Thank you #REALMcRollers, readers and guests for the incredibly flattering and heartfelt support. We love you all.

Sammy & Ilna, I'm thankful beyond words for your friendship, your talent, your never ending support and the copious amounts of fun! Much love, Xo Mari

Welcome to the REAL World THANKSGIVING MARATHON! I'm honored to present day one of ten: Here They Come

Here They Come

McGarrett/Rollins residence
Friday November 21st - 10:30 a.m.

"So, my parents here in our room," Catherine looked at Steve to confirm one last time, even though it had been his suggestion, "You're okay with this, right?"

"Of course." He glanced up at her while pulling on a pair of jeans. "It was my idea, Cath, why wouldn't I be okay with it?"

"Just," She shook her head with a smile, "Thank you. I really wanted them to stay here with us, but I can't put my mom and dad on a blow up bed for ten days and Mary needs her old room for her and Joan, and of course Grandma Ang has to have a room so …"

Steve closed the distance between them and placed his hands on her hips, his thumbs slipping through the belt loops of her jeans. "You're rambling, Rollins." His smile was contagious as he pulled her close. Catherine never rambled.

She smacked him playfully on the shoulder. "I'm excited. I can't wait to have everyone here." Her eyes were sparking with delight.

"Not complaining." His look was mischievous. "I like you ... excited."

She laughed. "Yeah, well, we're gonna be on the den floor for ten days, remember, so we gotta keep it down to a dull roar …"

He caught her in his arms. "The den has doors. That lock." He bent to kiss her. "Which is exactly why we're not going to be on the sofa. Besides, after your sound check ..." He whispered against her lips.

Catherine got lost in the kiss for a minute before saying, "Hmmm, we need to set up the spare rooms … that's uh … Steve?" She fought to keep her focus as he kissed along her collarbone. "That's why we took the day off … to set up ... the … rooms … and …" When he kissed a path back to her mouth, she couldn't help but run her tongue along his bottom lip.

A familiar growl rumbled in Steve's throat as he raised his eyes to hers, "They're not arriving until tonight," They were slowly drifting towards their bed, "Last chance in our own bed till after Thanksgiving." He said before he deepened the kiss. "Last chance to not keep it to a dull roar..."

When they broke apart panting, Catherine looked into Steve's eyes; they were darkening but his expression was playful. "Welllll, that is practical," She shrugged, "since we've gotta change the sheets anyway…" She dropped her hands to his belt buckle.

"It's good to be ..." Steve's breath hitched. "Practical …" He lowered them to the bed, and the discussion was over.

11:30 a.m.

"Okay, here, let's put it right next to the bed. Can you move the night table?" Steve opened the toddler bed and set it up while Catherine shoved the table out of the way.

"Think that's okay?" He regarded the little bed.

"Yeah. If Mary wants it set up differently, we'll move it when they get here. I'm sure Joan will need to sleep pretty soon after they arrive." Catherine handed him a Nordstrom's bag. "Rachel sent sheets, too."

"That was … nice." Steve held the tiny sheets adorned with blue teddy bears. "These are uh, boy's sheets. Should we go get something, I don't know, pink?" He looked perplexed and Catherine fought back a smile.

"I don't think Joan will care. There're two more sets," she indicated another bag on the dresser, "yellow and green." She grinned. "When Grace said she'd asked her mom if she could bring Charles' toddler bed here, I didn't realize she was on the way over with it." Catherine shook her head at Grace's thoughtfulness. "She said Charles had a new bed with a railing so he didn't need this one, and since Mary was coming for a whole week with … and I quote, 'her cousin Joan' she thought it should get some use."

Steve smiled proudly. "That's Gracie."

"Exactly. Next thing I knew she was outside with Rachel's driver. She'd asked him to please stop here on the way back to Danny's after her weekend at her mom's. It was actually very nice of Rachel. When I called to thank her she said we should just keep it for the next time your sister visits."

Catherine watched as Steve made regulation corners on the tiny mattress and smiled. "Finish in here, I want to open our bedroom windows and the balcony doors."

"Why?" Steve looked over his shoulder.

"Because, Mister, 'last time in our bed before Thanksgiving', my parents are staying in that room tonight."

He barked a laugh. "Cath, that's eight hours from now."

"Steve?"

"What?" He was still chuckling.

She stuck her tongue out and darted into the hall to his laughing voice calling, "That's exactly what started the 'last time in our bed till after Thanksgiving!'"

Twenty minutes later, Catherine was carrying bedding for herself and Steve and a sack containing the queen sized air mattress down the hall.

When Steve came out of what he now thought of as 'Gracie's room' as opposed to his own childhood bedroom, he was saying "Bed's freshly made, magazines you thought she'd like are on the night table. We're all set for Grandma Ang …" he burst out laughing. "Um, Cath?"

She was just reaching the top of the stairs and didn't turn when she said, "Yeah?"

"You're being followed..."

"What?" She swiveled to see Cammie backing out of their bedroom butt first, dragging her bed, and snorted a laugh of her own. "Oh! Sweetheart, we'll take your bed downstairs. You're coming to sleep in the den with us. Steve, help her. She wants to make sure we move her bed. I wish I had my phone, that's the cutest thing ever."

Steve grinned and approached the dog. "Easy, there, Cammie. Go with Catherine, I've got this." He accepted a kiss before she trotted happily after Catherine and he followed them down the stairs, huge dog bed in hand.

Once they were downstairs in the den, Steve moved enough furniture to make room for the blow up as Catherine unfurled it and started the pump to inflate what would be their bed for the duration of their family's visits.

As soon as she finished, Steve grabbed her and flopped down on the mattress, pulling Catherine with him so she landed lying across his body.

"This is pretty comfortable." He placed a smacking kiss on her cheek, followed by another and another, smiling in triumph when it made her laugh. "We can handle this for ten days." He pushed a lock of hair that had worked its way out of her loose ponytail behind her ear.

She chuckled. "We can handle anything for ten days." She kissed the tip of his nose and smiled. "Now, let me up before we get distracted. It's …" She grabbed Steve's wrist to check his watch, "T minus five hours."

It was Steve's turn to laugh when Cammie poked her nose against the mattress. "Okay, Cammie clearly agrees with you. But we're in pretty good shape." He slid out from under Catherine and stood to offer her a hand. "What else needs doing?"

Catherine adjusted her ponytail and looked around. "We need to make this bed. Here," she grabbed the bedding and tossed it to Steve, who caught it with a smirk at her being in 'mission mode'.

"You put our toiletries in the downstairs bathroom, so that's done. I want to run and get some fresh cut flowers for the guest rooms, and start dinner early, about four o'clock, so when Mary gets here, it's ready. And I want to have something light for my folks and Grandma Ang to eat when they get in, because it'll be too late for a big meal. Oh, and we'll need a snack ready for Joan. If they land on time at five thirty, she'll be hungry. She likes those GoBaby yogurts, I bought peach-pear and blueberry-apple and peach-mango, and …"

Steve's hands at her waist stopped her. "You need to delegate, Lieutenant. Your family and Mary both insisted on taxis, so until Mary gets in at six, I'm all yours." He kissed her temple. "Well, I'm always all yours, but you know what I mean. And like I told you when Nonna was here, Cath, it's family. They're going to have a great visit. Relax, okay? Relax and enjoy it."

She sighed. "You're right. I just want everything to be perfect for them. Last time my parents visited, I wasn't living here. And Grandma's never seen the island or the house. And the kitchen, I want to have the kitchen cleaned up from dinner before Mom and Grandma Ang see it for the first time…" Her eyes glinted at the thought of her family seeing their beautiful kitchen first hand.

"Cath?" Steve's smile was contagious.

"Yeah?" Catherine grinned.

"Can it possibly be worse than last year?"

She laughed. "Well …"

"Catherine. We had no turkey. And it still worked out fine, right?"

"Better than fine." She kissed him.

"Good. Then give me my marching orders, Rollins, and let's knock 'em dead." He pulled her against him. "Besides, we have a secret weapon."

"Really?" She raised an eyebrow.

"Absolutely." Steve nodded towards Cammie who had pushed her dog bed up against the air mattress and was lying across both. "All else fails, Cammie will charm them all."

At the sound of her name, the dog popped up and stood beside her humans. "You're ready for your assignment, too, aren't you, Cammie?" Steve ruffled her fur and a paw immediately landed on Catherine's jeans-clad knee.

"See that? That's the canine equivalent of Aye, aye, Ma'am." He was about to say more when his cell rang. Steve saw Catherine's expression and waved that it wasn't a case as he said, "Hi, Nonna, how are you? Good. Just about ready. Yes, we're looking forward to it. She's right here." He held out his cell with a smile. "Nonna wants you."

Catherine's eyes lit, as they always did when Nonna called or Skyped. "Nonna? Did I not hear my cell?" She began and Steve saw a slow smile cross her face as she visibly relaxed.

He placed a kiss in her hair as she sat back down on the mattress. He joined her and heard Catherine's side of the conversation.

"Yes. Just wraps and fresh fruit from the farmers' market, because they're getting in later. That market you liked near our house. Oh, and a snack for Joan because Mary's arriving first and she'll eat dinner with Steve and me. Yes. I know, I just want it to be …" Catherine stopped and listened before letting out a laugh.

"You didn't! Really? All of it? What did you do?" Her laughter echoed through the room and Steve ran a hand over her shoulder, guiding her back until she was leaning against him as she listened to Nonna's anecdote.

Catherine was laughing when she said, "Thanks, Nonna. That was exactly what I needed. We'll talk to you soon. Love you." and handed the phone back to Steve. "She wants to say goodbye."

After ending the call, Steve turned to Catherine. "What was that all about?"

"Nonna thought with five family members staying here for a week and then some, I might need to hear a funny story." Catherine leaned over and kissed him.

"What story? Please tell me it's something I can use to bust Danny…"

"Nope. She told me about the first time she and Danny's grandpa hosted Easter dinner. For both families. Twenty six people. Nonna was nineteen." Catherine said with a grin.

"And?"

And she put a lamb stew into a pressure cooker that was a hand-me-down from her sister."

"Ahh." Steve could see where the story was going. "She burned it?"

Catherine shook her head. "No! It blew up."

"Blew up?!"

"An hour before her brand new in-laws were due to arrive there was lamb stew all over the floor, and the walls, and the ceiling."

"What'd she serve?" Steve could picture a young version of the woman they loved so much, with her go get 'em attitude and his best friend's smile.

"Spaghetti and meatballs that her mother and mother-in-law helped her make before the rest of the guests arrived." Catherine laughed. "She said it was the best Easter, ever. And that her mother-in-law and mom bonded over helping her and became lifelong friends. Danny's uncles on both sides of the family cleaned off the walls and ceiling so she had them over for homemade pizza the next Saturday."

"There's a Nonna moral there." He smiled.

Catherine nodded. "To relax. Because whatever we do, everyone will still have fun."

"And we don't have a pressure cooker, so…" Steve pulled her in for a soft kiss. "This is going to be good, Catherine. Really good. It just … is, okay?" He cupped her cheek.

"I know. My family is going to love Mary." Her hand covered his. "And Joan." Her eyes sparkled. "And Danny and Grace, and it will be fun. We'll all have fun. Grace is so excited to meet my family, she's texted me six times already today." She squeezed his hand. "Thank you."

"For what?"

"Knowing I needed a Nonna pep talk?" She kissed him and pushed him back on the mattress.

"Whoa there, Lieutenant," He wrapped his arms around Catherine and pulled her flush against him. "Aren't we on a tight duty schedule? Flowers, snacks, dinner?" He teased.

She placed her hands on his chest and pushed up to look in his eyes. "You complaining, Commander?"

"Never."

"Good. Besides, no matter what, thanks to Nonna, we know how to make a mean spaghetti and meatballs."

End … thanks for reading! Mari