The Flying Trapeze

Chapter One

Zebraboymom

Disclaimer: They do not belong to me. I get great pleasure from writing about them though!

Author Notes: Hi guys. I keep checking the website every day for a new Steve/Kono story, but they are few and far between, so even though I am in the middle of an SVU story, I couldn't help myself. This is something I came across on the internet and thought would be fun to write a mystery around. The team goes undercover at a Circus Retreat on the Big Island. A couple has disappeared and the FBI is getting nowhere in their investigation. The governor sends in Steve and Kono to pose as a couple at the retreat. Danny and Chin will go undercover as part of the staff. By the way, this retreat really exists. They even have a facebook page. I thought it would be fun to have Steve and Kono on the trapeze. You know, his strong arms catching her and holding her high in the air. Yeahhhhh….on with the story

Steve stared at the governor in surprise.

"You want us to do what?"

"I want the team to go undercover and work with the FBI. I don't know if you are familiar with it or not, but there has been a disappearance at the annual Circus Retreat that takes place on the Big Island. The retreat is a two-week long camp where you can learn the circus arts. A couple that arrived two days ago disappeared from their Jungalow the very next day. Search teams and dogs were brought in but with the rain there was no trail to follow. It's a mystery. The FBI can't find any evidence. They have no leads. I'm getting frustrated. The reputation of this camp is at stake and so I want the four of you to go in and see what you can find out. Steve, you and Kono will join the seven other couples that are left. You will be posing as participants. Danny and Chin will pose as staff. You will be a married couple named Alex and Grace Parks. Chin, you will work as a rigger in the circus tent they call SPACE. That will allow you to get to know the other staff members and see if any of them are worth investigating. Danny you will work in guest services. That will allow you to get inside the various "jungalows" and see if you can find any evidence. Steve and Kono you will try to get to know the other participants and find out if any of them are involved. This couple's families are going crazy. We don't even know at this point if they are alive or dead. The FBI will continue with their investigation. Your contact will be a man named Sam Weston. Find this couple fast, preferably alive. Here's a list of the things you will need for the camp. Be ready to catch a chopper in three hours. Good luck."

"We'll do our best ma'am."

"I know you will Steven. You always do."

After the governor left Steve noticed Kono smiling from ear to ear.

"What are you so happy about?"

"I know we're on a case, but I've always fantasized about being a trapeze artist."

"You little dare devil. I had no idea you had such a vivid fantasy life."

Kono looked at Steve. If he only knew what her fantasies really were.

Steve's eyes lingered just a little too long on Kono's smiling face until he heard a groan. Danny looked upset.

"What's the matter Danno?"

"Why do I get stuck with maid service while you get to be the circus stars. Life is just not fair."

"We all have a part to play man. Kono, we better get started. This list is going to require some shopping and we all need to pack. Let's go people."

Three hours later the four of them were flying over the islands. Kono loved helicopter rides. She asked to sit by the window and Steve watched her with interest a she pointed out various sites. Her face was lit up. He was glad to see her having fun on an assignment for once. They had some tough ones lately and he worried about the young woman he had grown so fond of over the last year. Truth be told, he was more than fond of her, but he couldn't let himself go there. They worked together. It wasn't professional and if they did pursue a relationship it could destroy the team if it didn't work out. For now he needed to keep his feelings under wraps. That was going to be hard given that they were going to have to pretend to be a newly married couple. When the chopper landed there was a jeep waiting for Chin and Danny. A car from the retreat was picking up Steve and Kono out front. They waved to the guys as they walked into the airport. Just before they emerged to look for their driver, Steve stopped and took a set of rings out of his pocket.

"Grace, now to be Mrs. Alex Parks, will you take me Alex as your lawfully wedded husband? To have and to hold from this day forward or at least until this assignment is over, for better or worse…"

"Just give me the stupid ring "Alex"."

He grinned at her and they put their rings on. As they headed out the door Steve took Kono's hand in his and walked to where they saw the car marked with the Circus Retreat logo.

"Mr. and Mrs. Parks?"

"Yes."

"Welcome to the Big Island."

"Thank you."

Steve climbed in and sat right next to Kono, putting his arm around her. She already liked her new status. She could get used to this. The ride to the resort took a while so Kono and Steve enjoyed the scenery and talked about what the retreat might be like.

"Do you think you're really strong enough to catch and hold me up in the air like that?"

Steve gave her his hurt look.

"Are you kidding? You weigh like what, 100 pounds soaking wet? No problem. It does sound fun, doesn't it?"

Kono leaned in close and her warm breath hit his ear as she whispered.

"Yeah, I feel almost guilty that we get to do this for free."

Steve returned the favor and whispered back in her ear sending shivers through her.

"Just remember we are on the job here. We can have fun, but we need to focus. Once we get settled we need to make up a story about what we do, how we met and how we fell in love. People always ask that stuff."

"They do huh?"

"Well, I'm just guessing, but yeah."

"Okay Hubby."

Kono settled back in Steve's embrace and smirked. This was going to be so fun.

When they arrived at the camp a very exuberant desk clerk named Amy met them. As she checked them in, Kono went on and on about how they were so glad a space opened up at the last minute. They thought they were going to have to wait a whole year and this was like a dream come true.

"So what happened that we got to come? Did someone cancel?"

"Oh, no, they didn't tell you?"

Amy leaned forward and whispered conspiratorially.

"A couple checked in and then disappeared the next day."

"You're kidding? What happened?"

"Nobody knows. The FBI has looked everywhere, but no sign of them."

The gossip suddenly remembered her job.

"Don't worry. The camp will go on just as always. Here's a map to your "jungalow". The group restrooms are here and here. Get settled and then dinner will be at 7:00. Tonight you will get to see the trapeze in action and tomorrow you have your first lesson. Welcome Mr. and Mrs. Parks."

"Oh, call us Alex and Grace."

"Very well then Alex. Here is the map."

Steve and Kono followed the map to their "Jungalow". They looked at each other in surprise when they found it was nothing more than a screened in porch with a single bed covered in a mosquito net.

"How quaint."

"Man there is not a lot of room in here. Looks like we are going to have to share the bed Kono. The whole room is the bed. There's a space here for our suitcases and that's it. Talk about no frills."

"It's okay. We will just have to make do. We are married after all."

"Yeah, about that. What's our story?"

The two spent the next hour deciding on their "story". Kono thought some of Steve's ideas were cute. Who knew Steve McGarrett could be so romantic? They finally headed to dinner. Steve reached for her hand and surprised her when he slipped his fingers between hers and gave her hand a squeeze.

"Here goes Mrs. Parks. Are you ready to start acting?"

Kono thought about it for a moment. The way she felt about Steve was no act, so she was fairly confident she could keep up the charade. She was worried though. She couldn't let the lines get blurred. He was her boss after all and they were on the job. Keeping her emotions in check was going to be really hard if he kept holding her hand and looking at her with so much affection. She would have to keep telling herself this is only an act. This is only an act.

"Absolutely, Mr. Parks."

Dinner was really good. Where they had skimped on lodging they made up for it with delicious local dishes. As predicted there were lots of questions, but they were prepared. They sat with two other couples at a round table. One couple, Jim and Susan Stewart, looked to be work out nuts. Kono thought she and Steve were both in pretty good shape and she had seen Steve without his shirt lots of times. He was ripped. He had the most delicious six- pack. Focus Kono. But these guys, the Stewarts, they were solid muscle. She was especially muscled for a woman. Kono liked the fact that Steve didn't even give her a second thought. He only seemed to have eyes for Kono, but that was the act, right? They were practically newlyweds according to their story.

The other couple was slightly older. Tim and Karen Wicks had been married for 10 years and they were looking for something to spice up their marriage, so they had taken to going on vacation to exotic camps and places. They seemed to truly love each other after ten years. That was really nice to see. Kono was drawn to them immediately.

It was kind of fun listening to Steve describe how they supposedly met and fell in love surfing the north shore. Steve told the story that he had dropped in on her wave causing her to go down and she had decked him when they got to shore. He begged her to let him make it up to her by buying her dinner and the rest was history. Kono smiled at the way they had actually met. Granted it was another guy she had decked and there had been no dinner afterwards, just a handshake, but the fact that Steve wanted to use that story told her she had made an impression on him. If things had been different, who knows what might have really transpired that day?

The rest of the dinner conversation turned to the couple that had disappeared. Neither couple seemed to know anything, but Kono made a note to have Danny check the quarters of the Stewarts. They just bothered her…a lot.

Everyone made their way over to SPACE and watched performances of everything the camp had to offer. Steve watched Kono as the trapeze artists went through their routine. She had stars in her eyes. He smiled and slipped his arm around her waist giving her a squeeze.

As they left the performance they were handed a lantern to light the way back to their jungalow. The Wicks had a jungalow close to them, so the two couples headed out together. Steve put his arm around Kono's shoulder and she slipped her arm around his waist. They said good night to Tim and Karen, grabbed their stuff and headed to the bathrooms to get ready for bed. Steve waited for Kono to come out so he could light the way back. She came out in a pair of soft looking shorts and a tank top. Oh, boy. He was sharing a bed with her. His eyes drifted down her legs in the lamplight. It was going to be a long night. When they got back to the jungalow, Kono caught site of Steve in his boxers and tank, she averted her eyes and slipped quickly under the netting and lay down with her back to him. She hardly took up any room at all. Steve climbed in and the bed dipped a little.

"You okay over there?"

"Yeah, you?"

"It's a pretty comfortable bed."

"I know, right?"

Kono rolled over to face Steve.

"What did you think about the two couples?"

Steve thought for a minute.

"I like the Wicks."

"Me too, but the Stewarts…something is off about them."

"Let's tell Danny.."

"…to check their jungalow out."

They said it at the same time. They both laughed really loud.

"Jinx."

Again they said the word at the same time. They laughed even harder. Steve leaned in to Kono a bit and whispered.

"We better be quiet or we'll wake up the Wicks."

"Yeah, sound like that carries."

They both lay there for a moment taking note of the fact that they were in the same bed. Kono never thought she would be sharing a bed with Steve McGarrett. Steve was thinking the same thing about sharing a bed with Kono.

"Well, goodnight Alex."

"Goodnight Grace."

Steve leaned in to whisper again.

"Night Kono."

She smiled at him in the dark.

"Night Steve." She whispered back. She rolled over then and tried to go to sleep.

Steve looked at her back and longed to reach out and pull her to him and slip his arm around her waist. He lay on his back and looked up at the stars. He took a long time to finally close his eyes. That is something that never happened to him. He was a Seal. He could fall asleep anywhere at any time. Of course, as a Seal, he had never had to try to go to sleep with a beautiful and amazing woman lying beside him. Sleep finally claimed him. He had no idea Kono was having the same problem. She finally went to sleep when she heard Steve's breathing soften and level out.

Steve woke up to a warm sensation. A very soft little body was snuggled up to him and hair that smelled of coconut and vanilla was brushing his chin. He was surprised to find Kono snuggled up to him and even more surprising that he had his arm around her holding her to him while her arm was draped across his stomach. Oh, this was not good. This was not good. It felt so good, but it was not good. He was her boss and they were undercover. He tried not to think about her beautiful dimples and her long legs and…Steve tried to shake the thoughts away, but when she began to wake up and he felt her arm tighten around him in a hug and her cheek rub his chest tenderly, he was putty in her hands. He could tell when she came fully awake because her body suddenly stiffened noticeably and her eyes flew up to meet his.

"Morning."

"Uh…sorry Boss…I don't know how…"

"It's okay Kono."

"I didn't…"

"Kono, it's okay, really. I'm the one with my arm around you, so I don't think I was an unwilling participant."

"O…okay."

Steve ran his hand up and down her arm. Kono shivered. So, he was having an effect on her. Duly noted.

"Come on. Let's go to breakfast and see what we can find out."

"Boss I…"

Kono dropped her head and Steve reached two fingers to lift her chin up and look into her eyes. He felt her shiver slightly.

"Kono, stop worrying. It was no big deal. It was nice actually. Don't spoil it by over thinking it."

Steve gave her a big smile. He could see her relax then and her dimples showed up in a happy grin. He lifted his arm allowing her to slide out. Funny how disappointed he felt when she moved away from his body.