Notes: Thank you to everyone for your incredible response to the REAL World. We're four months in and I continue to be overwhelmed by your comments and support every day.
Esther – thanks, as always, for your excellent feedback. Hope you enjoy the first appearance of your namesake :-)
Mari and Sammy – rock on, ladies. I am grateful every single day for the privilege of knowing you both. Thank you for everything. Always!
Evening Out (A McRoll in the REAL World Story)
"Are you sure you exhausted all possible options to get us out of this?" Catherine asked as she came out of the bathroom rubbing her freshly perfumed wrists together. She moved to her bedside table and picked up her phone, sliding it into the black clutch purse that rested there.
"And then some," Steve answered as he straightened the cuffs of his tux and moved toward her. "Short of catching a case, we're stuck."
He stepped behind her and wordlessly gathered her hair to one side so he could zip up her black dress.
"Thank you," she said and turned to face him. "Well, I'm not about to go hoping for a murder or something, so it's a good thing you clean up well, Commander."
"Thank you, Lieutenant. You, on the other hand . . ." he said, taking her hands in his and holding her at arms-length. Looking her up and down, he took a deep breath and shook his head as he exhaled. "Amazing."
She tilted her head and smiled. "Thank you." She raised her eyebrows. "Ready?"
He squeezed her hands once as he leaned forward to kiss her briefly, and then turned to let her walk ahead of him. "After you."
She picked up her purse and moved past him. As he followed her down the stairs, she said, "I hate feeling like we're just there on display. I mean, it's not as if we're going to be big-time donors to his campaign. We certainly didn't pay for our tickets to this event."
"Yeah, we're just there to remind those big-time donors of Denning's 'tough stance on crime,' " Steve agreed.
"Well, at least everyone else will be there, too." She glanced back over her shoulder at him. "Or did you manage to get them out of it and just not us?"
"Nope, they'll be there. Misery loves company."
She smiled at him as they reached the bottom of the stairs.
A young woman was sitting on the couch with Cammie at her feet. When she saw them, she stood, and Cammie did as well.
"Whoa" she said. "You two look amazing!"
"Thank you, Esther," Catherine said with a smile. "And thanks again for coming. I know it was kind of short notice."
"For you two and for this pretty girl," Esther said, bending to rub Cammie's ears and kiss her nose. "Anytime."
"We appreciate that," Steve said. "I picked you up some dinner from Kamekona's. It's on the sideboard there," he said with a nod toward the dining room.
"Thanks! I love his food," she said with a smile.
"I've heard that," he said with a glance at Catherine.
"But you didn't have to do that, Commander," Esther continued.
"Well, like Catherine said, we appreciate you coming over on short notice." He smiled. "Plus we still don't have a working kitchen."
"I'm so excited to see it when it's finished," Esther said and folded her hands together in anticipation.
"Us, too," Catherine said with a chuckle. "So what are you going to do tonight?"
Esther motioned to her laptop on the coffee table. "I'm going to get some writing done after Cammie and I play outside."
Cammie's tail started wagging at the last words.
"How's the book coming?" Catherine asked.
"I've had a major breakthrough recently," Esther said and rubbed her hands together again. "The villain's so much better. Evil, dark, but complicated." She rolled her eyes slightly with a wide smile. "Of course that means I have to change about half of what I've already written and switch several scenes around, but I think the story will be a lot tighter now."
"I can't wait to read it," Catherine said genuinely. "Any chance I might get a sneak-peek?"
Esther grinned at her and said, "I think that could probably be arranged."
"Well, we should get going," Steve said, the reluctance clear in his voice. He looked at Esther. "Give us a call if you need anything. Really. Anything goes wrong, don't hesitate to call. We can be back here in ten minutes."
Catherine chuckled and rubbed his arm. "Let's go, sailor."
Sighing, Steve opened the front door.
"Bye, Cammie," Catherine said. "Be a good girl." She looked up at Esther. "We shouldn't be too late."
"Don't worry about us," Esther said. "Stay as long as you like and enjoy your evening out."
"That is unlikely," Steve muttered.
Catherine smirked up at him, and he placed his hand on her lower back as they walked out the front door.
Steve and Catherine entered the Coral Ballroom at the Hilton Hawaiian Village and were met by Governor Denning and his wife, who were greeting their guests.
"Commander, Lieutenant," the governor said, shaking both of their hands. "I'm so glad you could come tonight."
"Didn't really sound optional, sir," Steve said, though he smiled as he spoke.
Denning laughed and motioned to his wife beside him. "You remember my wife, Angela."
"Of course. Nice to see you again, ma'am," Steve said as he shook her hand.
"You, too, Commander," she said with a welcoming smile and turned to Catherine. "Lieutenant, welcome."
"Thank you for the invitation, Mrs. Denning," Catherine said, shaking her hand.
"I hope you enjoy the evening," Angela said.
Steve and Catherine exchanged a quick look of amusement before both nodded their thanks and moved further into the room so the governor and his wife could speak with the people behind them.
They surveyed the full room and Steve chuckled, nodding toward a figure standing against the wall. "There's a familiar face," he said.
They made their way over to where Grover was tugging uncomfortably on his cuffs.
"Don't you say a word, McGarrett," he said as they approached.
Steve held up his hands defensively. "You look nice, Lou," he said with a wide smile. "Didn't peg you for a wallflower, though."
Grover shook his head at him with an annoyed expression before turning to Catherine.
"Very nice to see you, Catherine. And those earrings look familiar." He smiled. "Samantha will be thrilled when I tell her you wore her birthday gift tonight."
"Your daughter has excellent taste," Catherine said sincerely. "And they matched my necklace perfectly."
Steve smiled at her and moved his hand to rest lightly on her lower back.
Danny's voice caused them to look in his direction as he strolled up and said, "So here's where all the cool kids are."
"Hey, Danny," Catherine said, smiling at him. "You look great."
"Thank you. Speaking of . . . hang on," he said, reaching into his pocket. "Grace made me promise."
He took out his phone and motioned for Steve and Catherine to turn and face him. Steve kept his arm on Catherine's back as Danny snapped a picture.
Looking at the image, Danny sighed. "Would you stop with the face?" he said to Steve.
"What face?" Steve asked, incredulous.
"Just . . . would you smile like a normal person for once?"
"I was smiling," Steve insisted.
Catherine chuckled, shaking her head in amusement at their bickering.
"A nice smile," Danny said. "Come on, it's for Grace."
"I was–" Steve groaned and rolled his eyes. He slid his arm up to Catherine's shoulder and they both smiled at Danny.
He took another picture and then nodded. "Got it. Thank you. Was that really so difficult?"
"I was smiling the first time," Steve repeated.
"Hey, the gang's all here," Kono said as she and Chin joined the group.
Catherine and Grover turned to greet them while Steve leaned toward Danny, his hand sliding down Catherine's back.
"Send me that," he said quietly, nodding toward Danny's phone.
Danny returned the nod with a knowing smile as Steve turned toward the rest of the group.
"So we're all here," Grover said, looking around. "Now how long do we actually have to stay?"
"We should probably mingle a little," Chin said. "You gotta figure that's why we're here."
Steve nodded his reluctant agreement.
"Well, I, for one, am going to mingle in the direction of that open bar," Danny said and pointed across the room.
"Right behind you," Grover said and pushed himself off the wall to fall in step beside Danny.
"Care to join me for a circuit around the room, cuz?" Kono asked.
"If we must," Chin said with a good-natured smile.
"See you later," Kono said and smiled at Steve and Catherine as the cousins walked away.
"Well?" Catherine said, looking at Steve.
"Lead on, Lieutenant," he said.
They hadn't walked far when they were stopped by Prosecuting Attorney Frank Kaewa.
"I'm glad I ran into you two," Frank said. "Catherine, I wanted to say again how very sorry I am about Brandon Ward. If I had had any idea that he was the kind of man who would–"
Catherine put a hand on his arm to stop him and said, "I know that. You couldn't possibly have known. I'm quite certain this wasn't the first place he's been guilty of harassment, but since it wasn't ever reported, he was able to continue working."
Steve had stiffened at the mention of Ward but his posture relaxed when he felt Catherine's fingers brush against his.
"Well," Frank continued. "I'm very glad that both you and Gloria reported his actions."
"How is Gloria doing?" Steve asked.
"She's doing very well," Frank said. He looked at Catherine. "I heard you two had lunch last month."
"We did," she said and smiled. "We've actually got plans to meet again next week."
"She's an outstanding paralegal," Frank said. "I'm grateful she hasn't let what happened prevent her from continuing to work in my office."
Catherine and Steve both nodded.
"Well, I should let you two go," Frank said.
Catherine gave him a meaningful look and said, "Thank you for acting so swiftly to terminate Ward and for all your help with the formal complaints I've filed against him. I appreciate your support."
"Absolutely," he said. "Please, don't hesitate to contact me if you need anything else." He shook her hand. "Catherine." He turned to Steve and shook his hand. "Steve."
"Thank you, Frank," Steve said with a nod. He watched the older man walk away and then said, "That's a good man, there."
"Yes, he is," Catherine agreed.
Steve turned to her and smiled. "Well, Rollins, you want a drink?"
"You read my mind, sailor."
He offered his arm and she rolled her eyes slightly but took it with a smile.
They joined the line at the bar to place their drink orders and couldn't help but overhear the conversation of two women standing with their backs to them.
"Commander McGarrett's looking particularly delicious tonight," the first woman said. "He should wear a tux more often."
Catherine smirked at Steve who rolled his eyes in response.
"Mmm, I know," the second woman agreed. "But who was that woman he was with?"
Steve took his turn smirking at Catherine.
"Have you been living under a rock?" the first woman asked. "That's Catherine Rollins."
"You say that like I'm supposed to know who that is."
"You should. There was this huge manhunt a few weeks ago. Something about drugs and murder."
Catherine noticed Steve tense beside her. She put a hand on his arm and shook her head.
"Apparently some federal agent was trying to frame her," the first woman continued.
"I've been in Europe all summer. Besides, you know I don't follow the local news," the second woman added, the disdain clear in her voice.
"Well, she's the Commander's girlfriend and they cleared her name comple–"
"Girlfriend?" The woman clucked her tongue in disappointment. "Of course he's taken. Why am I surprised?" She sighed. "Well, that's a shame. She had a gorgeous dress, though."
"She's also on the task force with him."
The second woman's tone was catty when she said, "Huh. Wonder how she got that job."
Catherine again put her hand on Steve's arm to stop him from turning. "Steve, leave it," she said under her breath.
"Catherine, I'm not just gonna let–"
Before he could say more, another voice joined the women's conversation.
"Catherine Rollins 'got that job' because she is exceptionally qualified and possesses skills you can't even begin to understand," Governor Denning said.
Both Steve and Catherine turned to look at him over the two women's heads.
"Governor, I . . ." the first woman started, her tone embarrassed.
His smile was clearly false as he said, "I'm sorry, I know it's rude to eavesdrop, but I couldn't help overhearing your conversation and I wanted to set the record straight." His face grew serious when he continued, "Lieutenant Rollins served with distinction in the United States Navy and we are very fortunate that she has chosen to bring her considerable talents to the Five-0 taskforce. I approved her appointment by Commander McGarrett myself last year. I'm sure you didn't mean to call my judgment into question as well as his when you implied that Lieutenant Rollins is only on the taskforce because of a personal relationship. I can assure you nothing could be further from the truth and I encourage you to know your facts before you make assumptions about one of our finest law enforcement officers."
"I . . . I'm sorry, I really wasn't . . ." the first woman began before being pulled away by her indignant companion.
Governor Denning noticed Catherine and Steve and stepped toward them.
"Lieutenant, I'm very sorry about that," he said.
Catherine shook her head and said, "Not your fault, Governor. You're not responsible for every small-minded person on the island, even at your fundraiser. I hope she isn't too big a donor."
"She is. Or rather, her husband is." He shrugged. "My campaign manager won't be pleased, but I felt it was worth the risk of potentially alienating her to correct her . . . assumptions."
"Well, it wasn't necessary, but I appreciate your defense," Catherine said.
"I meant every word." He glanced at Steve. "Every member of Five-0 has earned their place a hundred times over," he said and looked back at Catherine. "And you're no exception."
"I'm glad you think so, sir," she said.
"Commander, my apologies to you as well."
Steve nodded once in acknowledgement but didn't speak.
"Please, enjoy the rest of your evening," the governor said. "I haven't seen you out on the dance floor yet." He motioned to the area in front of the band where several couples were dancing.
"Oh, we don't usually–" Catherine began.
"That's a good idea," Steve said suddenly. "Let's dance."
He held out a hand to her. She raised her eyebrows in surprise, then noted the tension in his jaw and the set of his shoulders. She slipped her hand into his and kept her eyes on his face even as he turned his attention back to the governor.
Steve nodded once more and said, "Governor," before leading Catherine to the dance floor.
He pulled her into his arms and they danced silently for a minute but his posture was still rigid and his gaze was focused over her shoulder.
"Steve . . ." she started.
"It's insulting, Catherine," he said tightly, still not looking at her. "To both of us."
"It is," she agreed. "But since when have you cared what other people think?"
He stopped dancing though he kept hold of her waist and hand. He looked at her and said, "I care what people think about you. I always have. And I care about what you think. I don't ever want you to think even for a second that I–"
"Don't even say it," she interrupted. She brought their joined hands down to their sides. "Steve, I know you better than to ever think that you would just hand me a job I wasn't qualified for or that you would bring me onto the team if you didn't think I'd be an asset."
"Good."
"And I think you know me well enough to know I'd never have accepted the job or stayed in it if I thought otherwise."
He nodded and said, "I do."
"I've never asked you to fight my battles."
"I know that," he said. "You don't need me to."
She gave him a small smile and the hand that was on his shoulder from their dance slid to his neck.
"But I do appreciate that you would," she said.
He returned her smile with a small one of his own.
She shook her head and said, "It doesn't matter. What people like that say." She shrugged dismissively. "I don't care. Because anyone who knows us, knows it's not true."
He nodded. She had felt him relaxing during their conversation and smiled as the last of the tension seemed to leave his body.
He pulled her closer as they resumed dancing and spoke into her ear. "Can our evening out be done?"
She smiled and asked, "Enough black tie for you, sailor?"
"That was true before we stepped foot in the room." He pulled back enough to look at her. "I'd rather just have an evening in with you." He gave her a half smile and said, "But any evening with you is a good one in my book. In or out."
She smiled and squeezed his hand. "Let's get out of here," she said and took a step back, letting her hand fall from his shoulder.
They walked off the dance floor with their hands still joined.
"Should we find everyone else?" she asked.
He smiled at her and said, "Nah. They'll be fine for the rest of the night without us. Let's go home."
He kept hold of her hand as they made their way through the crowd with identically contented smiles on their faces.
Hope you enjoyed!
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