A.N. – This story comes after my story "In the Name of Progress", which explains the reason for Kono's departure from Five-O. As stated in the A.N. to that story, Kono's joining the Hilo PD is from GM's fanon and is used with her permission. The character of Gladys is taken from the season 5 episode "Death is a Company Policy".

The Spark

Kono Kalakaua squatted down to get a better look at the jagged hole in the glass door. Taking care not to disturb the broken pieces of glass on the floor with his size thirteen shoes, he watched as one of his officers dusted the knob for prints. "Be sure to get da other side of da door, Sam. Take lots of photos, too," he ordered his subordinate.

"Will do, boss," Sam responded.

The large Hawaiian cop patted the smaller man on the shoulder then rose to his full height and tugged at the uncomfortably tight collar of his black uniform shirt. The small dress shop was stuffy with morning humidity and the ceiling fan wasn't helping much. At least I'm not in a suit, Kono mused, thinking back to his years with Hawaii Five-O. McGarrett had always insisted on conservative professional attire for his detectives – dress shirts, suits and ties, dress shoes. The Hilo police department was more relaxed and at least the uniforms were short sleeved. Kono valued his years with Five-O; he couldn't have gotten that kind of experience anywhere else. But he also knew that accepting the position as chief of the Hilo PD had been the right decision for him and he had no regrets.

Kono looked around the neatly kept shop for more signs of damage. There were racks of colorful muumuus, aloha shirts, fancy dress gowns and simple A-line mini dresses. An attractively hand lettered sign over the checkout counter read 'Glad Rags by Gladys'. He stepped behind the counter, pulled aside a curtain and peered into the back room. It was an efficient work space with a couple of sewing machines, patterns and a cutting table. Shelves bore many bolts of colorful fabrics, spools of thread and other supplies. In a corner of the room, an older woman was leafing through a filing cabinet. Kono cleared his throat to announce his presence.

"Are you da owner, ma'am?" he asked when the white haired Chinese lady looked up at him.

"No," the woman replied. "Gladys is the owner of the shop. She had to take her son to school, but she should be back soon."

"Anything else missing dat you know about?"

"No, sir, just the cash from the register. But this is a small business and we can't afford a loss of any kind." The lady looked at him with sad eyes.

"I understand, ma'am," Kono said sympathetically before returning to the front room.

Sam had finished gathering what fingerprints he could find on the door and had moved on to the area around the cash register when the bell on the front door jingled as the door opened. Both officers looked up as a plain looking Hawaiian woman entered the shop. She hurried into the store like she owned the place and her worried expression made her look older than her twenty-six years. Kono surmised that this was Gladys. He pulled out his notebook and stepped forward to introduce himself.

"I'm Detective Kalakaua. We'll be out of da way soon, but I gotta ask you some questions first, Mrs…"

"That's 'Miss', officer," she corrected sharply, looking up at the large cop. But when she looked into Kono's kind brown eyes, she calmed down and her mood softened. "Sorry, it's been quite a morning. Just call me Gladys," she said with a tired smile.

Kono's eyes moved away from his notepad and met Gladys's gaze. At once he was surprised by a sudden feeling, an unexpected spark of attraction for the woman before him. His heartbeat quickened. He resisted the reflex of breaking into a large grin and tried to remain professional.

The interview lasted ten minutes. Kono promised to do all he could to bring to justice whoever had robbed the dress shop and return the missing money, though for that, he didn't hold much hope. He gave Gladys one of his business cards in case she remembered something else later. Then he and Sam packed up their equipment and the forensic evidence they had gathered then bid the two women aloha. Just before Kono left the shop, Gladys touched his arm.

"Thanks again, Mr. Kalakaua," she said in a way that told Kono that she wasn't just being polite. She meant it from her heart.

o-o-o

That evening, Kono couldn't stop thinking about his encounter with Gladys. In his heart, he felt nothing short of an irrational attraction for the woman. But his head was trying to figure out why. It just didn't make sense. While she wasn't bad looking, she wasn't the type of island beauty that Kono usually pursued for dates: hourglass figure with silky black hair flowing beyond the small of the waist, bikini on the beach. Gladys's hair was cropped to a practical length, she was, how to put it politely, rounder than the other girls he'd dated, though he certainly couldn't fault her for that. Her face bore the look of one who had not had the easiest life. And she has a kid, Kono reminded himself. A single mother! Times were changing, but that particular circumstance still raised eyebrows and attracted judgments.

But those beautiful eyes! Kono couldn't forget the spark he had felt when their eyes had met that morning. It was real, there was no denying it. He could still feel the aftereffects. Well, I ain't gettin' any younger…heck, maybe I'm finally growing up! The large Hawaiian laughed out loud at that thought. Wait 'til I tell Danny about dis! Kono's heart had won his inner battle. He made up his mind then and there that after they caught the perpetrators and solved the case, he would call Gladys and ask her out.

o-o-o

Appropriately enough, it was Valentine's Day evening. Kono stood on the doorstep of Gladys's small home with a bouquet of pink roses and nervously rang the doorbell. A couple of days earlier, the Hilo police department had booked and locked up the two punks who had robbed the dress shop. The damage to the shop had been repaired, the expenses covered by insurance. Even some of the stolen cash had been recovered.

The door opened, but Kono didn't see anyone. He heard a small voice call out "Aloha." He moved the flowers from his line of sight and looked down to see a small boy with dark hair and bright eyes – his mother's eyes – and a big smile.

"I'm Tommy and I'm eight," the youngster introduced himself.

"Pleased to meet you, Tommy, my name is Kono." He bent low to shake hands with the lad.

"Mom says that you're a cop. My uncle's a cop, too! He lives in Honolulu, but he comes to visit sometimes," Tommy explained excitedly. "I wanna be a cop too, someday!"

"Is dat so!" Kono commented, amused and charmed by the kid who reminded him of himself at the same age.

"Are those for me?" a feminine voice broke into the conversation.

Gladys had entered the living room and noticed the pink roses cradled in her guest's arm. Wow! Kono had thought she was beautiful when he had first met her, but she had not been at her best that day. In Kono's eyes she was now stunning, wearing a dress she had designed herself and a happy and relaxed expression, which only enhanced her beauty.

"Uh-huh," Kono replied shyly. "Happy Valentine's Day, Gladys Lukela."

As he handed her the flowers, their eyes met, recreating the spark that Kono had felt the previous week in the dress shop. This time, he broke into a broad white toothed grin. Any doubts that may have remained in his mind vanished in an instant. He knew this was right.

Pau

Note: In the episode "Death is a Company Policy", it is stated that Gladys goes by a different name. I've used the name 'Lukela' here just to connect her with Duke.