing, and Steve wasn’t excited about having that conversation.

“It would’ve been nice if I’d known in advance that Danny was going to be there,” Steve said conversationally on the ride back.

Chin was silent.

“I mean, I would think that the polite thing one could do for one’s prince would be to prepare him for something like that instead of surprising him with it in the middle of dinner.”

Chin opened his mouth, but closed it again.

Steve’s ire faded as quickly as it had come. “He seemed… I mean, he looked okay, right? He wouldn’t have served dessert if he’d been hurt or anything. And he got a haircut.”

“I know as much as you do,” Chin said. “I was just as surprised when Danny came out with dessert. Why did he do that?”

Steve didn’t even have to think twice. “It was his way of showing me that he could go on with his life too.” The thought that Danny’s life wouldn’t touch his own hurt, but he knew he was being selfish. How could he think about having a future with the princess in one moment and then feel bad that Danny could go on without Steve in the other?

“I’ll have Kono send him away when we get back to the campsite,” Chin said.

“No,” Steve said quickly. As much as he dreaded a confrontation with Danny, he was looking forward to talking with him, to being annoyed and amused and entertained as Danny always made him.

“There’s no guarantee that the princess is the answer to our dragon problem,” Chin said, misinterpreting Steve’s thoughts. “You’re right. It would be safest to have Danny there as well, just in case.”

Steve said nothing and left Chin with his misinterpretation.

By the time they arrived, the tables and extra food had disappeared, patchy grass the only hint that they’d been there at all. Steve found himself drawn to the comforting fire flickering in the darkness. He dismounted and found JennaKaye at his side to take the reins. “I have this, if you want to go ahead and relax at the fire.” Steve nodded and turned to find Danny leading away Chin’s horse.

Steve took a step to follow Danny, but Chin blocked his path. “Now isn’t the right time,” he said quietly, leading Steve to the fire.

“What do you mean?”

“He’s shut down. I doubt you’re going to get anything out of him right now.”

“What makes you the expert?” Steve asked irritably as they sat on logs placed around the fire.

“I got that exact look from Kono when we arrived earlier for dinner. Trust me, he’s not ready to talk.”

“But I’m ready!” Steve muttered, ignoring the fact that he had been dreading the conversation.

“But he isn’t your subject,” Chin reminded him.

“There has to be a loophole,” Steve muttered. “Doesn’t it count that he’s on my lands? Don’t my laws apply to him while he’s here?”

“The laws, yes,” Chin said, “but he’s under no obligation to be anything other than polite to you. You’re not his sovereign.”

JennaKaye appeared, holding a bowl filled with marshmallows and sticks. “I know you had dessert earlier, but I thought roasting marshmallows over the fire would be a wonderful way to finish the evening.”

Kono arrived a short while later, and she seemed in a slightly better mood, sitting on the log across from Steve, roasting her own marshmallow and teasing Steve about his arrival in camp. “Bet you were surprised, boss, when you got here with the princess and saw the spread,” she teased. “What’d you think, we don’t know how to camp in style?”

“I have to admit that I’ve never camped in such luxury. Good work. She was properly impressed – but not so much that she wanted to spend the night out here with us, away from the comfort of her bed.”

“Oh, I’m sure we could –” JennaKaye started but stopped abruptly at the quick shake of Kono’s head.

Steve saw the interaction and was glad that Kono had handled it so he didn’t have to dance around the fact that he needed time away from all the pomp and circumstance to just relax and be himself. As prince, there were certain lines drawn, and one of them was that he didn’t confide in all of his subjects. He had Chin, which would’ve been complicated if Chin didn’t inherently understand that the familiarity only extended so far. Kono had already blurred the line so much that he wondered if she even knew it existed, and JennaKaye was way too young to fully grasp all of its nuances. Still, Steve couldn’t help but look around every so often, wondering what’d happened to Danny. He was careful not to appear too obvious, or he knew he’d hear about it from Kono.

“Everything okay, boss?” Kono asked with a wicked grin. So much for his attempt at stealth.

“Fine,” he lied, focusing on the marshmallow he shoved onto his stick and put into the fire.

“Kono, thanks for letting me take care of that. I know you probably could’ve handled it with a wave of your… arm or wand or whatever, but it’s nice to at least pretend to be paying my way,” Danny said, walking into the clearing, rubbing his hands on a cloth. He looked up and stopped abruptly, spying Chin and Steve. Steve held his breath at the pained look in Danny’s eyes that was quickly covered up by a lack of emotion, as if he were encountering strangers. “I didn’t realize that royalty was slumming it with the rest of us.”

“Have a seat,” Kono said, patting the space on the log next to her.

Reluctantly, Danny sat, automatically taking the stick she handed to him. “Just what I always wanted. A stick.” Grinning, JennaKaye grabbed the bowl of marshmallows and passed it to him, and he passed it to Kono. “Thanks, but I think I’m going to pass tonight.”

“Your stomach still bothering you?” JennaKaye asked, cheeks growing pink at the looks Kono and Danny directed her way.

“What’s wrong?” Steve asked Danny, not even trying to hide his concern.

“I’m fine,” Danny said, catching his eye for a moment before staring into the fire.

“If you need a healer, I can –”

“I said I’m fine!” Danny snapped, the anger in his eyes fading quickly and being replaced with remorse. “Thank you for your concern.”

Steve was at a loss. He’d missed Danny and longed to have him beside him again, only to feel that he was dealing with a complete stranger.

“JennaKaye, we need to prepare for tomorrow,” Kono said, standing.

“Uh, okay.” Obviously surprised, JennaKaye awkwardly blew out the flame on the end of her stick before standing.

“Chin, we could use your help,” Kono said, her tone broking no argument.

“Right behind you,” Chin said, giving Steve a look that Steve couldn’t interpret. He narrowed it down to either do-not-mess-this-up or I-am-right-around-the-corner-should-you-need-me. Either would’ve been appropriate, so Steve figured he’d play it by ear.

He turned his attention to Danny, who looked shocked at how quickly they’d been left alone. “What’s wrong with your stomach?”

“It’s nothing – really,” Danny insisted. “I didn’t think about the fact that my body has been on this strict diet for years, and I need to give it time to readjust to eating other foods. Plus, I need to get used to making my own decisions, you know – ” he waved the hand holding a marshmallow, “eating when I want as opposed to when the food arrives.”

“That’s all it is?” Steve asked, trying to see if Danny were trying to keep something to himself.

“That’s it,” Danny promised, palm out.

They sat in silence for a few moments, Steve staring into the fire trying to figure out what he wanted to say and how to say it. He’d had all this time to work on a plan, and here he sat, undecided and confused.

“Look, I don’t want this to be uncomfortable for you,” Danny said softly. “I get it – I got it while we were still in the tower.”

“What’d you get?” Steve asked, because he was completely confused.

“That princess –” Danny waved an arm, and Steve had to stifle a smile at the familiar gesture. “She’s your future. I was just a…” Danny seemed to search for the word, “I was just a point of interest in the journey that is your life. She’s your destination.” He swallowed, his eyes on the fire, and Steve could tell that this wasn’t as easy for him as he was pretending.

Steve wanted to tell Danny that the man was completely wrong, but it would’ve been a lie, and they both knew it. He wanted to rail that Danny’d never even fought for them, but Steve had been the one who didn’t ask about Danny until after his ride with the princess. But Danny was important, too important for him to let go. He wasn’t sure what parts Danny and the princess played in his life, but he had a difficult time focusing on that when he had the whole dragon situation to deal with.

“I’d be lying if I told you that I know what the future holds,” he said, “but I can tell you that you mean more to me than just a point of interest.”

Danny smiled faintly, the firelight casting much of his face in shadow.

“I did some reading up on dragons yesterday,” Danny said, “so I’ll be coming along in case I can help in some way. After that…”

“After that?” Steve asked.

Danny took a deep breath. “I’ll go back to my lands and find a life.”

Steve wanted to reach over, grab Danny, and hold him tightly, missing his warmth, but he realized that he didn’t have the right. So instead they broke apart to their separate beds where Steve’s mind kept him awake most of the night.

Master post with chapter breakdown and links to other sites

Danny awoke slowly, headache dim, face buried in a really soft blanket. He was confused at first, because he knew that he didn’t have that blanket in his tower. He moved, and the pain in his lower body brought the events of the day back in a rush. Sitting up, he found that his headache still remained but had seemed to move to another part of his brain. He looked around the small room containing the bed where he currently sat, a window, and a dresser of drawers. Dropping his feet to the floor, he was pleasantly surprised to find his toes curling on a carpet just as soft as the blanket he had been gripping.

He heard a knock before JennaKaye stuck her head around the door. “Did I wake you?”

Running a hand through his hair, still surprised at the length, he motioned for her to enter. “No. I woke up a few minutes ago.” He waited until she entered and shut the door behind her. “What happened?”

“You passed out.”

“I don’t remember that,” Danny said.

“Well,” JennaKaye hedged. “You passed out after hitting your head.”

That explained the new location for his headache. “I remember getting off the horse and then throwing up.”

JennaKaye nodded. “Then one of the stable men came up to you and told you that you needed to move on.”

Danny couldn’t pull that up. “Then what happened? Wait – let me guess. I managed to befriend him using my winning ways and witty repartee.”

“If by winning ways you mean letting him know that he had horse dung on his clothing and witty repartee being another way of telling him that he needed to stop sleeping with the pigs, then yes.”

Closing his eyes, Danny said, “I had a headache. I wasn’t at my best.” He looked at JennaKaye. “Thank you for your help.”

He wanted to be that guy who could just walk into a new town and fit right in, the man who could easily get a job and make friends, but he had never really been that man. He would’ve liked to have hopped off that horse like Steve did and shaken the groomsman’s hand, striding away and finding a place to stay while he figured out his life, but instead, evidently, he was the kind of person who almost fell of the horse before staggering to the stable and throwing up and then getting into an argument where he fell and knocked himself unconscious.

“We all need help sometimes,” she said simply.

“Have you heard from Steve, Chin, or Kono?”

JennaKaye shook her head. “Kono’ll contact me when she learns the details of the emergency.” Her eyes flittered away from his as she held out her hand, revealing a small, earthen pot. “Here’s a balm, for your… um… the sore places.”

Unaccustomed to the concern, Danny took the pot and stuttered out a thanks before she grinned and ducked out of the room, calling, “Come on out when you’re finished, and we’ll do something about that hair.”

As he applied the balm, Danny wondered about Steve’s emergency, hoping for Steve’s sake that his mother had not summoned him due to a health crisis. It’d been a long time since he’d been around his mother and father, but he’d been building a family with Rachel, and he knew what it was like to worry about those he loved. He pondered on what he should do while they waited, and while he knew what he wanted to do – he wanted to walk up to the castle and make sure Steve was okay and just see him and maybe touch his shoulder or something – he hadn’t been sequestered for so long that he didn’t know his place in the hierarchy. It was one thing to ride behind Steve and tease him when they were alone; now they were in the real world, where Danny shouldn’t even register on Steve’s radar. A brief sojourn to the privy showed that he had indeed rubbed raw different spots on his legs, and the insides of his heels had bled at some point during the trip, but he’d dealt with worse.

As much as he would’ve liked to just stay in this room with his tail between his legs, he had agreed to help Steve get rid of a dragon, and he couldn’t in good faith let anyone else get hurt if he could help in any way. So he figured that he could put this time to good use and work on figuring out a way to defeat a dragon. He joined her in the living room, empty jar in hand. “Thanks,” he said, returning it to her. “By any chance, do you have any contacts in the town library?”

Two hours later – after Jenna had cut and styled his hair the way he’d liked it Before – he was firmly ensconced in the library of a dusty, forgotten corner of the castle, surrounded by piles of books. He’d declined JennaKaye’s offer of a full meal, only accepting an apple that he ate as she took him to introduce him to the royal librarian. He’d noticed that JennaKaye lived a frugal life, and he wasn’t about to eat her rations. Besides, his stomach was still queasy, and it would be a waste to eat only to have everything come back up.

He’d managed to convince the librarian that he was trustworthy enough to read through the formal, delicate documents, even with no shoes, although the old man remained seated at his desk, keeping an eye out just in case. The man had made it a point to explain to them that the door at the entrance had a spell refusing entrance or exit to anyone not of the McGarrett direct line or anyone who was not personally cleared each time by the librarian. Danny made sure the man knew that he had no intention of doing anything but read up on dragons; he even went so far as to tell the man that he was there to help the prince rid the kingdom of the dreaded beast. At that, the man became a little happier; it turned out he was from Ambrosia and was worried about his family.

After making sure that Danny was settled and didn’t need anything, JennaKaye’d promised to return in a few hours to pick him up, and he didn’t know how to convey how much he appreciated her help and her friendship.

Gently taking the first book, he fidgeted in his chair, trying to find a comfortable position. JennaKaye had thoughtfully provided him with a small cushion to sit on, but he was still sore. Opening the book, he tried not to sneeze and hunkered down for some serious research.

H5-0 H5-0 H5-0 H5-0

Steve managed to clean himself up and head back down to the dining room before Princess Catherine and her court. Chin, who wasn’t permitted inside the dining room except by specific invitation by the king or queen, remained right outside the door.

That Princess Catherine was beautiful, there was no doubt. Long dark hair down to her waist and large green eyes framed by long, dark lashes, lips full and bee-kissed, and a bewitching smile revealing perfect, white teeth, a generous bosom that tapered to a small waist and generous hips, she was every man’s dream. She probably would’ve been Steve’s dream too if his weren’t now filled with someone who frustrated him constantly and never stopped talking.

As they sat down to eat, he couldn’t help but compare her to Danny. She laughed, and he would picture Danny ranting about something unimportant, his arms waving in the air dramatically. She blinked flirtatiously at him, and he heard Danny telling him that they were never going to have sex. She engaged him in discussions about the responsibilities of royalty, and he remembered Danny’s story of how he’d been so terribly wronged and how he’d somehow managed to shake his negativity and embrace Steve, both literally and figuratively.

She’d make the perfect princess and, in time, the perfect queen. Unfortunately, she wasn’t Danny, and Danny was the one he wanted.

His mother was unhappy with the way things were going; she was too polished for it to be obvious, but he’d grown up with the woman, knew her signs and tells, recognized her particular smiles. She wanted this princess as her daughter-in-law.

Steve managed to wait until dessert was almost finished before he broached the subject of the dragon.

“I’ve heard of a tale,” the princess said, “but I thought the princess was stuck in a tower and had long, blonde hair.”

Steve wanted to say that he’d never seen anywhere that the legend had specifically mentioned a princess, but he remained silent, knowing he didn’t want to start that conversation.

“That’s one of many interpretations,” the queen said. “But if you could save lives –”

“Of course,” the princess said. “Anything I can do to help.”

“It would require travel to Ambrosia,” Steve warned her, “which is normally a very beautiful village.”

“If a little small and plebian,” his mother added.

Steve acknowledged his mother with a flicker of his eyes in her direction before continuing. “It’s seen difficult times since the dragon arrived, and it’s also had to deal with the influx of villagers from the surrounding towns that have been devastated by the dragon.”

“I’m nothing if not resilient,” the princess proclaimed, touching the napkin to her lips before placing it back on the table. “Do we have to leave now, or do we have time for you to show me some of the surrounding area? We arrived at night, and I feel deprived.”

“I’m sure the prince has time while both his and your people prepare for the journey,” the queen said happily, leaving Steve no choice but to agree.

“I’ll meet you by the stables in half an hour,” he told her, acquiescing.

H5-0 H5-0 H5-0 H5-0

Danny stretched, ignoring the slight ache in his thighs, and gently closed the book in front of him, placing it on the growing pile on his left. He looked at the three books on his right and felt a sense of satisfaction that he’d made some serious headway. He was uncertain that he had learned anything that would be directly helpful in dealing with this particular dragon, but he figured all of the back up information couldn’t hurt. He’d been hoping one of the tomes would’ve spelled it out for him: ‘this is what you need to do when confronted with a dragon who plants itself in your kingdom and just will not leave’, but he wasn’t that lucky.

Fortunately, those years in the tower had equipped him with the ability to focus for long periods of time and shut out all other thought, so he’d made a lot of progress.

He looked around himself and wondered about the time. The librarian sat at his desk, head back, mouth open, and Danny wondered if the older man would feel the crick in his neck when he awoke – Danny knew firsthand that position wasn’t comfortable at all. Just like in his tower, there weren’t windows or anything to indicate the passage of time, and Danny realized that it was the first time since he’d left the tower that he felt relaxed. The thought made him uncomfortable, and he stood, having to use the table for balance when he got a little dizzy.

Figuring he’d been sitting way too long, he waited until he felt better balanced and pushed away from the desk, walking toward the entrance. He opened the door a crack, enjoying the novelty of actually having a door to use, and inhaled some fresh air before focusing enough to realize that a conversation was being held in the small courtyard just outside of the room. The voices weren’t raised, but the courtyard had been designed in such a way that the sound carried quite easily. Absently, Danny wondered who designed a room in a castle in that fashion. One thing he’d learned in his short stay at Rachel’s home was that everyone had more than one secret.

“…way better looking than Valiake,” a woman’s voice said. She had a faint accent and a tone that spoke of royalty.

“He’s old and overweight, your highness, while the prince –”

“The prince,” the woman said, and Danny recognized the softness in her tone. “The prince is handsome and obviously very… active.”

Danny frowned. What did she mean by active? How was it obvious? He figured she was talking about Steve – after all, he was the only prince in the general vicinity, but he couldn’t imagine Steve ignoring an emergency in favor of being… active with some princess. Maybe they had a past, but the woman didn’t sound like she was very familiar with Steve.

“He showed respect to the queen,” the male voice said.

“Yes, he was very respectful to his mother. I liked that. If all goes well during our ride, I think I might just‘ve found my new home. Of course, it’s not Enterprise, but it seems beautiful, and a life with the prince here could be one that would make me happy.”

“But, your highness, this business with the dragon.”

Danny had been about to close the door, the pain in his stomach more acute, when the last comment stopped him.

“As I told the prince when he first broached the subject, I’m willing to help him rescue his subjects from this dragon if I can. Besides, we can use the time during the trip to get to know each other, make sure that we’re compatible. The worst thing I can imagine is to be tied to someone I cannot stand.”

Danny closed the door quietly and leaned against it, closing his eyes. So Steve had asked this woman – he had already deduced that she was a princess – to help him with the dragon. Did that mean that Steve had finally taken all that Danny had said to him to heart and agreed that Danny didn’t have the key to slaying the dragon?

The woman had mentioned going for a ride with Steve. Did that mean that Steve had quickly dispatched whatever emergency quickly enough that he felt he could take a little time to go for a ride with this her?

Danny reminded himself that it really was none of his business. Hadn’t he been the one to remind Steve that there was no future for them, that Prince Steve could never end up with someone like him, a man, and even worse, a commoner? Steve must’ve realized, once he was back in his world, that Danny had been right.

And to be fair, this princess sounded like a decent enough woman. Danny could picture her, bright blue eyes and long blonde hair just like the woman Steve had expected to find in Danny’s tower.

He was happy for Steve, he really was. He wouldn’t deny that it had felt like a knife in his chest, but it wasn’t as though he didn’t expect it. He’d find his way back to his people and figure out how to make a living, find a place decent enough for Grace’s visits, and focus on being thankful for having a life of his own again. He wouldn’t have Steve, but then again, he’d never really had him to begin with, had he?

Before he could drive himself nuts, he returned to the table, more focused than ever on his task. He might not be the one who was destined to save the kingdom from the dragon, but maybe he could find something that would help. It was the least he could do for the people who’d rescued him.

Master post with chapter breakdown on LJ

Danny‘d never really entertained the thought that he would leave the tower alive. That kind of hope led to the downward spiral. Even after Steve climbed his way into Danny’s life, filled with energy and optimism, Danny didn’t believe. He appreciated the effort Steve and his friends had been going through, but he’d looked at it all like he was watching a play whose ending he already knew. So he wasn’t mentally prepared for where he was now, petting a horse, the sun warming his scalp, the ground teasing his feet with a variety of textures. He felt off balance and realized how much he’d come to rely on the familiar. He’d never had to make any big decisions in the tower – what to eat, what to wear, what to read, when to sleep. It’d all been decided for him. Now he was faced with simple choices – pet the horse or walk over and talk to someone? – and just the idea of it sent his heart racing. What kind of coward had he become?

“We’re ready, boss,” Chin said, mounting his horse, throwing a questioning glance Danny’s way.

“Danny’s riding with me,” Steve said, mounting easily and holding out a hand, pulling Danny up to sit behind him. Danny perched his hands awkwardly on Steve’s shoulders, and Steve took his hands. “Wrap them around my waist so you can hold on better.”

Danny found himself holding on tightly as they cantered over the clearing.

Steve turned his head. “You okay?”

“Sure,” Danny said, figuring if he said it enough, he’d believe it or it’d eventually become the truth. “What’s with everyone calling you boss?”

Steve snorted. “Kono started it, and I can’t tell if Chin’s doing it to get into her good graces or to annoy me.”

Danny absently pressed his cheek against Steve’s back and watched how Chin and Kono played, chasing each other on their horses, their eyes locking, smiles suggesting private conversations. “Oh, probably a little of both,” he guessed.

Steve laughed; Danny could feel the rumbling against his hands more than he heard the actual noise. “You’re probably right about that. Let me know if you need a break, okay?”

“Okay,” Danny said. He hadn’t paid any attention when Steve had tried to tell him about the dragon, and he felt guilty for his casual disregard for all of the people who had been incapacitated by it. He still didn’t believe he could help, but not even an hour before, he was even more certain that he was never going to set foot outside of the tower, so what did he know? He figured he’d get there, do some detective work like he had been so good at years ago, and maybe he could help in some way. He owed it to Steve and those people who’d been hurt while he had been ignoring Steve’s appeal for help.

Danny had no idea how long they traveled. He tried to doze lightly, but every change attracted his attention. A flicker of light through the leaves of a tree, the flight of a bird from their arrival, a slight change in terrain… it all kept him transfixed. But that kind of hyper-alertness was exhausting, and he felt drained. His legs had gone numb long ago, and his ass hurt. But he didn’t want to slow them down and figured he would eventually get used to everything again. It would just take time.

Eventually, Steve called a break, and if he hadn’t already had his arms around him, Danny would’ve hugged the man. His hands had felt the play of Steve’s abs as he balanced on the horse, but even that delicious sensation couldn’t keep Danny from falling into a kind of stupor.

He just hoped he didn’t embarrass himself getting off the damn horse.


Steve had been enjoying the feel of Danny’s arms wrapped around him. A certain warmth had taken residence in his heart when Danny pressed a cheek against his back. He felt strong, powerful, happy. He figured this was pretty close to heaven, outside with his friends in beautiful weather with a gorgeous view, riding Goliath, the special man in his life holding him. He could’ve stayed like that forever. He pushed them past lunchtime, since the horses seemed good to go, figuring it would get them that much closer to the dragon, who might have awakened now that they had rescued Danny. But eventually Chin got his attention and gave a little head jerk, his eyes traveling to Steve’s passenger, and Steve called a halt at the first acceptable place he found. He had to take Danny’s hands off him as he said quietly, “Danny? Time to rest for a while.” He couldn’t tell if Danny had fallen asleep, and he didn’t want to wake him abruptly.

“What about the other woman? The one with the wagon? I haven’t seen her since we left the field.”

“I don’t know how she does it, but she’ll just show up,” Steve said, dismounting.

“Magic,” Danny said, sighing, and Steve could tell just how exhausted he was. He chastised himself for not thinking to take it easy on Danny’s first day out and not recognizing that Danny could’ve used a break earlier. Sure he had told Danny to speak up if he needed a rest, but Steve should’ve known that Danny wouldn’t do it.

Steve stood by Goliath and watched Danny look at the ground. “I have a feeling that my dismount is going to be less graceful than yours.”

Turning, Steve sent Chin and Kono to collect wood for a fire, and he turned back to Danny, raising his arms. “Let’s go.”

“How about you step aside and let me do this on my own?” Danny suggested, rubbing at his forehead.

Steve kept his arms raised, and Danny finally sighed. “Fine, but don’t blame me if you end up kicked in the head.”

Bring your leg over, and just slide down,” Steve instructed. Danny groaned as he lifted his leg over the saddle. Steve caught him by the thighs, then the waist and lowered him slowly to the ground, feeling Danny’s body rub against his as Danny sank. He knew he could’ve stepped back, but it turned out he was a bit of a masochist. Danny remained still for a moment, forehead resting on Goliath, before turning in Steve’s arms. He ran his hands along Steve’s forearms, his head down.

Finally he looked up, and Steve could see the want in his face. “You’re still wearing my sweatshirt,” he whispered.

“It smells like you,” Steve confessed, thinking about how he pressed it against his nose before putting in on outside the tower. He didn’t regret losing his own shirt when the tower disappeared. He had more in his saddlebags and back at the palace, and he just wanted to enjoy the smell of Danny on him for a little while.

A corner of Danny’s mouth quirked up before dropping again. Steve wanted to trace those lips with his tongue before delving deeper into his mouth, but now was not the time to start something that they couldn’t finish. But while he didn’t grab Danny’s mouth like he wanted, he wasn’t against a little nuzzling, just to remind Danny that what they’d had in the tower still applied out here in the real world. He saw Danny’s mouth open slightly and knew it was only a matter of seconds before –”

“Hey, guys. Where’re Kono and Chin?” JennaKaye appeared beside them, totally clueless.

“Looking for firewood,” Steve ground out. “Why don’t you track them down?”

“Uh, okay,” JennaKaye said, her eyes darting nervously between the two men. “I’ll go do that.”

She left fairly quickly, and Steve, who hadn’t lifted his gaze from Danny’s saw the quick change of emotions pass through the blond’s eyes. Awareness turned into annoyance, which melted into resignation and finally amusement.

They laughed together for a moment, Steve leaning in slightly to press his forehead against Danny’s, happy that Danny pressed back.

“What timing,” Danny muttered.

Steve took that as his clue and regretfully pulled back. “Let me get Goliath settled,” he said, taking the reins.

“Steve.”

Steve turned and cocked a questioning eyebrow.

“Thanks.”

Understanding all of the meanings behind that one word, Steve smiled and said, “I’ll also send a message to the castle. Just relax. The others should be back in a minute.”


Danny waited until Steve had grabbed Goliath’s reins and walked him towards what Danny had assumed was the creek before he tried to take a step. His legs almost folded on him, and he pressed his hand against the ground to break his fall. It felt like everything hurt, from the top of his head all the way down to his legs. Maybe his toes had emerged unscathed, he thought, curling them into the ground. Nope, they ached too.

He was still amazed that he was outside. Taking a deep breath, he stood and took another breath, hoping the air would clear out his head and stop his headache.

JennaKaye stepped into the clearing, her arms filled with firewood. She looked a little upset, Danny noted, as she began to arrange the sticks.

Limping over, he said, “Can I help?” He offered her a little smile.

“No thanks,” she said. “You should take it easy.”

“I’ve been taking it easy for ten years,” he said. “I think I remember how to set a fire. Besides, you probably have other important things to do.” She gave him a questioning glance, and he wiggled his fingers at her. “Magic-y things.”

She grinned. “No, not right now, although I could start preparing lunch.”

At that thought, Danny’s stomach grumbled, and he pressed his hand against it, embarrassed.

“A little hungry, there?” She teased.

He had to think a moment to recall the last time he had actually eaten. Shrugging, he said, surprised, “In fact, I haven’t eaten since dinner last night. Go figure. Go make lunch. I’ll take care of the fire.”

She smiled her thanks, and Danny waited until she disappeared behind the wagon before lowering himself gingerly to the ground.

Kono arrived a few minutes later, seating herself beside Danny. “Nice fire.”

“I guess I still got it,” Danny said, throwing her a grin. “Where’s Chin?”

“We caught a couple of rabbits; he’s cleaning them.” She laughed at his expression. “Don’t tell me you’ve never cleaned a rabbit before.”

“I have, but I prefer my food prepared and on a plate, thank you very much,” Danny said, his mouth watering at the thought of meat.

JennaKaye climbed out of the back of her wagon, her arms full, and knelt on the ground beside Kono. “I have corn and potatoes.”

“Perfect,” Kono said, taking the items one at a time and throwing them into the fire.

“Wait!” Danny shouted, watching the flames raise.

“It’s okay,” JennaKaye said. “They’re bespelled so that they’ll cook but not catch fire.”

“Hmm,” Danny said, starting to think that maybe magic didn’t suck as much as he’d thought. It was going to help provide him with his first real hot meal in a decade.

“How does it feel to be out?” Kono asked.

Running a hand through his hair, Danny exhaled. “Everything is so… much. The sky is so blue, the sun so warm, the grass so cool… Just hearing a bird is amazing.” He laughed. “Riding here, the wind against my face was just...” He lifted his hands. “It’s almost like I’m experiencing it all for the first time.”

“Ten years is a long time.” Kono leaned closer to the fire, then looked into the woods. “Chin should’ve finished by now.” She stood just as Chin stepped into the clearing, a rabbit in each hand.

“Looking for me?”

“Wondering what was taking you so long.”

“You could’ve done it yourself,” Chin said mildly.

“Not my job.”

Danny watched the smiles on the two faces and knew that he and Steve hadn’t been the only ones to grow close in the past few days.

“Forget dinner,” Steve said grimly, emerging from the woods with Goliath still saddled. “We have to get home.”

“To your castle?” Danny asked.

Nodding, Steve checked the saddle. “The queen sent a response when I checked in and said that my presence was needed immediately.”

“Any more details?” Chin asked, stepping up to Steve, Kono close beside him.

Steve shook his head.

With a nod, Chin turned to Kono. “Is there any way we can get there faster?”

Kono shook her head. “Unfortunately, I don’t have that kind of power. However, I did figure out a shortcut. If we press, we could arrive tomorrow morning.”

“Let’s do that,” Steve said.

“But –” JennaKaye said, looking at Danny.

Danny shook his head slightly. “I think we can all forego a meal or two to get there quickly.”

Steve pushed them hard, only stopping for a few minutes to water and rest the horses, and they arrived at the castle just as dawn was breaking.


Master post with chapter breakdown and links to other sites

For the second day, Steve awoke alone in bed. Barely registering how quickly he’d grown accustomed to sharing it with Danny, he looked around the room, frowning when he didn’t see the man. He peered into the bathroom, confused when he found it empty. It wasn’t as though the place was big enough for Danny to hide… Steve’s eyes trailed over to the open doorway leading to the staircase.

Throwing on his pants and Danny’s sweatshirt, he padded down the stairs to find Danny pacing in front of the door. “Hey.”

Barely pausing, Danny’s eyes snapped up to Steve before returning to the wall. “Hey.”

“Does she usually come this early?”

Danny lifted a shoulder.

“How about we get some breakfast? The bell rang as I was getting up.”

“Not really hungry, but help yourself.”

Steve stood there, watching Danny pace, every so often lifting his hand toward his face before stopping himself and lowering it. After a few minutes, Steve sat on the stairs, arms around his knees, hands loosely clasped. Eventually, Danny stopped pacing and gave him a look. “What?”

“You don’t have to stay down here with me,” Danny said quietly.

Shrugging, Steve said, “I don’t have anything pressing,” eliciting a small smile from the pacing man.

A shrieking sound from the room upstairs had Steve padding back up to see what news the team had for them.

“Good morning, Chin here.”

“Hey, Chin. Steve. Any sign of Grace?”

“No. When’s she supposed to arrive?”

“Not even sure if she’s going to. Can you ask Kono to check?”

“Stand by.” A few minutes later, after he’d taken the scroll downstairs to keep Danno company, he received the message, “Kono’s having a tough time tracking down Kamekona. This might take a while.”

He carved back, “Do your best. Danny’s in a bad way.”

About an hour’s worth of Danny’s pacing later, Steve felt the vibration in his pocket. “Grace has a mandatory function this weekend.” Momentarily closing his eyes, Steve wished he had better news. He opened them to find Danny staring at him, biting his fingernails.

“What’d it say?” Danny’s voice, while hushed, still echoed around the stairwell.

“She’s not coming.”

Danny nodded, his mouth working furiously at his fingers.

Unable to bear it any longer, Steve walked over to Danny, gently pulling his hand away from his mouth. “Let’s go back upstairs.”

He let Danny precede him and watched from the doorway as the man bypassed the bed and sat at his desk, running his hand through his hair.

“Danny –”

“Let’s see what we can do about getting you out of here.”

“Danny –”

“Steve,” Danny said, his eyes flicking to him before returning to the book on his desk

Nodding, Steve walked over to the bed, making a mental note to make everyone responsible for Danny’s haunted expression pay.

The rest of the day was spent quietly, the only sound in the room turning pages and the thump of a book as it was set aside. Steve was about ready to jury rig an explosion to get them out of there when the room went dark.

Danny flicked on the lamp, his parts of his face hidden in shadow. “Steve –” He just sat there, exhaustion evident in the slump of his shoulders.

Tossing his own book onto the floor, Steve held out his hand. “Just come to bed, Danno.”

Without another word, Danny pushed back his chair, taking off his tie and lying down in the bed without changing into his sleep clothes.

Thankful he’d pulled off the cargo pants earlier, Steve just pulled Danny closer, wrapping his arms around him as if he could keep Danno from falling into pieces.


Danny awoke to a jerk to his waist and opened his eyes to find Steve crouched over him, undoing his pants. “Wha -”

Steve paused, staring at Danny for a minute before sighing. “Look, I know this isn’t a good idea, but yesterday…” he looked away for a moment, his eyes returning to Danny’s with a firm resolve. “I just want to take your mind off it, just for a little while.”

Danny frowned, trying to understand what was happening, but he quickly got the idea as Steve finished unfastening his pants, shoving his hand inside to wrap around Danny. And then Danny’s eyes fell closed as for the first time in over ten years, he felt calloused hand of someone other than his own jacking him off, and it felt so damn good, the pull and twist.

“You like this?” Steve whispered in the silence.

Danny opened his eyes long enough to toss Steve a what-the-fuck-do-you-think? glare, getting a chuckle in return.

“Lift up,” Steve said, and Danny lifted his hips so Steve could peel off his pants and shorts. “That’s much better.”

Through slits, Danny watched Steve lick his lips, staring at Danny. Suddenly looking a little indecisive, Steve’s eyes caught Danny’s. “I don’t want to force you…”

Groaning, because seriously he’s going to ask that now?, Danny gestured toward himself in all his aroused glory. “Babe, does this look like I’m being forced?”

“But the list – ”

“Screw the list.” Danny’d realized that he was already in over his head, so why not enjoy some of the benefits? He was already going to hurt beyond belief when Steve left, but this way, at least he’d have some memories to hold close. He offered a smile, relaxing when he got one in return. “But I’m thinking that you have on way too many clothes.”

He was amazed at how quickly Steve could get naked when properly motivated.


After spending all day Saturday in bed – they’d taken the time to let the others know that they were going to be unavailable for a while – Steve awoke Sunday morning, pressed against Danny’s naked body, smiling as he felt the soreness in his backside. It had been a while for Steve, even longer for Danny, and they’d made up for it many times over. . However, they’d done so much more than have sex; Danny had sealed a place in Steve’s heart, and Steve was determined to find a way to keep him close.

Danny inhaled deeply, and Steve loosened his grip, pressing a kiss against Danny’s shoulder.

“Mornin’,” Danny rasped.

“Morning, Danno,” Steve said quietly, waiting to see if Danny’s reservations were going to return.

“I know we should get straight to exercising after taking yesterday off, but I feel disgusting, and I need a shower before I do anything else.” He sat up, peeling himself from Steve, looking down at the bed. “We should’ve showered last night.”

“But then we would’ve gotten all dirty again,” Steve reminded him, raising and lowering his eyebrows.

Danny smiled, running a finger down Steve’s cheek. Quickly turning his head, Steve took Danny’s finger in his mouth, sucking and wrapping his tongue around it, watching Danny’s rapt expression, the sound of Danny’s uneven breathing in the air.

Clearing his throat, Danny pulled at his finger. “It’s a small shower, but we could conserve water by sharing.”

It took them over an hour to finally emerge clean.

“So much for conservation,” Danny muttered, staring at the single towel.

Steve shot him a smug smile – having Danny on his knees sucking him off while the water pelted his back was a memory he was going to keep with him forever. “You take the towel.” He grabbed his cargo pants and pulled out a small rolled cloth. He shook it out, revealing that it was about the same size at Danny’s towel, but Steve’s cloth was made out of superabsorbent material.

“One of these days I’m gonna steal those things and inventory all the pockets,” Danny threatened.

“I don’t mind as long as I’m in them,” Steve responded with a grin, almost laughing when Danny rolled his eyes.

They finished dressing – for Steve that had ended up being just his cargo pants – and Danny headed for the cupboard while Steve took out the scroll.

The scroll vibrated, and a second later, “Grace appeared.”

“Appeared? What does that mean?” Danny asked.

Steve shrugged. Hell if he knew.

They heard a loud scraping sound, and Steve watched Danny’s face brighten so much he could hardly stand to look at it.

“Gracie!” Danny grabbed Steve’s hand and pulled him off the bed. “Hurry!”

Steve grabbed his equipment, boots, and Danny’s sweatshirt before heading to the doorway opening into the stairwell. He ran into Danny, who had stopped abruptly. “What?”

Sidestepping him, Danny waved him on. “Go! I’ll be right behind you.”

Steve took him at his word and ran barefoot down the stairs, arriving just in time to see the door open fully, a smiling Grace standing in front of Kono, Chin, and JennaKaye.

“Come on,” Chin said, gesturing for Steve to leave the building.

Steve hesitated, looking up the stairs for a sign of Danny.

“Hurry!” JennaKaye said.

“Where’s Danno?” Grace asked, peering up the stairs.

And that was when Steve realized that he never again wanted to be without Danny. If that meant that they lost their chance to leave, then so be it. It was too late. The damage had been done. Somehow, in a little more than a week, he’d fallen for a short, blond, loud-mouthed, obnoxious commoner – who was a man. Yeah, his parents were going to love this.

“Danno!” Grace shouted.

“I’m coming, Monkey!” Danno shouted back, flying down the stairs, three huge books in his hands. He stopped in surprise when he saw Steve. “Why’re you still here?”

“I’m not leaving without you,” Steve said simply.

Danny got a soft look on his face before grinning and shoving him toward the door with his shoulder. “Get out there, you goof, before the door closes on us.”

They stepped outside, the door sealing closed behind them, the tower disappearing.

Master post with chapter breakdown

“No,” Danny said “I won’t have sex with you!”

“But it’ll get you out of here,” Steve protested.

“Maybe. Maybe it’ll get us out of here, but in the meantime, I’ll feel like some sort of…” Danny’s mind cast around. “…some kind of dirty john!”

Steve raised an eyebrow that alternately pissed Danny off and turned him on. “Dirty john.”

“Yeah. It’s like I’m using your body for my own gain. I won’t do it.”

Steve walked up behind him and pressed closely against Danny’s back, his erection making Danny’s heart pound. “Does this feel like I’m being used?”

Danny closed his eyes, hands balling into fists as he tried to control his breathing and retain his train of thought. “It just doesn’t feel right,” he insisted weakly. Steve’s arms wrapped around him gently, and his traitorous head fell back against Steve’s chest.

“Still not ready?” Steve asked, almost silently, his mouth directly beside Danny’s ear, the puff of his breath making Danny’s entire body shudder.

“That’s not the point,” Danny insisted, his voice coming out weaker than he’d intended.

He’d spent the night first in the chair, and when that grew uncomfortable, on the floor. He’d awakened, seen Steve lying there, long lashes against his skin, stubble making him seem darker, more dangerous, and in turn, more enticing. Sometime during the night he’d taken off the sweater, which now lay on the floor, and his bare arms were spread, as if he were waiting to fold them around Danny and pull him close. Shuddering – and thankful he had pulled the blanket over Steve during his venture from the chair to the floor – he quietly began his morning exercises, mindful for the first time not to make too much noise. He didn’t have to worry about it when Grace came over; in addition to sleeping like a hibernating bear, she snored like a swarm of bees. Danny would’ve worried about such a sound coming from his sweet baby if he hadn’t slept next to Rachel, who made Grace’s snores sound almost silent. He always pictured one loud roar emanating from the entire castle at night.

He’d gone through his circuit once, usually stopping there, but he had extra energy – due in no small part to the man sleeping across the room – so he proceeded to start from the beginning. He was on his twelfth pull-up, his arms straining, when he happened to catch Steve, still lying in bed, staring at him with hungry eyes. He figured he was probably staring at Steve the same way, but the man looking all sleepy and rumpled just made Danny want to crawl in bed right beside him.

But that would lead to all sorts of complications. Back before he’d met Rachel, Danny had dated slightly, and his male coworkers would always tease him, saying that he took things too seriously. And they said he made things complicated, just like a woman. Danny didn’t appreciate the comments, but he knew they were right in that he couldn’t help but look at the future. He couldn’t help asking “and then what will happen?” If he couldn’t come up with a scenario that looked like it might be beneficial for all parties concerned, he stopped right there. Would a night of mutual pleasure make either of them feel regretful in the morning? What would her friends and family think? How would she feel about herself? About Danny? He took his job as a keeper of the peace and a protector of the townsfolk seriously, and that included making sure he himself never took advantage. And to be honest, the temptation had never been unbearable, nothing he couldn’t handle fairly easily and deal with himself later when he was alone in his room. But no one had tempted him as much as Steve did, just lying there, small smile on his face, staring at Danny like Danny was his favorite flavor of ice cream, and he had a craving.

And it wouldn’t be taking advantage, Danny told himself. Steve was the one who crawled through the window – twice! Steve kissed him first, ground against him first… maybe, he thought as his mind acknowledged the ping from the cupboard signaling the arrival of breakfast. The point was, Steve not only knew what he was getting into, he was clearly welcoming it. So what was holding Danny back?

He supposed part of it had to do with the fact that Danny never took lovemaking lightly. As school-girlish as it sounded, Danny truly believed that sharing something that intimate left behind parts of you with that other person. And he was very much afraid that he would end up losing himself in Steve. The last time that’d happened, he’d been nearly broken – literally and figuratively.

And sure, there were never guarantees that any relationship would work out in the end, but Danny’s mind, the part that made him so good at detective work, couldn’t help but compile the lists of pros and cons. On the pro side, he knew that lying with Steve would be mind blowing. Seriously, he could see himself fragmenting, little pieces of Danny falling all over the room. He would get the chance to thoroughly investigate Steve’s body, map it out, investigate the highways and paths that told the story of his life. And he bet that Steve would be fun too, something that he’d never gotten from Rachel but had always kind of longed to have.

On the con side, he couldn’t help but compare Steve and Rachel. Sure, she’d come to him in disguise, but that just meant that he should know better with Steve. Both Rachel and Steve were royalty, which meant that they had obligations and demands to meet, and never would those obligations and demands be answered by a short commoner known to talk entirely too much and gesture frantically when he spoke. Steve couldn’t get pregnant, but that only meant that his mage would not be able to use it as a way to keep Danny alive once Steve’s king-father found out about them.

Talk about putting the cart before the horse, Danny almost snorted. He might just be handy for Steve, what with being the only person in the tower and all. Maybe it would mean nothing but a great romp to Steve, but unfortunately, Danny already felt himself growing attached. Steve’s leaving now would already hurt Danny terribly; he knew that going any further would make parting ways even more painful.

And then there was Grace, his beacon in the darkness. No matter how drawn he was to Steve, his daughter was, and would always be, first. She couldn’t very well go riding all over the countryside to see him, and he wouldn’t want her to do something so dangerous even if she could.

So, no. This thing with Steve couldn’t go any further. It wouldn’t work for any of them. Matter decided, Danny returned his focus to his workout.

And then Steve opened his eyes and smiled at him with that sleepy grin, and Danny forgot all about his list.

Fortunately, Steve kept his distance, although the way he stretched his body after climbing out of the bed, arms over his head, making the muscles in his torso flex, his morning erection tenting in his shorts, had made it painful to watch and not touch, and Danny couldn’t seem to make himself focus on anything else.

Eventually, Danny escaped to the bathroom, showering and dressing in record time, all the while aware of the man in the other room, not even a door to separate them.

Steve had already made the bed and was doing his own exercises when Danny emerged, combing his hair. Absently, Danny sat on the bed, running the comb through the short strands, his eyes on the roll of the muscles across Steve’s back, the way his biceps bulged, the way his calves flexed. Everything about this man was so damn beautiful, Danny thought, wistful sigh silent in the room. Danny looked up and found Steve focused right on him, their eyes locking as Steve inhaled and exhaled forcefully on his last pushup. “You should have awakened me,” he rebuked. “We could’ve worked out together.”

Danny rolled his eyes. What he wanted to say was that he knew their working out together would’ve ended with bodily contact and doing something to help deflate that tent in Steve’s pants, but he also knew that that conversation would only lead to what he had just determined would not happen.

“Now who has a look?” Steve grunted out, reaching up to the exposed beam Danny had to jump to reach, damnit, and beginning his pull ups.

Giving up on the pretense of doing his hair – after all, it took no time whatsoever now that Steve had cut it, Danny sat cross-legged on the bed, watching Steve’s abs perform for him. Eventually, Steve stopped and just hung there, watching Danny watch him.

Danny smiled.

“Enjoying yourself? Want a snack?”

“I thought about it, but then I figured eating without you would make me a poor host. Besides, I have no popcorn.”

Steve grunted and began raising and lowering his straightened legs, first bypassing Danny’s best and then bypassing Danny’s next goal.

Danny hadn’t realized he had leaned toward Steve, elbows on the bed, until Steve dropped, winded and sweaty.

“You just going to sit there and watch me all day?”

“Hey,” Danny protested sweetly. “I figured that it was only polite to watch, since you were putting on a show.”

Grumbling, Steve headed toward the bathroom.

“There should be a clean towel and washcloth on the hanger by now,” Danny told him. “Help yourself.”

Trying not to imagine Steve’s naked body under the spray, Danny headed to the cupboard and pulled out the cup of water and the fruits, cheese, and crackers. Sometimes the varieties of all three changed, and Danny was pleased to see that Steve wouldn’t have to eat the exact same cheeses that he’d had for dinner the night before.

Food ready, Danny headed over to the desk to continue reading his book. He was immersed in learning early Hawaiian history when two hands pressed against his cheeks, lifting his head and a pair of lips pressed against his, the combination of Steve and the strawberry he must have pinched and eaten leading Danny to immediately forget about what he had been reading. Danny’s hands went to the wrists as he leaned into the kiss, mouth open, tongue dueling with Steve’s. It was only until Steve pulled back and he took in a gulp of air that Danny realized he had been getting a little heady from lack of oxygen himself.

“What –” he had to clear his voice, “what was that for?”

“I‘ve been trying to get your attention for a while. What’s so interesting?” Steve picked up the book and read the spine, smiling. “You’re reading up on my history?”

“That was the book I’d started reading before Grace arrived and before you climbed in my window,” Danny corrected. “It’s a coincidence.”

“I don’t believe in coincidences,” Steve said.

“Oh, well, if you don’t believe in them, then they must not exist,” Danny quipped, taking the book from Steve’s hands, locating his place, and laying the ribbon on the page. Setting it back on the desk, he asked, “Ready for breakfast, or have you already eaten all the strawberries?”

Steve smiled, and for a moment, Danny wondered if he were going to go in for another kiss. Reminding himself of his decision, he tried to be relieved when Steve stepped back and let him get up.

They settled themselves just like the night before, Danny at the foot and Steve’s back against the wall, and Danny sighed, waving his arm.

“What?” Steve asked.

“Get on with it. The praying thing so we can eat.” Danny tried not to be pleased at Steve’s smile.

They had only just begun their meal when a piercing scream shot into the air – and directly through Danny’s heart. He almost fell off the bed. “What the hell!” He looked at Steve. “I’ve never heard that sound in the entire time I have been here.” He began to get worried. What if Steve’s friends had pissed off Kamekona, and the mage was going to exact retribution? He started looking around the room, for cracks in the walls, for anything shaking or falling. He wanted to apologize for getting Steve into this mess…

“It’s the scroll,” Steve explained sheepishly. “It gets pissed off when it’s ignored. They must have left us a message a while ago.” He leaned down on the floor for his pants and rooted around the pockets.

“Seriously? The scroll? I just lost valuable years off my life, because a scroll didn’t like being ignored? What the hell! Who came up with that shriek?” He was too wired to remain seated, so he stood and began to pace. “What was wrong with the scroll just saying ‘excuse me; I have a message for you’? Or it could have made an animal sound, like a bird chirping. There are absolutely no birds in here, so believe me when I tell you that a simple little bird chirp would’ve totally caught my attention!”

Unperturbed, Steve found the scroll and rolled it out. “It says that Kono spoke to your mage –”

“Kamekona is not my mage. He’s the king’s mage, thank you very much.”

Danny continued pacing, waiting for Steve to continue. When he only got silence, he turned to the bed. “What?”

“It says we have to kiss to break the curse.”

Confused, Danny sat on the bed and read the scroll himself. “But we’ve kissed, like, ten times already.”

“Three.”

“What?”

“We’ve kissed three times,” Steve said.

“You’ve been keeping count?”

Steve shrugged. “Three times isn’t difficult to remember.”

Danny watched the words fade. “So why are we still stuck here?” He mused while Steve leaned over the bed again, rising with the pouch and knife. “Tell them we’ve already kissed, and nothing happened. Ask about Grace, because door or window or whatever, I’m not leaving without assurances.”

“Hold on,” Steve muttered.

Unsettled, Danny hopped off the bed and started cleaning away all but Steve’s portion of the mostly uneaten breakfast. He tried to wrap his head around the idea that maybe he could actually leave. The thought of it scared him a bit as his mind filled with questions. What about Grace? Would he still get to see her if he left? How would they find each other? What were the conditions of his release – he knew enough about mages in general and Kamekona in particular to know to expect conditions. He figured he would try to help Steve with the dragon thing, but what would he do after that? The thought of leaving Steve made his mind step neatly over that question, because he knew he couldn’t leave Grace, but there was no way the king would let Danny live within sight of Rachel, even though their romance was all in the past. What would he do for a living? Where would he go? He hadn’t had to fend for himself, clean up after himself, even do laundry for ten years. Everything was going to be different out there.

“Danny!” Steve shouted, getting his attention. “I’ve called you three times.” He got that worried look on his face. “Are you okay?”

Just a little freak out, nothing major, he thought to himself, but he knew he was being pathetic, especially after all the work Steve and his friends had put into helping him. “I’m good,” he lied, knowing he would make do once – if – he got out there like he always did. He was nothing if not resilient. “What’d they say?”

“Grace is part of the deal – they said you didn’t have to worry. They, um, assumed we had just kissed, so they told us it might take a few minutes.”

“What did they say when you told them we kissed three times, the first time being last night?”

Steve’s eyes dropped, and he fingered the scroll.

“What?”

“I didn’t tell them.”

“Why not?”

“It seemed… personal.”

Danny was touched in a ridiculous way. “You goof,” he said fondly, walking over to the bed and sitting back down beside Steve. Taking the knife and pouch, he said, “Eat the rest of the food so I don’t have to put it away.”

Steve seemed happy to escape the upcoming conversation, and Danny found himself smiling a little. Dipping the knife into the pouch, he carved, “Danny here. We kissed three times, once last night. No magic entrance.” He paused a moment, then added, “Grace know yet?”

There was a long pause, Danny’s words disappearing for at least a minute before he received a response. “Chin here. Kono researching. Stand by.”

“Well?” Steve asked, standing at the foot of the bed, finishing a cracker.

“We’re standing by,” Danny said, for the first time taking in Steve in his shorts and Danny’s sweatshirt. “You might want to put on some pants while we wait. Who knows if we’ll have to make a quick exit, and heaven forbid you accidentally leave your bombs behind.”

“I thought you said you believed me when I told you that I don’t have any bombs in my pants,” Steve complained good naturedly as he pulled on the pants and fastened them.

“Who needs a bomb when you have a shrieking scroll?” Danny asked. “I swear, I was about to check my orifices for blood.”

“So dramatic,” Steve teased.

“Here we go,” Danny said as words started to form. “Since kiss didn’t work, you’ll have to take it further.” Danny studied the scroll. “What does he mean, ‘further’? We were practically dry humping each other.”

“Sex, Danny,” Steve said patiently. “Evidently, we need to have sex.”

And that was how they got to Danny, leaning against Steve, feeling Steve’s heart beat against his back, Steve’s hands traveling along Danny’s torso. After a second, Danny pushed away and glared at Steve. “Stop that! I know what you’re doing.”

Steve sighed. “Let’s be honest. We’ve been heading toward this since before you so rudely pushed me out of the window.”

Danny blinked, taking a second to go back. “I disagree on many levels. First of all, we didn’t start heading this way until after you snuck back in. And I apologized for shoving you out of the window.”

“No you, didn’t,” Steve interjected.

“I’m sure I did,” Danny insisted, quickly adding, “and then there’s the fact that I’d already decided this morning that we’re not going to have sex.”

That took Steve by surprise, but he rallied quickly. “When did you decide that? When you got hard watching me watch you exercise?”

Danny opened his mouth to complain at the rudeness of Steve’s bringing that up, but Steve held out his hand.

“Or was it while you were ogling me while I was doing my exercises? Perhaps it was while you had your tongue stuck down my throat.”

“It was sometime in between those last two, I think,” Danny said faintly.

“And when were you planning on sharing that information with me?”

Steve looked completely pissed off, towering over Danny, his eyebrows knitted together, combining with his dark stubble and glare to make him look extremely imposing. Heaven help him, Danny found the sight incredibly hot. “I hadn’t gotten that far,” Danny admitted meekly.

“Damnit, Danny!” It was Steve’s turn to pace the room. “There’re two of us involved in this!”

Danny held out a placating hand. “I understand that you’re upset –”

“Upset! Do you realize that I can’t remember the last time I felt so attracted to someone? I’m like a randy teenager ready to pop every time you look at me and do that thing with your mouth – ”

“Wait. What thing with my mouth?” Danny asked.

“The thing where you bite your lip,” Steve muttered. It’s really hot. But my point is –”

“I don’t do a thing with my mouth!” Danny protested. He thought back and couldn’t recall a single instance where he bit his lip.

Steve sighed. “Can we stay on track here?”

“I’m just saying,” Danny muttered petulantly, “that I don’t do a ‘thing’ and bite my lip.”

“Fine.” Steve stood abruptly and took the knife and pouch. He walked over to an empty part of the wall. “Hit me.”

“Excuse me?”

“Let’s list the cons. Give me a reason.”

“You’re royalty.”

Steve rolled his eyes. “You’re letting your past affect your present.”

“Really? So you’d take me home to your parents, the king and queen and say what? ‘Mumsie and Daddy, meet Danny. He’s a commoner from another kingdom who stepped way above his class and not only married a princess but also got her pregnant, and, as you can also see, he is a guy. So sorry, but as long as he and I stay together, you have no chance for offspring, and your lineage will die with me. Aren’t you happy for me?’ Is that the conversation you’re going to have?”

Steve opened his mouth, said nothing, closed it again and carved, “royalty” on the wall. “What else?” He asked, quieter this time.

“I get attached. I can’t help it. I‘ve never been the type who could separate my emotions from everything else. I‘ve already had my heart broken once, and I really,” he sighed, “really don’t want to go down that path again.”

Steve nodded and wrote, “broken heart” underneath “royalty”.

“And then there’s Grace. She’s a princess from a neighboring kingdom. I have to see her.”

Steve wrote “Grace” at the top, where she belonged. Danny smiled faintly.

“And then there’s you.” Danny said finally, eliciting a surprised look. “I’m not saying you’re a playboy or anything, but you don’t strike me as a man who is looking for commitment. You want to blow up dragons –”

“Slay,” Steve corrected absently.

Danny ignored him, “– and scale towers. Sex with me means complications.” He spread his arms wide. “I can’t help it; I’m a complicated guy. Hell, I’m stuck in a freakin’ tower! Nothing screams complicated like a curse.”

He knew by Steve’s posture that he had won the battle. Too bad he felt so shitty about it.

Master post with chapter breakdown and links to other sites