Thanks, as always, to the amazing Sammy & Ilna for making every story, every day, better in the REAL World. From sitting up till midnight on skype to launch the REAL World, to creating our canon and story bible, to the plethora of emails we exchange every day, it's been nothing short of a phenomenal experience. Credit for the title on this one goes to Sammy.

To every reader, reviewer, guest and #REALMcRoller, your kindness and enthusiasm continues to bring us joy and flatters us. We thank each one of you and are so happy you are coming along with us to watch and enjoy Steve and Catherine's lives move forward.

Love & Nonna hugs, Mari

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DECEPTION

HQ
Friday - 10:45 p.m.

HPD officer and former Marine, Bob Martin yanked a handcuffed man from the back of Danny's Camaro. When the man protested that he could walk under his own power, Martin exchanged looks with Danny and led him none too gently away.

Danny Williams checked the time, gave a disgusted huff and dialed Catherine's cell. As it rang, he called to the officer, "Take his ass to lockup. I need to make a call."

"You got it, Detective," Martin nodded and continued into the building.

/

McGarrett/Rollins Residence
Bedroom - Same Time

"Ignore it." Steve groaned into her ear when Catherine's cell rang. He hadn't had far to move, he was nibbling on her neck just below her earlobe.

"I can't." She patted his shoulder as he made a humming sound and kissed along her jaw. "C'mon, it's Danny."

"I know it's Danny, Catherine. I didn't answer my phone thirty seconds ago. That's why he's calling yours." He grinned against her skin and ran his tongue along the shell of her ear.

"You know I have to get it." She pushed on Steve's chest until he pulled back far enough to see her eyes. "What if something's wrong?" At his look she added, "What if it's Grace?"

At the mention of Grace, he flopped onto his back next to her with a resigned sigh. Catherine knew Steve wasn't serious in telling her to ignore the call. That he fully expected she'd answer it regardless, but Grace was the tipping point.

"Danny? What's wrong?" Catherine said into the phone as she gave Steve a smile. Truthfully, Danny wouldn't try her cell after Steve's unless he really needed one or both of them.

"Catherine? What were … never mind, spare me." Danny took a breath. "We have a situation that needs your expertise and Steve's. There's a suspect here that's Navy. He was accused of bilking a local girl out of thousands."

Catherine got up and Steve, who'd heard Danny's part of the conversation, did the same. "Really? Why's it our case?"

Catherine set the phone on her night table and raised her voice as she crossed the room to the dresser. "I put you on speaker." She took out a pair of boxers and tossed them to Steve and then pulled on bikinis and a bra.

"Danny, conning a girlfriend out of money isn't a Task Force crime, why are we being called in on this?" Steve asked. He'd dressed in cargoes and a T-shirt and was clipping on his badge.

"Because, Sunshine, the girl's father is a friend of the Dennings'. And he tried to turn the guy into a eunuch. With a hedge clipper." Danny snorted, adding, "Can't blame him." before he continued.

"Since the head of Five-0 was too busy … again, spare me why, please … to pick up his phone, yours truly got the call. And while I hate you for getting me pulled away from my DVR-ed JETS game, I didn't want to ruin Catherine's evening because, her, I like."

Catherine chuckled at Steve's expression. "Awww, thanks, Danny."

At Steve's "Don't encourage him, Catherine."

Danny continued. "I need no encouragement. I am an awesome friend, so I offered to handle it, but the governor wants us all. Consider your presence officially requested, Babe." Danny took a breath. "We've got the boyfriend, Michael Davenport in custody. Also have the girl's father, Patrick Grant, here for aggravated assault. The daughter, Emily, is waiting to be questioned.

"We'll be there in fifteen." Steve said as Catherine picked up her phone and they started down the stairs.

"Cammie, go back to sleep, Sweetie. We'll be home soon, okay, Pretty Girl?" Catherine cooed to the dog, who'd followed them to the landing. Recognizing her 'parents'' routine and knowing it meant they were leaving for a while, Cammie gave Catherine a puppy kiss and pawed at Steve until he bent to kiss her on the head.

"Sleep in your own bed, please." Steve called after the dog's retreating form and Catherine shoved him out the door with a laugh.

/

HQ – 11:00 p.m.

"Steve, a moment, please." Governor Denning called as soon as Steve stepped out of the truck.

"Get filled in. I'll be there in a minute," Steve told Catherine. She nodded and went inside to locate Danny as Steve strode up to the governor who stood beside his car with his security detail.

Danny was standing in the bullpen when Catherine entered. "Hey. Steve's outside with Denning, what have we got?"

"We have a nineteen year old college student who got taken in by a putz. He met her online and fed her a ton of crap." Danny spat out. His dad radar was on full alert. "She transferred cash to him for what was apparently a fake charity and now the governor's concerned about this being a tip-of-the-iceberg issue. Her father is Denning's friend but also VP of Grant Security..."

"Mrs. Dennings' company." Catherine finished for him.

Danny ran a hand through his hair. "Exactly."

Steve's gait was tense when he walked up to the smart table.

"Steve?" Catherine sensed his demeanor change and looked at him questioningly.

"So, seems like Davenport, who had no I.D., is Navy."

Catherine's fist clenched. "No I.D.? Is he stationed at Pearl?" She was already booting into the system to locate Davenport when Chin entered the bullpen with Emily Grant.

"Detective Williams?" She looked at Danny tearfully. "My Dad's in j … jail." The tissues in her hands were shredded and her face was puffy and blotchy.

Danny was beside her in two strides. "Emily, this is Commander McGarrett and Lieutenant Rollins."

Emily was Danny's height with a swimmer's build. Her black hair fell in messy waves to her shoulders; her brown eyes cried mascara tears. She turned to Steve. "Uncle Sam said you're going to help Daddy. I called him because my mom's away and I didn't know what to do. Detective Williams and Lieutenant Kelly came as soon as I called and they stopped Daddy from …" She winced. "This is totally my fault, Commander. Daddy didn't meant to …" She gasped and her voice shuddered. "He wouldn't really hurt Mike. He was just angry. He's the best dad, really. Don't send him to jail. He's corporate security expert. There are people there he's turned in to the police, they could hurt him. Please?" She turned to Catherine, maybe seeking a woman's understanding of how a girl's actions could incite a protective father into battle.

"Emily, why don't you give your statement to Lieutenant Rollins," Danny suggested and Catherine nodded. "We'll see what we can make of the situation, alright?"

Catherine noticed he was using a tone she usually heard from him when Grace was scared or not feeling well.

"Can you come, too?" Emily had locked onto Danny as the first person who'd spoken to her at the scene. After he and Chin ran interference with the two suspects, Emily looked like she was about to keel over. Danny had sat her down and spoken soothingly to her.

"I could, but you'll be right in there." He pointed to Catherine's office. "And you can see me while I fill Commander McGarrett in. You'll need to explain what happened between you and Michael and Catherine is a Navy reservist, like McGarrett. She's served and can ask you questions that I can't. We really want to get you home as soon as possible; I know your dad wouldn't want you here any longer than necessary."

Emily was nodding along with Danny. He'd tapped into her desire to help her dad and his using Catherine's first name was an age-old tactic to make her seem less intimidating. "Okay. I guess that's okay. You'll be out here?"

"Right here, promise." Danny said with a small grin.

"Emily? Would you like some juice or soda? Catherine asked her. "Before we talk?

"Maybe some water?" Emily asked quietly.

"There's water in the refrigerator in the Commander's office, we'll grab a bottle." Catherine indicated for the girl to follow her.

/

Catherine Rollins' Office
11:35 p.m.

When they were seated in Catherine's office, she pulled open her desk drawer and took out a package of makeup wipes and a small mirror. "Why don't you wipe your face a bit? You'll feel better. I'm going to record our discussion, is that okay?" Catherine pressed record and set her phone on the desk.

"Thank you." Emily nodded and looked into the small mirror. "Oh! I look like hell." She proceeded to wipe off the remnants of smeared mascara. When she'd tossed the wipe, along with the shredded tissues she still clutched in her other hand, into the garbage, she faced Catherine and sighed. "It's really all my fault. My dad's not a bad guy. Or violent. He cries when we download Lassie." She let out a small laugh.

"I'm sure you're right. About your dad being a good person, Emily. Not about this being all your fault. If you were deceived, that's on Michael. Your dad reacted badly, out of love I'm convinced, but that's also on him, not you."

Emily nodded again. She was sitting bolt upright in the chair facing Catherine.

"So, can you tell me how you met Michael Davenport?"

"We met on Face Book. He sent me a friend request."

"Did you have mutual friends?"

"No. He said he saw that I volunteered at the Arizona Memorial with the World War Two Veterans' groups that visit. He's in the Navy and has friends who were stationed here and I thought, 'how nice' and accepted the request.

"How long ago was that?" Catherine asked.

"Three months. Right after my birthday."

"When did you two begin a relationship?"

"No!" Emily looked aghast. "You think … oh, no! We're not in a relationship. He was a friend. At least I thought he was. There was never anything … romantic. I'd never even met him in person before today when Daddy found him.

I asked my dad if I could borrow money for the new semester's books and he wanted to know why I wasn't using my own. That's our agreement. I buy my own books. Dad says it teaches the value of a dollar." Her grin was tight and the tears were on the edge of flowing again. "When I told him I'd donated it, he wanted to check out the charity." She spread her hands, "And when he looked into it, well… the charity didn't exist, and you know what happened when he went to confront Mike about the money."

"Emily, you can tell me if there was something more than friendship between you and Michael." Catherine prodded gently.

"There really wasn't!" Emily sat far forward on the chair and Catherine changed tactics, not wanting to spook her into silence. "Alright, so when did he ask you for money?"

"Not at first. At first he'd post every few days then he said he wanted to email me. But he couldn't use his work email due to security. So we DM-ed."

"What did he direct message you?"

"Not much at first. He asked me about volunteering. Thanked me for helping the servicemen. I told him my great grandpa was stationed at Pearl on December 7th. He survived the attack. He was on leave, marrying my great grandma. She was from Oahu and he moved here after the war."

Catherine sat back a few inches and Emily mirrored her. "Then Mike sent a donation to the Arizona Restoration Fund. I was totally sure he was a nice person after that."

Catherine nodded at the old scam. Make a small donation to make yourself seem legit. Criminals from petty larcenists to terrorists used the same ploy.

"He said he was involved with a charity that helped subsidize World War Two Veterans' trips to the Arizona or the World War Two Memorial in D.C. I collected nine hundred dollars and I donated the rest. He said they had a trip coming up, but they were a few thousand short and all the veterans wouldn't be able to go if they didn't raise the rest of the money. He gave me a Tax ID number. I didn't think to actually check it out. Daddy was the one who realized it was a deception technique. That the whole charity was part of a deception."

"Emily, relax and try to tell me everything Michael Davenport told you about himself. It will help us build a case against him."

"Lieutenant Rollins?"

"Catherine, please."

Emily gave her a small smile. "Catherine. That's my mom's name." The girl seemed to take comfort in the random coincidental connection. "Do people call you Cathy?"

Catherine returned the smile. "No. Just Catherine or Cath."

"Everyone calls my mom Cathy. Except Daddy. He always calls her Kate. She says she used to hate it, but after 25 years she's used to it." Talking about a normal topic like family nicknames seemed to make Emily unclench a bit more. "Sorry. Anyway, Catherine, I saved the DMs, would that help my dad?"

"Emily, that would help us a great deal in determining exactly what Michael Davenport was doing. Did you print them out?"

"No. they're on the cloud. If you log me onto a computer, I'll download them for you."

/

Steve McGarrett's office
12:10 a.m.

"Thank you, Emily. You've been a big help." Steve turned to include Kono, who'd entered his office, in the conversation, "This is officer Kalakaua."

Steve nodded to Kono who said, "Hi, Emily. You did a great job. The information you gave us will definitely help your dad. Is there somewhere I can take you where you won't be alone for the night? How about I give you a ride?"

They weren't sure what Davenport's game was and they didn't want the young girl alone, even if they put a protective detail on her.

"Can I go to my cousin Kalea's? She's only twenty minutes from here."

Steve said, "Absolutely."

"Did you want to stop at home first? Get some things?" Kono offered.

Emily shook her head. "I'm at Kalea's all the time. I have stuff there. We surf practically every weekend. Besides it's late. I don't want to wake her up any later than I have to."

"Okay, then let's go." As Kono walked her out, Emily thanked everyone and impulsively hugged Danny, then stepped back, embarrassed. "Thanks Detective. For being so nice about my dad. He's really a good guy, you know." She bit her lip. "I hope he's not pissed at me."

Danny shook his head. "I'm sure he's just worried. I'm going to talk to him right now. I'll tell him you're all done, you did great and you'll be at your cousin's with a police officer on protective detail."

"Thanks again." She turned to leave, then turned back. "Detective Williams? Tell Daddy I love him?"

Catherine smiled fondly when Danny cleared his throat. "Will do. Now go get some sleep. Your dad wouldn't want you to worry too much."

Danny turned back to Steve and Catherine as Kono escorted Emily out of the offices, engaging the girl in a conversation about surfing.

/

/

Steve McGarrett's Office
1:00 a.m.

"So, take lead on questioning Davenport." Steve told Catherine as he leaned against his desk.

"Perfect." Danny agreed. "Besides, I feel like playing bad cop tonight. I'm in such a delightful mood anyway." He tilted his mug and swallowed the last mouthful of coffee. "C'mon Cath, let's go put the last 45 minutes you spent doing research to good use."

Catherine pulled her hair into a ponytail and fastened it with the elastic band she'd worn on her wrist. She also grabbed her iPAD and, turning toward Steve, said, "Gonna observe the live feed?" At Steve's nod, she motioned for him to hand her the cup he was holding. She took a gulp of his tepid coffee and grimaced. "Thanks. Let's do this, Danny."

/

Interrogation Room

Michael Davenport sat calmly at the wooden table, having been moved up from the blue room on Steve's orders. He startled slightly when the door opened to reveal Danny and Catherine.

"Davenport, I'm Williams and this is Rollins, Five-0."

Steve was observing via video-feed and Catherine knew he'd notice the young man's eyes shift around the room before landing on his partner.

"I was attacked, Detectives, I don't know why I'm being held here."

"You've been accused of soliciting money via the US Mail in a scam for a fraudulent charity. Mail fraud is a federal crime." Danny gave him a withering look.

"We need to straighten this out before we move on to charges against your attacker, especially if the mail fraud charges are untrue, because that's FBI jurisdiction." Catherine offered a small smile. "Since you're in the Navy, Michael, Commander McGarrett sent us in to get as much information as possible to try and … help out."

Davenport's eyes locked onto Catherine. "Thank you."

Catherine consulted her iPad. "It says in the incident report you had no I.D. Military or otherwise."

"You went out with no I.D.? Not very smart, Michael." Danny shot.

"I was attacked while I was going swimming, I didn't have my wallet." Davenport shifted his eyes again, looking everywhere but at Danny. "I was on R and R, detective. I'm in the Navy. I'm an officer." Davenport's glance was condescending.

"Half this freaking island is in the Navy, kid. And newsflash: I carry a wallet on my days off. Most people do. If everyone ran around without I.D. our jobs would really suck when someone washed up on the beach …"

The kid recoiled ever so slightly. "Michael, what are your rank, duty station and designator?" Catherine asked, stepping in front of Danny. Davenport blinked at her for a second. "Are you an ensign stationed at Pearl?" She led.

"No." He shook his head. "A commander." He sat up straighter.

Danny turned away and Catherine glanced at him over her shoulder. "And your designator?"

Davenport blinked at her again and Catherine changed the question. "Can you tell us why you were asking Emily Grant to mail you money? Particularly if you were stationed only forty minutes from her home?"

"The money was a gift." Davenport squared his shoulders and Catherine and Danny exchanged a glance.

"A gift?" Danny's tone was disbelieving.

"I was recently promoted. We're friends. She sent me the money as a gift."

"Let me get this straight. A nineteen year old college freshman; who works part time at her dad's company for minimum wage - because he's teaching his kid the value of a buck - sent a $3,500.00 gift to a Navy Commander?" Danny's look was nothing short of disgusted.

Davenport shrugged.

"How long have you served?" Catherine asked, pulling out the chair across from him and sitting.

"Nine years."

"You joined out of high school?"

"I went to Annapolis." He said smugly.

"I see." Catherine nodded. "And your major?"

"I don't see how my college major is relevant, Detective Rollins."

Catherine didn't correct him. "Just getting the facts straight.

"Fine, intelligence. I'm an intelligence officer. I minored in finance."

"And you began corresponding with Emily Grant when you saw she volunteered at the Arizona?"

"Yes. My dad's in the Navy, too."

Catherine said nothing.

"He was a SEAL."

"What?" Danny stepped forward from where he'd retreated to lean against the wall.

"What class?" Catherine asked.

"That's classified."

"Really?" Catherine placed her hands on the surface of the scarred wooden table and leaned in a bit. "Okay, Davenport, I'm about done. Just to recap. You, a commander in the US Navy, received $3,500 from Emily Grant as a gift. You have no idea why her father tried to attack you."

"That's right. He's disgraceful. He has no idea that I serve our country or the things I do for America. Maybe you should tell him."

Catherine sat at the edge of her seat, placed the tablet on the table and pointed. "What about the combined $22,500 you received from a total of seven other people? Promotion party?"

Michael Davenport glanced from the screen to the beautiful brown eyes boring into his. They were no longer inquisitive. They'd turned disdainful. He opened his mouth to speak but closed it before emitting a sound.

"Know what I think, Michael?" Danny offered. "I think you're full of shit."

"What?!" The young man tried to look outraged.

"Emily Grant and the other victims we contacted told us they believed they were donating money to be used towards helping World War Two Veterans' groups travel to see the Arizona Memorial or the World War Two Memorial in D.C." When Davenport said nothing, Danny continued. "Let me make proper introductions."

"You already told me who you were." Davenport looked confused.

"Did I? Oh, Sorry. I thought I said Williams and Rollins from Five-0. I'll be more thorough. I'm Detective Danny Williams. This is Catherine Rollins. Lieutenant Catherine Rollins. Lieutenant Rollins served 17 years in US Naval Intelligence and is currently a reservist."

Catherine gave him a cold grin and every bit of color left Michael Davenport's face.

"By the way," She said deliberately, "645X."

"What's that?"

"That would be a designator. Intelligence is 645X." Catherine shook her head. "Emily saved your DM's. Maybe she has a career in intelligence. Must be her dad rubbing off on her. He's in security, remember?"

"What did she tell you?"

"The boatload, pardon the pun, of crap you told her." Danny snarked. "Lieutenant Rollins interviewed her and was onto your fake ass before we even walked in this room."

Catherine stood. "Want a list of what tipped me? Aside from your comment about Grant 'not knowing what you do for America'? Service personnel don't make statements like that, Davenport. They just do their jobs." Catherine shook her head in disgust. "Besides that? You're a Commander, at twenty seven? You need a minimum of three years in rank as a lieutenant to even be eligible for lieutenant commander. Not to mention most people are lieutenant commanders for 4 to 6 years before they either retire or get promoted. The average age for a lieutenant commander is typically late thirties, unless you did something extraordinary."

Catherine remembered the call she'd made to Steve after his last promotion. She'd seen it confirmed via a burst. She'd been so proud of him, but it had taken him half an hour and her gentle prodding to even mention it. Her eyes involuntarily flicked to the camera, to where she knew he was standing to watch the interview, before she continued. "You claim you went to the Academy. Your major and minor? They don't exist. Intelligence is a designator, not a major. Neither is finance. I'm an Academy grad. So is Commander McGarrett, by the way."

"I ... I …" Davenport stuttered. He looked up to see the door open.

"Speaking of which …" Danny said as Steve strode to the table and got in Davenport's face.

"You are a disgrace. And you're under arrest. For mail fraud and for misrepresenting yourself as a member of the US Military. That's also a federal crime, even via mail or in cyberspace."

A fifty-ish man in a black suit that screamed FED had entered after Steve, followed by HPD Officer Bob Martin, the former Marine, whose look was one of pure revulsion.

The Federal Agent stepped behind Davenport and traded the zip ties for cuffs. Pulling him to his feet, he said, "Thank you, Commander" to Steve and to Davenport he announced, "I'm Supervisory Special Agent Webster, FBI. Michael Davenport, you're under arrest." He turned to Catherine and Danny, said, "Thanks." and gave them a quick smile.

As Webster led Davenport out the door, Steve stepped closer and ground out, "You're an embarrassment to this country and an insult to everyone who's ever worn a uniform. And for the record? Claiming your father's was a SEAL? You father seems like a good man from his background check. You're also a disgrace of a son to lie about him."

Catherine stood beside Steve. "That was the first tip off in the info Emily gave me, by the way. She said you told her your dad was a SEAL right off. People tend to remember that."

Steve added, "There's a list of every Navy SEAL who's ever served and who was ever KIA. Your father? Not on either one. And BUD/s classes aren't classified. There's an open database of everyone who graduates from BUD/s. No BUD/s, no SEAL." He addressed Webster. "Get him out of my sight, please."

"My pleasure Commander." Webster led Davenport away as Steve, Danny and Catherine left the room to head back to HQ offices.

/

HQ offices
3:00 a.m.

"Thank you all." Patrick Grant kept one arm tightly around his daughter while shaking hands with the team. "I know I lost it, but Emily's all I have and when he lied and took advantage of her kindness towards veterans, I just … my grandfather and father both served." He shook his head. "Again, I'm sorry. And thank you."

Danny nodded. "I can't condone what you did, but I can't say I don't understand."

"You have a daughter." Patrick Grant established. "How old?"

"Twelve." Danny smiled at the thought of Grace.

"Ah. Also explains your extra kindness to Emily. Thanks for that, too. I seem to be saying that a lot. I'm appreciative I'll likely only get community service. Luckily Emily stopped me before I actually …" He shook his head, "water under the bridge." He looked at Emily, who was smiling with relief. "Let's go home, Sweetheart."

With a final wave, the Grants left HQ.

/

/

Beachcombers' Diner
3:45 a.m.

Steve was downing his second orange juice. The remnants of breakfast were on the tabletop as Catherine leaned into his side, listening, as he finished telling Danny, "That guy's lies were so inaccurate, anyone with even limited knowledge of the military could have nailed his ass. That's why he preyed on kids and seniors to give him a few thousand dollars each to help with his fake grandfather's fake veteran's group fund. They were less likely to call him out on the deception."

"That's just …" Danny shook his head. "If it wasn't so malicious, his stupidity would almost be laughable."

"Yeah. Steve agreed. "And for the record, the best way to ferret out a fake SEAL? Ask what BUD/s class they were in. If they don't tell you immediately, be suspicious.

Catherine interjected, "They say that for every real SEAL, there are ten bogus ones. Guys who never even served saying they're SEALs." She placed a hand on Steve's arm. "It's gotten worse since bin Laden was eliminated."

"Cath's right," Steve agreed. "If someone says his class was classified because he was assigned to a special unit? He's full of shit."

Danny shook his head. "I know people talk crap all the time, but that's just … so wrong." He held up his coffee in a toast. "Nice job, Cath."

"Thanks, but he buried himself, Danny." She rotated her neck and shoulders. "Are we done? Because I, for one, could use about ten hours sleep."

/

McGarrett/Rollins Residence
4:15 a.m.

"Hey Cammie, there's my good girl." Catherine cooed as Cammie greeted her when she unlocked the door. She turned to Steve. "I'm gonna feed her and let her out now. Otherwise we'll have to get up in …" She checked her watch, "45 minutes."

At the words feed and out Cammie dashed to the kitchen. Steve smiled. "Prep her food, I'll take her out." Again, at the word out, Cammie's head popped out of the kitchen with a small, happy "Woof."

"Gimme five minutes." He addressed the dog and ran upstairs, returning in boardies with a towel. "Let's go, Cammie."

/

4:55 a.m.

Catherine was about to enter the shower when the doorbell rang. She moved to back out of the stall, but Steve, who'd showered after his and Cammie's swim said, "I'll get it." so she shrugged and stepped under the spray.

Five minutes later, Catherine left the bathroom to see Steve with Cammie in tow. He was holding a bowl containing a few pieces of fruit. "This was just hand delivered, in one of those edible bouquet things like you sent Nonna after we stayed there." He offered Cammie a small slice of apple, which she took onto her bed to eat.

Catherine turned down the comforter and moved to the hamper to toss in the towel she was wearing. "From who?" When he didn't answer, she turned to look at him and her mouth twitched up in a grin. "Steve?" His eyes were darkening as he watched her cross back to their bed.

He swallowed the piece of cantaloupe he'd popped in his mouth and moved to hold a bite of chocolate covered mango to her lips. "I put the rest in the fridge." His voice dropped to a familiar low timbre and he slid a hand down her side to her hip.

She ate the mango, then kissed him. "Mmm." He tasted of fruit and chocolate. "Who sent it?" She repeated.

"It's a thank you for," he quoted, "'our kindnesses to Emily Grant' Danny got one, too. He texted me." Steve's eyes never left Catherine as she pulled away after pressing against him and crawled into bed.

"That's sweet. She locked onto his dad radar. Are we allowed to …?"

"Accept it?" Steve nodded. "Denning's wife actually sent it, so, yeah." He held out the card that read, 'Thank you for understanding. Sam and I appreciate it greatly.' as he joined her, placing the fruit bowl on the night table.

"Also got this." Steve handed Catherine his phone as he held his left arm out for her to enter his embrace. "Mrs. Denning just texted it to all of us."

She read the text before she turned and rolled on top of him. "Now that's wonderful."

Steve nodded. He shifted, settling them into a more comfortable position as she placed a kiss on his lips. They'd been up for 24 hours, and Catherine stifled a yawn.

"I thought we were continuing where we left off …" Steve glanced at the bedside clock. "Six hours ago. But if your stamina's fading and you'd rather sleep, Lieutenant …" He whispered and ran his tongue along her ear, resuming exactly what he'd been doing when the phone had interrupted them.

Catherine reached to deposit his phone on her night table before settling back on top of Steve to kiss him thoroughly. "I'll show you stamina, Commander…" She chuckled at his moan and felt him smile.

On the night table, Steve's cell went into sleep mode, slowly fading the text that read:

A donation to the USS Arizona Memorial has been made in the names of Steven McGarrett, Daniel Williams, Catherine Rollins, Chin Ho Kelly and Kono Kalakaua. And a donation to the Navy SEALs Fund has been made in the names of Steven McGarrett and Catherine Rollins. Thank you for being, and respecting, the real deal.

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End ~ Thanks for reading, Mari

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The Navy SEALs Fund is a real 501 c 3 Tax-Exempt Public Charity. Interested readers can learn more at navysealsfund dot org

Donations to contribute to The USS Arizona Memorial can be made at: pacifichistoricparks dot org

Information about visiting the World War II Memorial in Washington, DC can be found at: wwiimemorial dot com

Thanks to katydid13 for this info on - Honor Flight Network: "We transport our heroes to Washington, D.C. to visit and reflect at their memorials. Top priority is given to the senior veterans – World War II survivors, along with those other veterans who may be terminally ill."

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Don't forget to join our McRoll in the REAL World Mailing list if you're not already on it! Send an "add me, please" email to: REALMcRoll at yahoo dot com