THE COMPETITION

CHAPTER ONE

A/N: I haven't abandoned my other "Hawaii Five 0" fics, I just wanted to do a quick fic about the rivalry between Steve and Danny.

This time, it's personal, when Steve and Danno fight over Kono.

An Alternate Universes tale.

The Hawaii Five 0 team had one of the rare opportunities to enjoy a slow day in the middle of the week. In fact, things were so slow, Detective Danny Williams was blowing a piece of paper in the air, his face dejected.

"Guess it's another slow day, huh?" He asked Chin. To his left, Chin Ho looked up from a puzzle he was working on on his laptop screen.

"What?" He queried.

"I said..." Danny started repeating; then, the blond cop told his coworker, "never mind."

Normally, Steve McGarrett would have echoed Danny's mood, but he was inwardly happy that things were at a standstill case wise. Ever since Catherine had been stationed off the coast of Aruba almost six weeks ago, Steve had wanted some companionship of a female kind. He didn't need anything too complicated relationship-wise, he decided, just someone to take his mind off of his submarine sweetheart. Someone like his totally hot coworker, Kono Kalakaua.

He turned on the HD television set that was at Five 0 headquarters and put in a tape of CHIpS, muttering to himself that he was Larry Wilcox to a T.

Danny snorted, having heard Steve's remark. "Daniel?" Steve asked, miffed.

"Yes, Steven?" Danny asked.

"Do I take it that you're not buying what I just said?" Steve asked his friend. His eyes were looking at Wilcox taking off at top speed on his motorcycle.

Danny came over to where Steve sat, standing in front of the television and gesturing with his hands like he sometimes did when he wanted to prove a point.

"Look, Steven, let me put it in simple terms..." the detective said, counting off his issues with his fingers. "One, I'm more like Wilcox in terms of personality. Two, I'm blond and you're a brunette like Estrada. Three, I'm in Wilcox's age group more than you are. Four, like Wilcox, I'm your partner, but I ride shotgun, which isn't necessarily a bad thing since it is the power behind the throne that is all encompassing...".

Picking up on the third point, Steve crossed his arms, retorting, "Yeah, I'm sure a real blond like Wilcox would have a real field day comparing himself to a bottle blond like you."

For emphasis, Steve took some of the hair on the back of Danny's head and tugged it to one side to show Chin that there were some brown roots.

As Danny fumed Steve went on, "And, by the way, oh mighty power, lest we forget that Wilcox is a California beach boy, which means tan, surfing in the ocean type of guy, like me, as opposed to Estrada, who you clearly are!"

Danny stopped growling and said, "What about point five, and the most important, eh, Stefan?"

Steve frowned, asking, "And what pray tell is that, Daniel Bartholemew?"

The blond cop glared at the Navy SEAL for the use of Danny's middle name, which he absolutely abhorred.

"Some women, or rather one woman in particular who works alongside us, is attracted to the Wilcox character, so, in point of fact, when this special woman said this, she was looking at me," Danny told Steve, pointing to his chest.

Steve shook his head, saying, "In your dreams! Kono was looking at me!" He stabbed his chest so hard that he winced a little.

"You mean in your nightmares, since Kono finds me more of a hot item than you," Danny insisted. His blue eyes found Chin's brown ones. The slightly older cop had been studying the pair.

I think the ball is in your court, Steve, his telling look seemed to be saying. Although his look didn't show it, Chin hoped that Steve and Danny wouldn't involve him in their argument.

Yeah, he reasoned sarcastically, and Steve and Danny would grow tails and become owners of the Brooklyn Bridge any day now.

Sure enough, Danny's cornflower blue eyes pleaded with Chin's as he said, "You know what? We'll let Chin settle this."

Steve agreed. "Fair enough," he said.

Danny gave Chin his full attention, the actors on the television forgotten as he questioned, "Come on, Chin, tell us who you think Kono would prefer: me, or Mr. Totally Wrong for Kono, here?" Danny pointed to Steve.

Before Steve could retort, Chin told them calmly, "Look, I'm not taking sides in a competition that's only gonna end in disaster. And, anyway, Kono is a grown woman. You want to know which of you she likes better, you go and ask her."

Danny told Steve and Chin, "Doesn't matter. I know she would like me to take her out, especially to the Governor's birthday bash comin' up tomorrow night!"

"Yeah," Steve said, "if Rod Serling were here, you'd be right, Daniel, but we're in the real world!"

Just then, the object of their discussion walked into Five 0 headquarters, unaware of the competition beginning between Steve and Danny.

Both guys tried to hide the dreamy expressions on their faces as Kono's slender hips swayed when she came into the room. She lifted her long fingers in a greeting and showed her dimples when she smiled.

"Hi, guys," she greeted, before turning her 'hello' on her cousin, "Cous."

"Hiiii Kono," Steve and Danny purred. Both smelled her perfume as she walked past to look at the video display terminal on the desk.

"No cases yet?" Kono asked. Steve closed the distance slightly by coming on her left. Danny took up the right. Chin shook his head at having to work with two year olds.

"Nothing yet," Steve reported. Danny nodded his head in agreement.

"So, K," Danny asked, receiving her complete attention at the shortened form of her name. "You, uh, still planning to go to the governor's little shindig tomorrow?"

Kono exclaimed, "Oh! I forgot! I didn't get her a present!"

"Well," Steve told the female rookie, "I'd be happy to help you shop for something special. She is the governor and our boss after all."

Kono's dark eyes showed her gratitude as she said, "Thanks, Steve, that's really very sweet."

Not wanting to be outdone by his opponent, Danny said, "I'd be happy to drive you, Kono."

"Just what we need, a chaperone," Steve said, seeming to be joking to Kono's ears but deadly serious to Danny's.

"That's great," Kono said. "My car's in the shop, anyway."

"That's wonderful," Steve responded, not wanting his rapidly escalating jealousy to be obvious. "We can all go together to Ala Moana and find something."

Kono smiled again. "Okay," she said. She started walking toward the exit.

"I'll just get my purse," she told Steve, Danny and her cousin. "Meet you both outside?"

"Sure," Steve and Danny said simultaneously. When Kono walked out, each cop fixed the other with a deadly look.

"Get ready to be creamed, my friend," Danny promised. Steve raised a brow.

"Really?" he replied calmly. "You get ready with some tissues, Danno, 'cause when she picks me and you end up on your butt out in the cold, you'll be the one crying."

Danny left to get his car ready. Steve saw Kono running down the stairs with her purse and fell in behind her. Together, all three got into the car and the blond detective pulled out of the parking lot.

After they left, Chin took out his cell phone and placed a call to his cousin.