Esther

Danny's grip on her hand is protectively tight, maybe a little too much so, but after he'd found her in Rapture, there's no way that he's letting her out of his sight, completely intent on keeping her close at hand. "Yeah, well, I'm not like that," he says, defensively. "I followed my daughter across the country onto a godforsaken pineapple infested island. I don't leave children behind," he says, as passionate as he gets. "And hey," he says, crouching down beside her. "I'm not going to let anything happen to you."

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I nod and bury my face in the bear that I'm holding in my bag. I need to, it hides the smile. Not that it would be terrible if he saw it, I want him to know he makes me happy, but not like this.

"Pineapple-infested island? Is she here? Can I see her?" Another sister. How lovely. Hopefully this one will be easier to communicate with.

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Danny gets back to his feet, offering his hand out to her again as he keeps his gaze straightforward, on the path ahead. "No," he says quietly. "She's not here. I haven't seen her in over a year, now. But you'll meet some of the other kids that I help out? When you're ready," he promises. "We won't rush you into anything. We'll get you used to your new home. Do you like dogs?"

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I wrinkle my nose. Dogs are annoyingly loyal and protective. "I do not know, I have never had a dog. They weren't allowed at the orphanage." True enough. "And my new, my old, Mommy and Daddy didn't have one, either."

My eyes scan the area, looking out for landmarks, things I would need to know. It helps me appear unsure, and a little worried.

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"Well, Zulu's well trained," Danny promises. "Even if Steve gave him a horrifying name," he snorts derisively, keeping her close at hand as they walk. "Across the path from us, Jack lives in my old hut. He's about your age, I'm sure he'd like to meet a new friend?" he suggests, hoping that the people dearest in his life will get along with her.

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Steve. Another wrinkle. She didn't care about some stray kid that lived nearby, she didn't generally interact well with others of her 'age.' But Steve. Steve could be a problem.

"Why do you live with a man? did you say you had a little girl like me? Where is your wife?" Innocent questions that will tell me if I've somehow chosen wrong. If I already need to manufacture a reason to leave.

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It's a direct line to bitterness. "My wife, Rachel, she left me. She left me for another man because she didn't like my job," he says, piss and blood in his tone. "She took my little girl from me and moved away with the new husband, so I followed and got a new job. I fell for a goddamn Navy SEAL in the process, is all. Don't worry about Steve. I know he's like a puppy having an aneurysm sometime, but there's a softie inside."

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"How terrible, she seems like a terrible person to take your little girl away. You seem to be a very good man." Wife, not here. There's hope, then, for us. As for the man, Steve, I will find something. There is always something.

He's a Navy SEAL. That's military. Violence comes easy. Useful to know.

But a little guilt is never a bad thing. "I will be very good. I promise. You won't have to send me away and no one will have a reason to take me." I squeeze his hand. "I'm yours now."

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"She got scared," Danny admits, which is what he thinks it is. "I mean, it doesn't explain the affair we started having back home, but apparently she left me again, so that'll teach me," he says derisively, squeezing her hand tightly as he leads her to the front door. "This is us. You ready to take your first step into your new home, honey?"

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"I-I think so. Steve will like me, won't he? He likes kids?" I try to sound unsure, but I'm not. This is done. Danny's mine, now, I can tell. The way he holds my hand, the way he calls me honey, he's mine.

And I'm his.

"He won't make me leave? You promised."

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"If Steve knows what's good for him, he won't say a word," Danny swears, taking the two steps up to the porch and holding out his other hand to her, offering an easy smile. "We both want kids. I know it might seem a little sudden, but he'll understand reason when it's shouted at him loudly enough."

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I smile wide. He's so dedicated to me already and his feelings will only grow as we spend more time together. There's just Steve to worry about.

I take his hands, both of them, tucking the bag under my arm so I can do so. "Then you still want to be my new Daddy? And you think he will, too?"

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Zulu's already barking at the first sign of someone approaching the door. It's a good instinct to have, and Steve's not going to train him out of it, no matter how many times Danny insists he needs to. He'd rather have a protective watchdog, and Zulu's bark is always worse than his bite. No one really knows that he'd sooner lick them to death than attack.

He glances up from where he's cutting fruit on the kitchen counter, a towel thrown over one shoulder. "Danno? That you?"

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"I think that I want to take care of you." Danny doesn't want to jump to calling himself her 'Daddy' so soon, if only because if something happens and this gets taken away from him, he needs to be able to move on without being completely heartbroken. "Yeah, it's us," he says, straining the 'us' as he gives a smile. "Wait here for a second, okay?"

He heads inside, taking a deep breath. "Don't be mad," is all he says. "But something happened today and it's gonna change our lives."

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Nodding, I stay where I am, but I'm listening intently. However this goes, I need to pay attention to what is said. And what is not. Sometimes what isn't mentioned in much more important in relationships.

The fact that he has to start with, 'Don't be mad,' is actually promising.

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"And why would I have a reason to be mad?" Steve asks, fixing Danny with a milder version of the look he uses during interrogations, one eyebrow rising slowly, his mouth forming a straight line.

He waits for an answer, quietly expectant.

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"I got called down to Rapture today to help with a little kid," Danny says, given that Steve probably heard about the patrols the ITF was doing in that area. He takes a deep breath. "She's outside. I filled out the paperwork to become a guardian for her and if things do go smoothly between you and her, I want to offer her the spare room. She deserves parents, Steve," he says, simply.

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How interesting. No hesitation, no warm-up, but his language clearly indicates that he anticipates a struggle of some sort. At the very least expects to be verbally berated.

I can understand why, but I wonder, what, exactly the reaction will be and since I want to see it, I peek my head around the door a little, hoping no one will notice me yet.

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"Yeah, I heard about that," Steve replies, frowning visibly. There have been one or two cases of people arriving down there, but never anyone that young. Never a child.

"She's an orphan?" he asks, setting both knife and towel aside after wiping his hands off on the latter.

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"Yeah," Danny says gently, knowing what that means to Steve, too, leaning in towards him and sliding his palm against his cheek, a kiss softly delivered to his lips, easy and warm. "I want to take care of her, Steve. I want us to give her a place to stay," he says. "Can we do this?"

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I almost hold my breath, and I have to repress my grimace at the sight of them together. Strange enough that I have to put up with an annoying spouse, but to have one that's male only adds to my irritation. I will have to watch that so I don't give myself away.

Instead I lean in further, hoping the dog doesn't alert them. I can see it looking at me.

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Steve has more question than answers at the moment, but in the end he relents, giving in under the warmth of Danny's hand and the press of his mouth, soft and certain. He wouldn't make a move on something like this if he didn't think it was the right thing to do.

Zulu barks once and Steve pulls back, glancing over Danny's shoulder at the pair of eyes peering in around the corner.

"It's okay," he says. "You can come in."

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Danny turns to offer an encouraging smile, slipping away from Steve in order to stand behind her, one hand lightly on her shoulder as he fixes her hair distractedly. "Do you want to come see your new room or would you like to do introductions first?"

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I enter hesitantly, and as anxious as I am to find a place to hide my things, I know that's not the best plan. Now I have to charm, to attract, to make sure I'm not a threat... yet.

I enter the... hut, holding out my hand, always glancing to make sure my ribbons are in place. When I get close enough, I even curtsy. It looks cute although it feels ridiculous. "I am Esther. It is very nice to meet you."

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"Hi," Steve says, still feeling a little taken aback with all of this - but he figures he'll be able to come around to the idea eventually, especially since this is all happening fairly quickly.

"Hi, Esther," he repeats, crouching down slightly to put himself closer to her eye level, gently clasping her hand in his. "I'm Steve."

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Danny starts to hold his breath without even realizing that he's doing it. He wants this to go well so badly that he doesn't even know what he'll do if it goes awry -- probably throw a Williams-sized fit, to be honest. Still, he holds his breath and he waits and he hopes.

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"It is very nice to meet you, Steve. Please don't be angry with Danny. He's really, very nice and I want to stay very much." I open my eyes wide and even push my accent a little. Not much, just enough to appear worried. It tends to make adults soften. 'Oh, dear, listen to the little foreign girl.'

Plus, it makes it easier to gauge their reactions, if they think I sometimes struggle, they do not watch what they say as much. "Please do not make me leave."

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