Pandora's Music Box

Disclaimer: I do not own H50.
Summary: Steve and Kono go on a stakeout to the drive-in movie theater.
Spoiler: None for this chapter, though you had to have seen Ep. 1:20, Ma Ke Kahakai or 1:22, Ho'ohuli Na'au to know who Uncle Keako is.

A/N: 1) I know I abandoned Pandora's Music Box and I apologize – but I had a good reason since Someone Like You seemed to kidnap my muse 2) Fear not, I am still working on SLY, like I said, one or two more chapters to go. 3) A note about Steve's car, I'm using the 1967 Mercury Marquis - which is the two door sedan featured in the pilot of the original series Hawaii Five-O, driven by Jack Lord - it works better for this story - Thank you Ghostrider for the headsup! I know that OUR Steve actually drives a 1974 Mercury Marquis, but he's not in this story.

Thank you, if you're still reading. I took Qweb's suggestion a while back and started listening to the Chevrolet Anniversary station on Pandora Radio and this is one of the results.

Chapter 4 – Night Moves (Bob Seger)

# # #

Five-0 Headquarters
Honolulu

"You mean we're taking your dad's car out on a stakeout?" Danny asked as he quickly followed Steve out of the office doors.

"Yes," Steve answered as he bounded down the stairs.

"For a movie?" Danny asked.

Steve stopped and eyed Danny with irritation. "Yes, yeah," he answered as he took off down the stairs again.

"At the Kamehameha Drive-in?" Danny asked.

"Yeah."

"Yeah?" Danny asked back in a tone that caused Steve to stop and turn to face him after reaching the bottom step in the lobby. "Well I got news for you," the shorter detective said, pointing at his partner. "You're taking Kono, because the two of us? People would get the wrong impression -"

"Danny -" Steve said, attempting to interrupt him.

"I know there's nothing wrong with that, but I'm just saying, is all -" continued Danny, oblivious to Steve's attempt.

"Danny – Danny!" Steve exclaimed, smirking as he finally got Danny's attention. "You weren't even on my radar, babe," he said with a grin.

Danny looked affronted. "Oh, cute. That's cute – wait, are you saying I'm not good enough, now?"

# # #

Kamehameha Drive-In
Pearl City, Oahu

"So, can I ask you something?" Kono asked as they pulled up next to the booth so that Steve could pay their fare into the drive-in.

"Sure," Steve said as he turned the car into the parking lot.

Kono grinned. "Why didn't you bring Danny?"

Steve's head swiveled in her direction and he smirked. "Oh, real funny," he said, chuckling. "Well, Kono, he's uh – he's not really my type."

Kono nodded. "So, I guess I should feel flattered that I am?" she asked, quirking a brow.

Steve couldn't help but continue to chuckle. "Oh trust me, you're a much better and prettier alternative," he said, shaking his head.

Moments later, after parking, Steve went to go and get popcorn from the concession stand. When he returned, he asked, "you see anything, Kono?"

"A couple cars down on the right. Those group of kids, don't quite look like 'kids'. They look a little iffy, they could be behind the robberies and assaults. How about you?" she asked back.

"Yeah, two rows down towards the concession stand. A double date that seems a little off," he reported. "I'll text Chin and Danny to run some intel."

Kono nodded and looked towards the screen and smiled at the cartoon playing of concession items dancing and singing, 'lets all go to the lobby'. "What are we watching again?" she asked.

Steve moved around towards the driver's side and opened the door. "Footloose," he answered as he bowed down slightly to hand Kono the popcorn and sodas. He then flipped his seat forward to get into the back seat of the Ford and shut the door. But when he turned back to Kono, he found her eyeing him from the front seat.

"What?" he asked.

She arched a brow.

He shrugged and lifted his hands, looking as innocent as possible. "We're at a drive-in movie theater," he reasoned, with a straight face.

Kono smirked and handed him back the food and drinks. "Right and since we're in a '67 Ford, we should act the part?" she asked as she too got out of the car and mimicked his earlier motions to sit in the back seat with him.

"Might as well, right?" Steve said, grinning.

Kono shook her head and grabbed some popcorn from the bucket. "Pretty smooth, Boss," Kono said with a grin of her own.

"It's 'Steve'. Besides, what kind of a date would this be if I insisted you called me 'Boss' the whole time?" Steve questioned with a quirk of a brow.

Kono laughed then and shook her head. "The kind that shouldn't be happening, because last I checked, dating your boss is frowned upon," she retorted.

"Gees Kono, I thought Danny was the one who was stickler for procedure and protocol," Steve said, teasing and yet seeming a little disappointed.

Kono did a double take of the flash of dejection she saw in his eyes, thinking to herself that she must be hallucinating. "And what about you?" she asked. "You're a Navy SEAL of all things, you would think you of all people – Steven J. McGarrett, would be the worst 'stickler for protocol'," Kono responded.

"Well it's a little difficult when the woman you're working with is kind of hot," Steve said, completely unashamed of his blatant compliment. He grinned again and watched as Kono blushed profusely and then fish-mouthed before reaching out and punching him playfully in the arm.

She cleared her throat and then they both jumped as the speakers blared to life with the movie intro music and then died into static.

"What the hell?" Steve asked as he leaned forward and punched the random buttons on the Marquis' radio. "Fixing the stereo was obviously the last thing on the 'to-fix' list on this car," he said, chagrined.

Kono shook her head and giggled. "I guess it doesn't matter? I mean, I know what the story's about, it can't too different from the original. Maybe we just put it on a random station, unless you really want to listen to this movie?"

He shook his head. "Like you said, I guess we're here to work," he said smirking. "I'll leave it on this rock station then," Steve said as he settled back to eat more popcorn.

Bob Seger's Night Moves started to play and as he looked over at Kono he noticed her expression change.

"What's up?" he asked.

Kono shook her head and smiled. "This car, being in the back seat and this song, it just reminds me of when I was younger," she said.

…I was a little too tall, could've used a few pounds, tight pants points hardly renown. She was a black haired beauty with big dark eyes. And points all her own sitting way up high, way up firm and high...

Steve arched a brow. "You aren't that old," he reminded her.

She smirked. "I know, it just brings back memories of when I was a teenager, still trying figure things out."

"About?" Steve asked.

Kono blushed again. "Stuff," she shrugged. "Me, finally feeling like I was growing up and what I wanted and you know – guys."

Steve nodded and chuckled in understanding. "Continue."

...Out past the cornfields where the woods got heavy, out in the back seat of my '60 Chevy. Workin' on mysteries without any clues, workin' on our night moves. Tryin' to make some front page drive-in news, workin' on our night moves, in the summertime. In the sweet summertime...

She rolled her eyes and sighed. Obviously debating with herself, she only took a second before giving in. "There was this guy," Kono began, giving him a sidelong glance. "He was a couple years older. He loved old school rock music, just like this. He was just about to head out on the pro-surf circuit. One moonlit night, he borrowed his dad's '68 Chevy Nova and we strapped our boards to the roof of this thing and drove out to North Shore. I remember I was grounded but I did it anyway, because there was just something about this guy," she said.

"You were in love?" Steve asked.

Kono snorted. "No – but, he wanted me – the skinny, delinquent surfer chick. He was just, I don't know – hot, you know what I mean?" she said laughing softly and shaking her head.

Steve gulped. "Yeah," he said as he watched her.

...We weren't in love, oh no, far from it. We weren't searchin' for some pie in the sky summit. We were just young and restless and bored, livin' by the sword. And we'd steal away every chance we could, to the backroom, to the alley or the trusty woods. I used her, she used me. But neither one cared, we were gettin' our share. Workin' on our night moves, tryin' to lose the awkward teenage blues. Workin' on our night moves and it was summertime...

"Anyway, we paddled out on our boards, but the water was too still to do any real surfing, so we just headed back to the beach. We made out on the sand and I remember it feeling – incredible. We'd fooled around a bit before, but it felt different that night," she said continuing her story.

"Maybe because I knew he was leaving. But, I guess that made us feel more free in someways. Whatever it was, there was a sudden, freak rain shower and we ended up in the back seat of that Nova. Our boards lay abandoned in the sand and we couldn't care less," Kono said chuckling.

...And oh the wonder, we felt the lightning. And we waited on the thunder, waited on the thunder...

Steve continued to watch her as she shook her head again, trying hard to push away the memories that were clearly having quite the effect on her. He swore he saw her blush for the third time that night.

"What happened?" Steve asked.

"Hmm?" Kono asked back, clearly lost in deep thought. "Oh, I saw him a few years later, baby mama in tow, but he was still on the surfing circuit."

"No, that's not what I meant," Steve said, gazing at her intently.

Kono looked back at him and cleared her throat. "Uhm, we never saw the cop car approach, because the uh – windows were so fogged up. But, Uncle Keako busted us. I guess my parents called him once they found out that I had snuck out," she explained sheepishly.

Steve laughed then. "Cop in the family," he said with an understanding look.

...I awoke last night to the sound of thunder, how far off I sat and wondered. Started humming a song from 1962. Ain't it funny how the night moves? When you just don't seem to have as much to lose.
Strange how the night moves, with autumn closing in...

Kono pointed an index finger at him and laughed too. "Cop in the family," she reiterated. They looked at each other and grinned again and reached for the popcorn bucket simultaneously. When their hands brushed against each other, both were surprised by the sudden electricity between them.

But then, the sudden tapping on the window by Danny broke the moment. "Look at you kids, huh?" Danny asked obnoxiously.

"Hey," Steve said as he made a move to open the door. "You got something?"

"Yeah," Danny replied. "Two cars down on the right, those are our guys," he said moving off with a nod to Chin who had just joined them.

Steve and Kono got out of the Marquis, slammed the car doors shut and looked across to each other over the top of the car. She winked and he couldn't help but smile again. "Alright, let's go," he said as they moved out to join the other two members of Five-0.

End.

# # #

A/N: I know that there are very few drive-in theaters left. In fact in Hawaii, I believe there are none that are still showing movies and that most have either been or will be torn down to make way for apartments, like the one featured here, Kamehameha Drive-In. The other locations in Hawaii are now used for swap meets. It's even sadder to realize that some of you dear readers, have never or will never, be able to experience such a nostalgic treat.

Night Moves
- Bob Seger

I was a little too tall
Could've used a few pounds
Tight pants points hardly renown
She was a black-haired beauty with big dark eyes
And points all her own sitting way up high
Way up firm and high

Out past the cornfields where the woods got heavy
Out in the back seat of my '60 Chevy
Workin' on mysteries without any clues
Workin' on our night moves
Tryin' to make some front page drive-in news
Workin' on our night moves
In the summertime
In the sweet summertime

We weren't in love, oh no, far from it
We weren't searchin' for some pie in the sky summit
We were just young and restless and bored
Livin' by the sword
And we'd steal away every chance we could
To the backroom, to the alley or the trusty woods
I used her, she used me
But neither one cared
We were gettin' our share
Workin' on our night moves
Tryin' to lose the awkward teenage blues
Workin' on our night moves
And it was summertime

And oh the wonder
We felt the lightning
And we waited on the thunder
Waited on the thunder

I awoke last night to the sound of thunder
How far off I sat and wondered
Started humming a song from 1962
Ain't it funny how the night moves
When you just don't seem to have as much to lose
Strange how the night moves
With autumn closing in