Hawaii Five-0 is property of CBS and its creators.
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"Whoa, there, just where do you think you're going?" Danny Williams stuck out a foot to stop the small black form just before it escaped from Five-0's offices. "And just what are you doing here, anyway?" He asked the sleek, black cat staring up at him.
Ninja just mrrp'd.
Steve McGarrett came out of his office in time to hear Danny's question. "He has a vet appointment, and it was easier to bring him in than run home and get him."
"Well, I suggest you keep him in his carrier until then. The others will be in soon, and you don't want him to get out."
"I know. I just felt bad for him, cooped up in there all day. I thought I'd let him run around."
"Well, at least keep him in your office with the door closed," Danny said.
"Okay, fine." Steve picked up the cat. "Come on, boy, let's go spend some quality time in Daddy's office. You can help me avoid paperwork."
Danny shook his head in fondness at his Navy SEAL partner simpering at a cat. "Just don't let him get out!"
Steve and Ninja stayed cooped up in Steve's office until Steve wandered out to ask Danny a question and inadvertently left the door open. He'd forgotten about Ninja until Chin's voice came floating out of the main area. "Can somebody please tell me why there's a cat on the smart table?"
Steve went to look. Sure enough, Ninja was sitting in the middle of the table, calmly cleaning himself, while crime scene photos flashed randomly on the screen. "Oops, sorry, he must have gotten out of my office."
"Since when do you have a cat?" Chin asked.
"Since Catherine left. It was Danny's idea. This is Ninja. Ninja, meet Chin."
Steve was currently scratching Ninja under the chin, so Ninja completely ignored Chin.
Kono came out of her office. "Did you say you had a cat, Steve?"
"Yeah, this is Ninja."
"Cute." She reached out to pet him, and the cat stretched out his neck to her and purred.
Lou noticed the crowd around the smart table and came over. "I didn't realize it was Bring Your Cat to Work Day," he commented, taking his turn petting Ninja.
Danny joined the rest of the team. "I thought I told you to keep Ninja in your office. This is just the sort of thing I wanted to avoid."
"Yeah, yeah." With a few parting pets from the team (excluding Danny, who was not Ninja's biggest fan), Steve went back into his office, this time putting a protesting Ninja in his carrier.
An hour or so later, Steve looked out the window and noticed an Animal Control van in the parking lot. Huh, that was weird. As far as he knew, Ninja was the only animal around, and he was safe in his carrier. Besides, only his team knew Ninja was here, and they wouldn't have called Animal Control.
Steve went to check on Ninja just to be safe and found the flap of the carrier hanging open. Uh-oh, he must not have zipped it tightly and Ninja had worked it loose with his paw. Steve looked around his office. No cat. His door was open, so he must have gotten out. Definitely not good. With any luck he was still in Five-0's offices.
Steve went into the main room. "Anybody seen Ninja?"
Chin looked up from the now cat-free smart table. "No, man, sorry, I thought he was in your office."
Lou came out of his office. "No, and the front door's open. He must have gotten out."
"Shit," Steve cursed. "I have to find him."
Danny once again joined the others. "What did I tell you, Steve? I told you this was a bad idea. You bring your cat to work and look what happens. And you bitch at me for leaving doors open. I'll have you know it wasn't my fault this time."
"Shut up, Danny," Steve said. "Help me find him."
Steve approached the lobby of Iolani Palace, dreading what he would find. Sure enough, he got there in time to see Animal Control approaching the security checkpoint. There, perched on top of the x-ray machine, totally unconcerned with the hubbub he was causing as people noticed him and pointed, was Ninja.
Steve whipped out his badge. "Five-0. Step away from the cat."
"Mommy, is that man going to arrest the cat?" A little boy in the crowd asked. "What did he do?"
The Animal Control officer who had been reaching for Ninja backed away hastily. "Sorry, man, he's all yours."
Steve picked up Ninja, hugging him to his chest. "There, there, boy, I know you're scared. Everything's all right now. Let's get you back to the office."
Steve carried the cat back to the Five-0 offices and into his office, firmly shutting both doors behind him. As he was putting Ninja back into his carrier, Steve's phone rang. He looked at the display. The Governor. Steve wondered what he wanted. Surely he hadn't heard about the incident in the lobby, had he? Steve answered the phone. "McGarrett. Uh-huh. A cat in the lobby? No, I wasn't aware. Five-0? No, that's news to me. Yes, I agree the Iolani Palace is no place for a cat. No, I'm sure it won't happen again."
Danny came in as Steve hung up the phone. "Next time, babe, leave the cat at home."
Steve had to concede he was probably right.
