March 7th

[haolehothead]

Danny feels ridiculous. Genuinely and truly, he doesn't know that he's ever felt like more of a schmuck in his entire life, feeling as nervous as he does. He's in the main room of the hut, watching sports like something might actually change in the outcome of his Best Of DVDs if he just watches hard enough. Nothing does change.

Still, he stays nervous and he feels like he's about to do something that could simultaneously be the best and the worst thing that he's ever done in his entire life -- and it's tomorrow. He's getting hitched with Steve tomorrow. He's got his clothes hung up over the doorway, he's got a speech in mind for the reception, and he's even doing fairly okay with not having Grace there. He just can't shake the goddamn nerves.

"Shit," he mutters, getting up to get some air, leaving the door open before he returns to the best of the NHL, circa 2008. He's supposed to be calm about this. It's Steve. It's his best friend, it's the guy he's been with for over a year -- almost to the day, even -- and friends with for over a year before that.

Maybe the solution here is some booze, but Danny doesn't want to be that tragic kind of guy who does it all alone.

Comments

[haolehothead]

"Hey, I was starting to think you'd have your kid before I got hitched," Danny says, joining in on that action. Even though he's approaching the wedding, he still thinks some meteor or bombshell is going to fall out of the sky and prevent him and Steve from getting married. "How many weeks until Jess Givens is in the world?"

[angriestman]

"Late April," says Raylan, settling back in the seat and closing his eyes as he pinches the bridge of his nose. "Rachel's already started the emergency contingency plans."

[haolehothead]

"She's also started in on the hormones," Danny adds. "Which, congratulations, and I'm glad that I'm not the husband this go around. I mean, I love her to bits, but god help me, I can't imagine what happens at one in the morning when she's getting a craving."

[angriestman]

"Usually, what happens at one in the morning and she gets a craving," says Raylan, sipping his drink. "Is that I get up and put pants on and go get whatever it is that she wants."

Anything for a quiet life.

[haolehothead]

Danny offers a sympathetic smile. "Truth is, as much as I'd complain to be back in that situation, I'd still do anything to have it back. When my Rachel was pregnant, I thought there'd be no end to the disgusting combinations. When Grace was born, I almost missed them."

[angriestman]

"Rachel's cravings aren't so bad," says Raylan, scratching the back of his neck. "Mostly she just...bitches a lot. But she always bitched a lot, so it's not that different."

[haolehothead]

"I bitch a lot and I don't even have pregnancy as an excuse to fall back on," Danny points out with a smirk. "I mean, I've got Jersey. Jersey as an excuse tends to work out pretty well in my favor. We're fairly uptight in the city."

[angriestman]

"Yeah," drawls Raylan, grinning against the rim of his glass. "I mean, I hear that's just genetic. Just like, somewhere deep down, I've probably got a longing to start a goddamn meth lab."

[haolehothead]

"Well, if I ever make a bust like that, I'm gonna be hoping really, really hard that it's not you back there," Danny says, like he's doing Raylan a real favor just by hoping. "I mean, not just because of Rachel, but because you're a good buddy by now. I'd hate to have to take you out in cuffs about half as much as you'd hate it."

[angriestman]

"There's a difference between knowing where your history is and being doomed to repeat it," says Raylan, grimly, draining off a long swallow from his glass.

"I've been a lawman long enough to have it in my bones, Danny. Nothin's changin' now."

[haolehothead]

"My history is...well, Pop's a firefighter," Danny says, unable to quell that proud smile that always comes. "That said, turns out my brother is a scumbag criminal, so who knows how the genes distribute when all's said and done, right?"

And he's glad that Raylan's on the good side of the law. It makes it better to have allies. "Once you get a taste for justice, it's hard to let it go, huh?"

[angriestman]

"Something like that," he says, ruefully. "It was that or mine cold my whole life, and you just have to get to the point where you get the hell outta Harlan."

[haolehothead]

"I don't blame you. I mean, not I'm not that kind of guy, mainly because I loved the hell out of my hometown, but I think if I'd have stayed within my parents' court, I'd have screamed and gone insane. Me and Rachel both, she didn't get on with my Ma."

[angriestman]

"Difficult to love my hometown," says Raylan, ruefully. "Difficult to love my father, too. Didn't exactly come from much."

[haolehothead]

"Deep down, though, he's still family," Danny says. Maybe it's a stubborn need to believe that because of what's happened with Matt since Danny's left. If Matt's a bad guy, at heart, then does Danny get to just cut him loose? Or should he hold on and love him as hard as he can, because he's still Danny's baby brother. "Isn't there something to be said for family?"

[angriestman]

"Not mine." He shakes his head, eyes fixed on some point in the middle distance. "Rachel says I've got to talk about my past, that we're going to have to tell the baby about Harlan and Arlo an' all? But I think we're better just letting it go."

[haolehothead]

"Maybe just mention the good stuff?" Danny points out warily, mostly because he doesn't know Raylan in and out and he's not sure how much good stuff there is. "I don't know, are there any childhood stories you have that you like? Things you could pass on?"

[angriestman]

"Helen," he says, finally. He smooths his hair back from his face. "I suppose I could talk about Helen."

[haolehothead]

"See? Now, we're talking," Danny says encouragingly, taking a long sip of his glass of booze, grateful that at least there's one positive link in the whole chain that makes up Raylan's family. "You don't have to tell everything. Just -- say the important stuff."