Chapter 1

Danny had known the moment he meet Steve McGarrett that he was going to punch the man and that he would want to do so at least once a day for as long as he knew the Navy SEAL. And when Steve highjacked him onto his task force, Danny knew his life was going to be spiraling out of his control very quickly. And spiral out did it ever. It seemed like every day he got up and went to work, he ended up being shot at or nearly blown up, and more often than not it was a direct result of something his partner had done. Danny sometimes felt like he lived that old Chinese curse, 'May you live in interesting times.' His life was certainly interesting and Danny could do with a little less 'interesting' in his life.

Perhaps that was why after more than a decade of being cursed to turn into a woman, he had given in and truly accepted it as a normal part of his life. Certainly after moving to Hawaii his part-time life as a woman was much more tame and in his control than his daily life as Detective Danny Williams. That sense of control was what had led to last night and Danny wasn't sure if this was going to be another Steve created FUBAR event or something else.

- - - H50 - - -

Several Hours Earlier, Outside the Seven Seas Nightclub; Oahu

Dani sat in the Camaro clutching the steering wheel in a white-knuckled grip. She had done this a hundred times before back in New Jersey as a way to burn off the after work stress of a dangerous or disturbing case. She hadn't yet managed to get her courage up enough to do it here in this pineapple infested hellhole. Danny never told Rachel about his excursions out as Dani, but then he never did anything to break his marriage vows when he went out. He just needed to be someone else for a while. Someone not Detective Danny Williams. He just needed to be Dani, short for Danielle no-last-name. Dani, your average buxom blonde from New Jersey. Danny was a hard working family man and homicide detective. Dani was a woman with no worries and no one to worry for her. She was free to go out and drink, to dance with anyone who asked without worrying that one of his fellow officers might see and know Danny was something other than fully heterosexual. Dani could dance with all those tall, dark, and handsome men who caught Danny's eyes. Danny had only been able to go home to a wife who had came to hate him more each day that the curse didn't end. Danny now had a small run-down apartment in a bad section of town on an island on the other side of the country from his family. Danny only had limited access to his daughter and only when his ex-wife decided to allow him time with his little girl. Danny was the loud, outcast haole detective that no one in HPD had wanted to be partnered with. Danny was the over stressed, overworked second in command of the elite Governor's task force, partner to one crazy SEAL. But Dani….

Yeah, Dani could be his free pass. Dani was a gorgeous, single woman. Dani might be a haole, but she was easy on the eyes. Dani was offered modeling contracts everywhere she went. Dani lived on what people called an island paradise. Dani had a body made for bikinis and lounging in the sun. Dani could go out at night to places that his partners in Five-0 would never associate with Danny. She could go out to a club and dance the night away, bumping and grinding or twirling around the floor, belting out along with the songs beating through the room into her bones, drinking those so girly looking drinks without a care about his perceived masculinity. She could do this. All she had to do was let go of the steering wheel and get out of the car.

Taking a deep breath Dani held it in her lungs for a count of three before slowly releasing it along with the emotions churning about inside her gut, the ones telling her this was a mistake. Normally she would listen to her gut, but she needed this like she hadn't since Rachel told him she was filing for divorce. She needed this. Needed some human contact that didn't come around because of a shootout, hostage situation, terrorist threat, or good ol' mugging. She needed touch that was a gentle caress, a lustful glide of a large palm over her hip, a touch of warmth at the small of her back, a wet shiver of lips over her own. She needed to feel human again. Danny had a lot of touches in his daily life but most of them only reinforced how different he was, how out of sync with everyone else, how much of an outcast, a stranger in a strange land he had become. He needed Dani to help him feel real, a part of the human fold again, even if it was only an illusion.

Taking another deep breath, Dani released her grip on the Camaro's steering wheel and opened the door. The cool night breeze coming off the ocean danced over her exposed skin, bringing up goosebumps on the pale cream colored flesh. She had lived here for a little over seven months and she wasn't even as close to the golden tans of the locals. She had to be careful to find places to sunbathe nude, because a bikini tan line on a guy was far out of the norm and would inspire too many questions.

Twisting in her seat she stretched one pale leg out of the car, then the other, and carefully lifted herself out of the car. She didn't want to flash anything to anyone who might be walking by. If they were going to see the goods it would only be after they had made an effort to woo her, and after she had danced away as much of her frustration and stress as possible. And supposedly, if what she overheard Kono talking with the beat cop from the attempted bank heist today was true, then this was the nightclub to go to. It was mostly locals but would welcome haoles like Dani as well. It was supposed to be clean and drug free (or as drug free as a nightclub could get), with great drinks and security to protect the patrons from each other. From what little second hand information he could get without tipping his hand, the Seven Seas was also supposed to have a wide mix of music. Every Friday a local band was brought in to play for the crowd and the rest of the week the club seemed to move between a wide variety of music genres from Jazz to Hip Hop to Techno to Classical. Dani was sure that she would find something she could dance to, even if it wasn't what she'd normally choose for herself.

Closing the car door, Dani set the alarm and headed towards the club. Unlike a nightclub in New York, there was no line wrapping around the building full of people waiting for their chance to get past the bouncer. The Seven Seas was an island secret and few haoles knew about it. The tourists certainly didn't. She didn't know how full the club would be. She could only hope that there were enough singles to find at least one worthy dance partner, and possibly a one night stand.

Taking another deep, steadying breath, Dani straightened her skirt and gave her breasts one last adjustment before stepping into the Seven Seas. The sounds of an island jazz band met Dani's ears, thrumming up through her feet. She could feel it pulsing through her body. Her hips had already started to sway as she reached the bar. Grinning she leaned towards the bar, resting her arms on the bar-top and pressing her body further forward, her ample bust squeezing together between the press of her arms.

"What can I get you, Babanees?"

"Babanees," asked Dani.

Laughing lightly, smirk firmly in place the bartender leaned in closer to her, his eyes dropping briefly to her chest. "Means sexy, and you are that."

Dani smiled, a compliment was always nice when she was trying to look good. Danny didn't get too many of those on the island since he worked with a man who looked like he stepped off the cover of GQ, even when wearing someone else's blood. Plus, Danny apparently dress too much like a haole and the natives found it offensive. Mostly he kept dressing that way because it irritated Steve so much.

Thinking over her options Dani decided to ignore the subtle flirting and just get her drink. "I'll have a Lava Flow." True, the drink had pineapple juice, but Dani didn't mind pineapples in her drinks. Just on her pizza, sandwiches and burgers. Basically on anything with meat.

"You got it." The bartender smirked at her, his eyes lingering on her cleavage.

Dani waited until he turned his back to her to get her drink ready, to roll her eyes. 'What a shmuck,' Dani thought.

When the bartender set the drink down in front of her, Dani reached for her wallet but he waved her off. "Babanees like you don't need ta pay for drinks." Winking he went to take the order from another girl further down the bar.

Turning to face the dance floor, Dani took a careful sip of her drink, smiling at the unique flavor of a citrus based fruit mixing with the cream in the drink. She lazily made her way away from the bar, further into the crowd near the tables and booths that surrounded the dance floor and the stage. There was a large number of people here and other than the strange mix of island music and jazz, Dani could almost think herself back at a nightclub in Newark or New York. Still, the music wasn't bad. It was almost sensual really.

Finishing off the last of her drink, Dani set the glass on the tray of a passing waitress before wading into the crowd of dancing bodies. She had seen a few men dancing with various women and a likely looking fellow had just lost his dance partner. Smirking to herself, Dani moved up behind the man, taking in the curling dark hair clipped short, the broad set of his shoulders, and the narrow hips. He was a good looking man from the back and likely a native Hawaiian based on his skin tone. Reaching out, Dani lightly ran her hand over his shoulder and down his arm.

The man turned around, his dark eyes twinkling at Dani, his familiar smiling sending a rush of panic and a flicker of desire through Dani. "Care for a dance," she asked.

She couldn't back off after approaching him. Still if she had to run into one of Danny's team here, at least it was Chin Ho rather than Steve or Kono. Dani could control herself around Chin, but she wasn't sure she could do so around Steve, and Kono…well, Kono would only help Dani lose control more and encourage Dani to do something she would regret later.

"Of course." Chin smiled and guided Dani further onto the dance floor, one hand settling on her hip and the other still gently holding her own.

Dani relaxed into Chin's sure and steady grip, letting him lead her through a swaying, fluid series of dance steps as the sounds of Stella by Starlight played around them. The fact that the music was played on a piano and a sax registered in the back of her mind as a sign that the band must have taken their break. This was the original recording by Miles Davis, not an island remix.

Dani was pleased with the music and with Chin's dancing. She had no idea Chin was so smooth. Hah! They should be calling Chin 'Smooth Dog,' not Steve. Steve was anything but smooth. Chin had that smile, those cheekbones, that warm Zen personality, and some series dancing skills. Plus he was surprisingly charming. He chatted with Dani as they danced, commenting on her skirt and top without obviously checking out either her cleavage or her ass. He asked her about her accent, referencing his co-worker Danny who was from New Jersey and who had a very similar accent. Dani had smiled, pleased to see that Chin was able to tell a real New Jersey accent when it came from a different voice than his male one.

They danced through several more songs, laughing and exchanging pleasant stories about funny things that family members and co-workers had done. Dani, of course, had been careful only to use stories about Danny's partners back at the Newark PD. Chin told her about his young cousin Kono, the ex-pro surfer turned cop, his voice full of pride, before shifting into a story about Steve getting lost in a cornfield(1) while chasing down a suspect in a murder investigation. Even though Dani had been there, not that Chin knew that, hearing the story from Chin's point of view had Dani laughing so had she had feared she might cry. Chin had seemed pleased with the sound of her laughter and if he ran his hands through her hair with a somewhat affectionate look in his eyes, Dani never noticed.

Eventually they had split up when a rather lovely looking Hawaiian woman swept in and stole Chin away with a glare at Dani. Dani had rolled her eyes at Chin who gave her a grimace of a smile and let the woman drag him back onto the dance floor. After that Dani had gone back to the bar and ordered a Blue Lagoon and spent the next half hour sipping at it and chatting up a haole from the east coast named Tony. Realizing she had no other suitable prospects for a night of pleasure than Chin, which wasn't going to happen since Dani was not going to sleep with a teammate, she had agreed to head back to Tony's hotel room.

1. Yes this is referencing a scene in the fic "Fluffy Hair and Nosy Bosses" by .Vee on