Small Comfort - Chapter One

Hello, this is my second story for this site. Still not sure what I'm doing. I would very, very much appreciate any reviews you would care to post. I don't usually write fiction, so I'm still trying to work it out. I'm not necessarily a 'cat person' but I think that the interaction between the macho characters and the kitten might be fun. This will be a more traditional adventure story in later chapters. Let me know what you think. And could someone pleease tell me how to edit an existing story without making it a new posting? Thanks ever so.

Disclaimer: I own nothing!

The small, grey kitten stood its ground with back arched and tail standing out from its body like a bottle brush. It growled menacingly at the two men it faced on the concrete walkway.

"Friggin' cat!" said Danny Williams backing up carefully as a comically fierce snarl speeded his retreat.

"Danny, chill, it's just a kitten." laughed Steve McGarrett as he watched his partner carefully back farther down the walkway.

"Yeah, a kitten that could tear your throat out like a wolverine."

"Seriously, what do you know about wolverines?" snorted McGarrett as he also carefully backed away from the furiously snarling creature.

"Hey, I watch Animal Planet, not 'America's Funniest Home Invasions' like someone I know."

"Oh, I thought maybe you were referring to that Aussie guy from the X-Men movies."

Danny just shot him a look as the growling feline slowly advanced toward them.

"Cujo isn't backing down McGarrett"

"Cujo was a dog"

"Yeah, whatever, Circus Boy, I left my whip and chair in the car and its not letting us by."

McGarrett just snorted dismissively at his overly cautious partner and rolled up the sheaf of papers he carried in his hand to shoo the bristling, hissing little creature out of their path.

Suddenly, with an unearthly yowl, the tiny terror charged toward him.

"Holy shit!" yelped the commander of 5-0 as he jumped backward, lost his balance and windmilled into a large hibiscus bush at the edge of the concrete.

His partner doubled over in laughter as the tall man he'd dubbed 'Super Seal' struggled his way out of the foliage while keeping a worried eye on the fierce but pint sized cat that growled menacingly a foot away.

"Shut up, Danny!" he said with embarrassment to the man still doubled over in hysteria and gasping for breath several feet away.

"Oh, man, I wish I'd had my phone out. This is a Youtube moment if ever there was."

"You get your phone out and I'll shove it up your ass!" said his partner who's tanned face looked suspiciously reddened at the moment.

"Just a kitten, huh, McGarrett. Well, that cute, little, kitty almost had 'Seal tartar' for lunch."

"Yeah, well it's just frightened. How would you like to face a world where everyone is about a hundred times bigger than you are? Oh, I forget . . . you already do."

"Oh, funny . . . and so catty?" With that the blonde, bantam rooster of man struggled mightily to keep from bursting into laughter once again.

"Hey, where'd it go?" said the taller man looking around in near panic as the cat was nowhere evident.

"There's Cujo, over there by the corner of the building."

The animal sat on a patch of grass a few feet away and stared at them suspiciously with evil yellow eyes. Well, at least, Danny thought they were evil.

Both men gave it wide berth as they edged their way toward the entrance to the 5-0 office and actually let out relieved sighs as the heavy glass door closed behind them.

They glanced at each other in embarassed relief before Danny declared "Hey, Super Seal, you're wounded."

"What?"

"Your arm, it's bleeding."

Steve looked over his shoulder at the back of his arm where Danny had gestured and saw a small gash that had leaked a thin line of blood toward his elbow.

"So, Cujo drew blood. Maybe he's rabid."

"Cat didn't bite me, that's from falling into that fucking hibiscus."

The mental image of his tall, muscular partner being bested by 'Hello Kitty' once again flashed in front of Danny's eyes and he couldn't help but laugh again - though not hysterically.

"What's so funny, Danny?" asked Chin curiously as he walked up to the two men standing in the middle of the large outer office. He carried a cup of coffee in one hand and a file folder in the other as he stopped beside them and raised the cup to his lips.

"Super Seal just got his ass kicked by a four once hairball."

"Did not."

"What?" asked the sinewy, Hawaiian, detective as he looked over the top of his cup and his eyebrows rose quizzically.

"There's a kitten on the front walk that decided to re-enact the Little Big Horn and, Custer here, nearly died with his boots on."

Chin looked at 5-0's commander who's complexion was reddening by the second and said, "Yeah, Boss, you shoulda just shot it. Kitties can be lethal when cornered."

McGarrett opened his mouth to reply when Danny exclaimed, "Look, he's even wounded" pointing to the small cut on the back of his partner's arm that had long since stopped bleeding.

"Gonna need stitches on that one. It's a wonder you made it in the door alive." deadpanned Chin

If looks could kill, both detectives would be six-feet under as their commander fixed them with a menacing glare as he stood silently with arms crossed over his chest.

"You shoulda seen the battle, it was epic!" said Williams, who's expressive gestures described the disparity in height between the two combatants. His descriptions of events were always illustrated by energetic hand movements and flailing arms. McGarrett always thought that if he were to tie his partner's hands and then ask him a question that required more than a one word answer, Danny would probably just vaporize himself in frustration.

"It's a wonder you saw anything Danno, considering you were almost standing on the other side of the island when it charged."

"It charged you?" asked Kono, her eyes wide but her face trying not to betray her as she fought to keep it under control. She'd been leaning unnoticed on the doorframe to Danny's office; watching 5-0's finest with mounting amusement.

Danny didn't add to the conversation as he was, once again, laughing too hard to verbalize anything further.

"I'll be in my office." said McGarrett stonily and walked off shaking his head in disgust.

They watched him walk stiffly toward his office and then the three disolved into laughter as he closed his door and glared at them through the clear, glass, enclosure.

"I think we hurt Super Seal's feelings", said Chin.

"Nah, Steve doesn't have feelings, at least not ones that don't involve shooting at something that annoys him."

"He really does look kinda pissed, Danny." said Kono as she tried not to look in the Commander's direction.

"He'll get over it. He hasn't had a chance to shoot something yet."

"So, where is this vicious panther?" asked Kono

"Somewhere out in front.", said Williams who'd finally calmed down enough to hold a conversation. "Be careful when you go out there, it's probably waiting to take you down like a gazelle."

The slender, dark haired, girl just laughed and said lightly, "I'll keep that in mind, Danny" but, both she and her cousin, kept cautious eyes on the foliage lining the front walkway when they left together for lunch later that day.

The rest of the day was relatively uneventful. The drug dealers they'd been trying to apprehend for the past week were finally found in a sugar warehouse they'd been using as a cover and had surrendered without a fight.

Danny sighed and ran a hand through his blond locks as he packed up for the day and prepared to go home to a frozen pizza, Monday Night Football and, of course, beer. He didn't have Gracie until this weekend so he was flying solo tonight.

"Hey", he stopped at the open door to McGarrett's office leaning in to see the dark-haired man actually engrossed in paperwork. "You wanna come over for beer and pizza tonight? There's a good game on."

"No, thanks anyway, Danny. I've got to finish this paperwork and file it by tomorrow so that we can get those new and improved vests you've been bugging me about. Every friggin' form's got to be done in triplicate and there are what seem like hundreds of them. I have to get 'em done before I leave tonight."

"Well, two things in one day I thought I'd never see in my lifetime." said the blonde man with a serious expression.

"What's that?", McGarrett raised his eyebrows with a questioning look

"Super Seal gettin' his ass handed to him by a kitten the size of a thumbnail and then staying late to actually do paperwork. I can die a happy man now."

"Well, keep it up and we can make that sooner rather than later."

"Yeah, you and what feline army?"

With that, the compact detective turned and walked toward the door, the sound of his laughter growing fainter as he strode across the large outer office and out the front.

McGarrett sighed and stared at the seeming mountain of forms before him. Apparently 'full immunity and means' promised by the Governor didn't dismiss the miles of red-tape required when one wanted to upgrade equipment any other police department on the planet would probably be happy to have. He'd already conned Danny into filling out the activity reports for the month and, much as he abhorred desk work, couldn't see foisting this latest project on his 2IC. Anyway, he just didn't have the energy to listen to the little guy rant. Normally it could be entertaining but, right now, he couldn't fully appreciate the colorful language and flailing hands which were all part of the 'Danny Williams Show'. The past week had been hectic and though he wouldn't admit it, he was dog tired.

It was nearly midnight when the last 'i' was dotted and the last 't' crossed. He yawned and stretched tiredly, thinking that he might just stay the rest of the night on the couch in the corner of his office. Home was only a few minutes away and after debating for another moment or two, he decided that sleeping in his own bed was preferable to the stylish but uncomfortable sofa.

He yawned once again and turned off his desk lamp, picked up his keys and walked toward the exit, shutting off the overhead lights on his way toward the front door.

Suddenly, he paused in mid-step. He'd heard a faint noise coming from the other side of the room, somewhere near the main flat screen in the conference room. It was a stealthy sort of sound, like someone moving about carefully in the darkness trying to avoid detection. No one else would have heard it but his training and natural vigilance had given him an extra sense that had kept him alive in situations which could have ended in a long, dirt nap.

He un-holstered his gun and took the safety off. Crouching low with his finger on the trigger of the SIG and his arms extended in the classic shooter's stance he advanced toward the corner of the room. There was a slight scuffing sound behind him and he whirled quickly his pulse quickenning as adrenaline began to course through his body.

"Make yourself known or get yourself shot!" he announced loudly his body humming with tension.

"On the count of three! If I get to three, your'e dead! One!", he began his count and stepped silently and quickly to his left. "Two!", another step in the opposite direction, "Thr . . . "

"Meow"

TBC - but only if you want me to