Take me to Paradise

Meeting the Gang

Chapter 2

"So how long have you been in Hawaii?" Kono asked the woman walking next to her. She knew Clara couldn't be here for a long time, she assumed maybe a month or two.

"Actually I moved nearly a half a year ago. I must be really bad at all the stuff around here, if you think I just got to Hawaii." she said and laughed softly as Clara saw Kono's face.

"Oh, wow...I just...sorry." It was hard for her to find the right words. Clara was really an outsider to the Big Island. "Well anyway we'll get you to fit in perfectly."

Both women laughed and walked down the street to the part of the beach, where Kamekona's Shave Ice and Shrimp shop was located.

"Goodness, what took you so long?" was the first that was out of Det. Danny Williams' mouth. "Hey monkey." the second.

Steve just rolled his eyes as he took a seat beside his partner who was looking over his daughter to make sure she wasn't injured in any way.

"I'm sorry, we were slightly held up at Gracie's school." he said and greeted Lauren, his neighbor next door, who sometimes worked for Kamekona at his shrimp truck.

"What do you mean with 'held up'? Gracie?" Danny's face turned a slight ting of red.

"Calm down Danno, Uncle Steve just met Ms. Clara, my teacher." Grace explained and grinned as Kamekona came over and put a large Pizza with pineapple in front of her.

"Yeah, calm down Danno." Steve mimicked and ate his own slice of Pizza.

Danny did indeed calm down but looked slightly affronted at seeing his daughter eating the Pizza he hated the most.

"Clara?" he laid his head sideways and tried to think of the teacher she spoke of, but couldn't find it in his brain. Grace looked at her father and nodded her head.

"Yeah, you called her nerdy."

Danny's eyes widened as he heard the words she spoke. "Oh...Oh! Nerdy teacher Clara."

Steve rolled his own eyes and took a large bite of his own Pizza. "I don't think she is that nerdy. Maybe a book worm and really plain looking. Not like those people at the comic convention." he mumbled around his food.

The Detective nodded his head at that, not wanting to remember all those crazy people they had seen then. "But still. She's a Plain Jane."

"What's a Plain Jane, Uncle Steve?" Gracie asked the Commander which earned him a comical look from his partner.

"Ugh, well...it's just a nickname for some people who...uhm, well...work as teachers, I think." the last part was said so softly that neither father nor daughter understood it.

"Ah, okay." Grace said and went back to her meal.

"Oh by the way, Kono is coming, too." Danny said and pointed to their female coworker walking up to the lunch place.

Steve turned around and watched as Officer Kono Kalakaua made her way over to them together with the teacher...Clara.

"Oh you gotta be kiddin' me." Danny groaned and put his hands over his face.

Grace looked up as she heard her father moan and laughed loudly when she found Ms. Clara coming over with Kono.

"Aloha, Ms. Clara!" Grace shouted and waved to the teacher.

Once Clara had reached them she greeted the group in return, and then turned to Steve again. "I'm really sorry about the way I treated you before." she said as she sat down opposite from him.

Steve just waved it off earning a raised eyebrow from his partner, which he ignored. "Don't worry about it. You couldn't have known."

Clara smiled at him and nodded her head. "Mahalo."

A few seconds later Kamekona came over with a box full of shrimps – a new recipe of his as he said – and two pineapple Pizzas.

"If I had known we had such beautiful ladies here, I'd have dressed up for you." The gentle giant as Clara dubbed him said and laughed heartily. "You got yourself a mighty fine girl, boss."

The words caused Clara to blush a deep read while Steve shook his head at Kamekona's comment. "We're not together, brah."

The Hawaiian Giant just nodded his head and went back to the Shave Ice bar as the Five-0 group talked about a case they had been working on while Clara and Grace talked about her plans to go to the beach.

"Danno?" she tapped her father's shoulder, but he waved her off to wait.

"Danno." Grace tried again but still he didn't answer.

"Daddy!" this got his attention. His daughter never called him 'Daddy'. No way in hell.

"What's wrong monkey?" Danny asked her and smiled down at Grace, who was pouting, because his attention was diverted.

"I want to go to the beach with Ms. Clara." she said and looked expectantly at her father.

"But I wanted to have a day with you, monkey. Besides it's dangerous." He tried it the nice way and hoped that it worked, because his daughter would make a good cop someday.

Clara looked at the display between father and daughter and instantly felt guilty. "Gracie, it's alright. We can meet up another day. I bet your dad wants to do some really fun things with you."

"No." she said to her teacher and turned back to her father. "And you can see me nearly every day. I want to go to the beach, besides Uncle Steve can come too." And here came the guilt trip.

"I...Alright. You can go to the beach." Danny caved and looked over to Steve, who had a smug smile on his lips. "And you know what is even better? We go to the beach at Uncle Steve's house." he added and looked at his partner, who's smile turned into a deep scowl.

"Fine. My house, my beach, my rules." Steve said and took a large bite out of his Pizza. His team members and Clara held in their laughter at the banter between the two

partners.

After the group had finished their lunch Steve had offered to take Clara back to his house, with Danny, Grace and Kono following behind them and Chin, who had a different engagement, would later on join them.

"So...uhm...I'm sorry for the display at lunch. It was just some light banter between Danny and me." he tried to explain while driving down the highway to his house.

Clara looked over at the Commander and gave him a sweet smile. "Don't worry. I wouldn't have thought you guys would kill each other." she joked which caused Steve to chuckle softly.

"I hope it's alright for you to come with us to the beach." he said after a short while of silence.

The teacher looked up, slightly startled, turning to him. "Hmm? Oh no, don't worry. Normally I would now just sit on the beach and read a good book, but knowing Gracie she is going to drag me in to the water anyway."

Once she had finished, Clara turned back to the window and looked at the nature that lay on the outside. Steve took that opportunity to take a good look at the nerdy teacher.

He had to think on the conversation he had with Danny before Kono and her arrived. She was of course plain looking and seemed quite introvert but still knew how to hold a good conversation. Altogether she was different. So different from any woman he ever met or dated.

"I was thinking that maybe later on we could have a barbecue. Then you can meet Chin too. He is Kono's cousin." Steve didn't know what possessed him to ask her to stay but he sure knew that he wanted Clara to be there with them.

"I...Sure if it's okay with you." She was uncertain what his motive behind this was, but agreed anyway, for peace sake.

"Yeah, I'd like that." The Commander said and turned off the highway and towards the road, where his home was located, all the while watching the teacher sitting in the seat beside him.

A/N that was it for the second chapter. Let me know what you think of it. Thanks guys.