A/N and Disclaimer: AU version of the opening scene to s08e25 "Waiho Wale Kahiko" Dialog from episode written by Peter M. Lenkov & Eric Guggenheim. This is a McDanno pre-slash/slash Fic.

Steve sat at the bar jotting down notes from the cooking show he was watching on his laptop. He was apparently enthralled with Rachel Ray's demonstration of how to boil water. Danny just shook his head at his partner, then he looked around the restaurant and took in all of the progress, or lack thereof, they had made over the last few months. He realized they were no closer to being ready to open than they had been four months and thousands of dollars ago. With a sigh, he made a decision and walked over to Steve. It was time.

"I can't … I'm sorry, I can't. I-I got to go on record with you. I've got to go on record and tell you something." Decision finally made, he needed to let Steve know immediately. They could not put this off any longer.

"Hold on. Hold on. Hold on. I'm almost done here." Steve continued to take notes.

"This is… What is... This can wait," Danny indicated the cooking show playing on the laptop.

"No. No, it can't wait," Steve told him.

"She's boiling water," Danny said in exasperation as he waved a hand towards the screen.

"I'm borrowing the neighbor's Wi-Fi. Look, the signal I got's through the roof right now. Okay?"

"Are you messing with me?" He was trying to have a serious discussion and as usual Steve was deflecting.

"Huh?" Steve continued to ignore him in favor of watching Rachel Ray boil water.

"Is this a joke? Are you playing with my emotions right now on purpose? Is that what you're doing?"

"You know what's crazy?" Steve asked. "I'm actually getting hungry watching this show."

"Boiling water and free Wi-Fi is not important. We are making a big mistake. We got to pull the plug. You understand? If we don't, this place is going to sink us both." Danny was about one second from losing his cool completely, but he was trying to remain calm because this was something they really needed to discuss. They gave it their best shot, but no way were they going to be able to afford to finish the restaurant.

Steve reached out and paused the video before turning on his stool towards Danny. The look on his face was completely serious now. Apparently, he had finally grasped that this was not just another rant on Danny's part. "Don't worry, Danny, it's gonna be okay. We'll figure something out. There's got to be a way to get some more financing for Steve's. I mean we're so close, we can't quit now."

"Steve, opening a restaurant was never your dream. It was my stupid-ass idea. Every person we know, and few we don't, has told us that it would never work and they were right. Hell, we didn't even manage to make it to the opening. You have thrown enough money down this rabbit-hole, we both have, and it's time to call it quits and cut our losses before we are both bankrupt."

"No, Danny. We're doing this. I've got an idea. I know it's a little drastic, but I was thinking we could ask Kamekona to come in as a silent partner."

"Kamekona? Really? Since when has Kamekona been a silent anything? Seriously, Steve, what is going on with you? At first you were dead set against me retiring and opening a restaurant and now when I'm ready to throw in the towel and admit you were right, you won't let me. What gives?"

His only answer was a shrug of Steve's shoulders.

"Steve, what is going on?"

"I don't want you to go?" Steve mumbled almost inaudibly.

"What?" Danny wasn't sure he heard correctly.

"I said, 'I don't want you to go,' alright? I don't want you to go and I figure if we have the restaurant, you'll have to stay."

"Steven, what are you talking about? Where do you think I am going?"

"Back to New Jersey," Steve said as if it was obvious.

Danny threw up his hands in frustration. "Now you've completely lost me. Why would I go back to New Jersey?"

"When you retire… When you retire, you'll go back to Jersey, eventually, anyway. I mean, Grace will be off at college in a couple years, and Charlie really isn't that far behind her. When they're gone, there will be nothing keeping you here and you'll go back to New Jersey." Steve dropped his eyes and stared at the bar he had spent hours sanding and varnishing. He ran his fingertips back and forth over the smooth surface.

"And, that upsets you? That I might leave Hawaii and go back to Jersey?" Danny asked softly, as he tried to work out exactly what Steven was telling him.

Steve took his eyes off the bar long enough to send Danny a heated glance. "Hell yes, it bothers me. Didn't I just say I don't want you to go?"

"Why? Why, don't you want me to go, Steve?" Danny searched Steve's face for the answer he hoped to find.

"Because I love you, that's why?"

"I know you do, babe. I love you too. But, that doesn't really answer my question. I mean, you love Chin and Kono too, but you didn't try to get them to stay."

"That was different," Steve told him. "You're different."

"Why, Steven? Tell me why I'm different from Chin and Kono."

He could see in Steve's eyes that what he was about to say was the truth, but a truth he was scared for Danny to know. "Because I don't love them the way I love you. I'm not in love with them, damn it."

Danny surged forward and kissed Steve with enough force that he almost fell off his stool. Steve had to slam his hand down on the bar to catch his balance. It didn't take long though for Steve's hand to come up and cup the back of Danny's head to hold him in place with a sort of desperation. When they finally broke apart, Danny could see the stunned disbelief on Steve's face and the barely suppressed hope in his eyes." "What? Danny?"

"Steven, do you know why I wanted to open a restaurant? Why I asked you to open it with me?"

His only answer was a slight shake of Steve's head.

"So that after we retire - because we are both going to have to retire eventually, babe – so that after we retire from Five-0, we would still be partners. Harry was right about that. I don't want us to be apart and if I couldn't have you the way I wanted, at least I could have that."

"Are you saying what I think you're saying?"

"I am saying I'm in love with you too, Steven, and I have absolutely no intention of going anywhere."

"Really?"

"Absolutely."

"Oh, thank God." This time it was Steve who pulled Danny in and the kiss they shared conveyed all the emotions both men had been hiding for too long. Whatever happened with the restaurant really didn't matter now because they both knew that they would always be partners regardless.

End