Notes: Thank you, readers and REAL McRollers, for your enthusiasm for the REAL World and for this storyline. Your support is truly incredible.
Mari and Sammy, thank you for being your out-of-this-world amazing selves.
Esther, thank you for always being a fantastic sounding board and friend.
Hope you enjoy!
Small Steps (A McRoll in the REAL World Story)
Cody Allen glanced at his watch and looked out the window of the apartment just as a blue Silverado and a black Camaro pulled up to the building.
When he saw four figures step out of the vehicles, he turned from the window and called out, "Jake, Kaitlyn, your ride's here."
The sound of pounding footsteps preceded his two youngest siblings as they ran down the short hallway.
"They're here, they're here!" Jacob shouted, running right for the window. He held onto the ledge and jumped to get a better angle to look down. "They're here!" he confirmed and immediately turned to run to the front door.
"Hang on," Cody said, sticking a folded t-shirt into the bag on Kaitlyn's back.
"Come on, come on," Jacob said, pulling on the doorknob but not opening the door that was still locked and chained.
"Calm down. They're not gonna leave without you," Cody said. He pulled an Elsa doll out of the backpack. "Kaitlyn, why is this in here? You're just going to the aquarium for a few hours, you don't need your doll."
"But I want to show Grace," she said, looking back over her shoulder at him.
"If you lose it . . ."
"I'm not gonna lose it," she insisted.
He sighed. "Fine," he said, putting it back inside and zipping the backpack.
"Come on," Jacob repeated, tugging on the doorknob and leaning back as he looked over at them.
"Okay, let's go," Cody said, grabbing money from the coffee table.
He and Kaitlyn joined Jacob at the door. Cody removed the chain and unlocked the door. The younger kids stepped into the hallway and waited as Cody took a key from around his neck.
Jacob looked toward the stairs. "Come on, Cody," he said impatiently.
Cody laughed finally. "The fish will still be there, man, I promise."
He finished locking the door and put the key back around his neck and under his t-shirt. The three headed down the hall for the stairwell.
"Okay, remember what Mom said . . ." Cody began.
Jacob and Kaitlyn said in unison, " 'Be good, have fun, say thank you.' "
Cody nodded.
"What are you and Commander Gary going to to do while we're at the 'quarium?" Jacob asked.
"Commander McGarrett," Cody corrected as they turned on the landing to go down the next flight of stairs. He shrugged. "And I don't know."
"When are Casey and Dylan getting back from the beach?" Kaitlyn asked.
"They'll be here when you get back," Cody said.
They reached the ground floor and Cody pushed open the door to let his siblings out first. Steve, Catherine, Danny, and Grace were waiting for them.
"Grace!" Kaitlyn said, running over to her and Danny.
"Lieutenant Catherine!" Jacob ran to Catherine and threw his arms around her waist. He looked up at her with a beaming smile.
"Hey, Jacob," Catherine said and smiled back.
Jacob took a step back and looked at Steve standing next to Catherine.
"Hi, Commander . . ." he glanced back at Cody who had joined them. "McGary?"
Catherine looked at Steve and chuckled at his raised eyebrow.
Cody sighed, putting the heel of his hand on his forehead. "McGarrett."
Jacob looked back at Steve.
"You're really tall," he said.
Steve's mouth twitched up in a smile, and he squatted in front of Jacob.
"You are right about that," he said.
"And you're Lieutenant Catherine's boyfriend."
"You're right about that, too."
Jacob glanced at Catherine then motioned Steve closer. When Steve leaned forward, Jacob put a hand up and whispered in his ear.
Steve's mouth twitched again. He looked quickly up at Catherine then leaned back toward Jacob.
"I think she's really pretty and nice, too," he whispered, loud enough for Catherine to hear.
Jacob straightened with a broad smile. Steve winked at him before standing.
Kaitlyn, Grace, and Danny, having exchanged their own greetings, stepped closer. Kaitlyn had taken Grace's hand.
"Hey, let's get going already," Danny said with a smile. "We gotta get to the aquarium before all the fish swim away."
Jacob's eyes widened. "But Cody said–"
"He's kidding, Jake," Cody said.
"Jacob," Catherine said. "You didn't really get a chance to meet Grace and Detective Williams at the Shop with a Cop event."
"But we're gonna change that today, right, buddy?" Danny asked.
Jacob looked up at him. "Your hair is like mine," he said, reaching up to touch his own blonde head.
"Do me a favor, Jacob, and keep yours just like that," Steve said. "Don't start using a bunch of gels and mousse, okay?"
"Mousse?" Jacob asked, looking between the two men with a confused expression. "Like chocolate mousse? I had that at the buffet place." He looked at Danny. "You put that in your hair?"
"No, I don't put–" Danny started. He shook his head with a quick glare at Steve. "Enough hair talk." He put a hand on Grace and Kaitlyn's shoulders. "Let's go see some fish."
"Come on," Grace said. "We're taking Uncle Steve's truck."
Still holding her hand, Kaitlyn asked, "Can I sit by you?"
"Sure," Grace said.
Kaitlyn glanced back over her shoulder as she walked and said, "Come on, Jacob."
He ran to catch up. As he fell in step beside them he reached for Grace's other hand.
"Do you think they have sharks? I hope they have sharks," he said. "And a turtle. A big one."
Smiling, Danny followed the kids to the truck.
Catherine turned back to Steve and Cody.
"My mom told me to give this to you," Cody said, handing Catherine two ten dollar bills. "So they can get something at the gift shop."
"Okay," Catherine said with a smile, taking the money from him. She looked between them. "You guys have fun. We'll be back around four."
Cody nodded.
Steve flashed her a quick smile and leaned over to press a quick kiss to her cheek. "See ya."
With a parting smile, Catherine turned and walked toward the truck.
Steve and Cody stood side-by-side, Steve with his hands on his hips and Cody with his hands in his pockets, as they watched the car drive away. Jacob waved excitedly from his seat in the back. After the car disappeared around the corner, Steve turned to the teenager.
"So, what do you wanna do?"
Cody glanced at him and shrugged. "I don't know."
"You want to get something to eat?"
"Nah, I already had lunch."
"You're a teenage boy, aren't you always hungry?" Steve joked.
"I'm good."
"Some shave ice or something?"
Cody shook his head. "I don't really want to . . . go anywhere. In case Dylan and Casey get back early."
Steve glanced at his watch. "They're with Lieutenant Kelly and Officer Kalakua at the beach for another couple hours."
"I know. But . . . in case."
"All right." Steve nodded toward the park across the street. "You play basketball?"
Cody shrugged. "A little."
"You want to play some one-on-one?"
"I don't really play . . ."
"Or just shoot around. We could play HORSE or PIG or something. I haven't done that in years."
Cody nodded finally. "Okay."
"You got a ball?"
"Yeah. This guy who used to live here gave me his when he moved. I'll go get it. I'll be right back," he said, heading back toward the apartments.
He returned a minute later, an old basketball in hand.
"Let's see this thing," Steve said. He squeezed the ball.
"It's a little flat," Cody said. "The guy gave me his pump but the needle broke. I gotta get a new one."
"There's one in the Camaro. Hang on."
Steve walked over to the car as Cody followed at a slower pace. Steve opened the trunk and took out an air pump, casually tossing a sweatshirt over the basketball he had brought and stowed in Danny's car.
"How'd you know there was a pump in there?" Cody asked. "I thought the truck was yours."
"It is. But I drive this a lot."
After giving the ball a couple pumps of air, Steve flipped it back to Cody.
"Try that," he said.
Cody squeezed it, then dribbled the ball on the pavement. He nodded as it bounced back into his hands.
"It's good," he said.
"Okay," Steve said, replacing the pump and closing the trunk. "Let's do it."
They crossed the street to the empty basketball court.
"Remind me how this works," Steve said.
"You take a shot and if you make it, the other guy has to make the same shot from the same spot. If he misses, he gets a letter."
"And the first person to get all the letters in the word loses."
"Yeah."
Steve nodded. "We doing HORSE or PIG?"
"HORSE?"
"Okay." Steve gestured to Cody then folded his arms, taking his place to the side of the basket. "You're up first."
Cody went and stood in a spot just inside the three-point line. He bounced the ball a few times, looked up, and took his shot. Both watched the ball arc through the air and hit the rusty, netless rim before dropping down.
Steve grabbed the ball as it bounced on the pavement and looked over at Cody. "Whoa. All right. I thought you said you only play a little?"
Cody shrugged, stepping to the side. "I don't really play. I just like to shoot."
"Oh yeah?" Steve moved to the same spot Cody had been and shot the ball. It bounced off the backboard and he moved to get the rebound. He turned back to face Cody. "I guess that's H for me."
"You wanna take a few warm-up shots?" Cody asked, trying to stop himself from smiling. He looked down, glancing over out of the corner of his eye.
Steve raised his eyebrows. "Oh. That's how it's gonna be, huh?" His mouth twitched up in a smile. "No. I'll be fine." He passed the ball across the court to where Cody was standing. "Take your next shot."
Cody moved to the top of the key and shot the ball, again making the basket.
"So you come here and shoot?" Steve asked as he retrieved the ball.
"Sometimes. When it's empty. It's a good place to–" he stopped, his eyes locking briefly with Steve's before he looked away. He shrugged. "I don't know . . . think or whatever."
Steve nodded slowly from his spot beneath the basket, his gaze on the teen.
"You ever think about going out for the team at school?" he asked, moving to the spot Cody had vacated.
"I'm not that good," Cody said, shaking his head.
Steve nodded toward the basket. "You can shoot."
"Not if there's someone with a hand up in front of me."
Steve paused a beat and said, "Fair enough." He bounced the ball a few times and shot the ball. It hit the front of the rim and bounced straight back toward him.
Steve sighed as he caught it.
"I think they call that a 'brick,' " Cody said, unable to keep the small smile from his face.
"I know what it's called," Steve said. He tossed the ball over. "Go."
Cody moved along the three-point line to set up his next shot.
"You ever want to work on shooting under pressure, you let me know," Steve said, a half-smile on his face. "I'd be happy to help you miss."
Cody gave a little chuckle. "Okay."
He took his next shot but it rolled around the rim and fell outside the basket.
"Now we're talking," Steve said as he grabbed the rebound. "Let's see if you can do anything in the paint."
He dribbled the ball a couple times close to the basket and jumped for an easy layup.
"Ha. Try that," he said, passing the ball to Cody and backing up to give him room.
Cody attempted the same layup but missed.
"So that's H-O to H," Steve said, motioning to each at their score.
Cody passed him the ball and Steve made a similar shot on the other side with his opposite hand. This time Cody was able to make the layup.
Steve nodded approvingly as he grabbed the ball before it bounced. He moved to the free throw line.
"Okay, so you made a layup. Can you make a free throw?" he asked.
"Can you?" Cody challenged.
Steve stopped, cocking an eyebrow at him. He chuckled. "I guess we'll find out."
He took his shot but the ball hit the back of the rim and bounced away from the basket. Cody jumped and caught the rebound.
"Well, at least it wasn't an airball," Steve said. "I guess we're going back to the three-point line, then?"
Cody smiled as he moved to the corner for another deep shot.
"How're you doing in school?" Steve asked.
"I do all right," Cody said.
"Yeah? You got a favorite class?"
Cody shrugged. "I kinda like Biology. We do cool labs sometimes. And World History."
"Yeah?"
"Mr. Croger, he uh . . . he talks about stuff in the news a lot, too. Like stuff that's happening in the world."
Steve nodded. "That's good."
Cody took his shot and sunk it easily. He trotted over to get the ball, and Steve scratched the back of his head as he made his way to the corner. Cody passed him the ball and he proceeded to miss the shot.
"Should've played HIPPOPOTAMUS or something," Steve muttered.
Cody snorted.
"That's H-O–" he started.
"I know how to spell," Steve said, though he was smiling.
"R," Cody finished.
Steve eyed him as he passed the ball over. "Just take your next shot."
After the game, Steve retrieved a couple water bottles from the car, and he and Cody sat on a faded bench facing the apartment building. Steve was leaning back against the bench while Cody sat forward, his forearms on his thighs.
Steve noticed Cody glancing back at him but stayed silent, drinking from his water bottle.
"So you were like . . . in the Navy, right?" Cody finally asked.
Steve swallowed his water and nodded. "I still am. I'm in the reserves now, and I served on active duty for fifteen years."
Cody paused. "And you were . . . overseas and stuff? Like in the Middle East?"
"I was a lot of places. Including the Middle East, yeah."
Cody licked his lips as he paused again.
"We've been talking about that in class. The wars. And what's happening now."
Steve nodded slowly, studying him.
"I can tell you about some stuff, Cody, but you gotta understand, I did a lot of things that are classified. And I can't talk about those."
"Okay," Cody said, looking down.
"You can ask," Steve said, leaning forward a little to try and catch his eye. "I just wanted you to know there might be times I can't answer." He shook his head. "But don't be afraid to ask. That goes for anything. Okay?"
Cody looked at him and nodded. "Okay."
Steve leaned back again and took another drink.
"My grandpa was in the Army," Cody said, fiddling with the cap of his water bottle. "He died before I was born . . . but my mom said he was in Vietnam."
Steve nodded thoughtfully. "I'm sorry you didn't get to know him. I didn't know mine either. He was in the Navy."
Cody looked back at him.
"He was killed when Pearl Harbor was attacked." Steve paused. "I'm actually named after him."
Cody looked down, kicking the ground. "I think my dad picked my name," he said quietly.
Steve paused, watching him.
"I knew a guy named Cody at the Naval Academy. He's a lieutenant colonel in the Marine Corps now."
Cody glanced back, a faint smile on his face. Steve returned his look with a small smile.
His eyes flicked over Cody's head automatically as a red car approached but he quickly recognized it as Kono's Cruze.
He straightened and nodded toward it. "Looks like the beach crew's back."
Cody looked over and stood. He picked up the ball, and he and Steve crossed the street as the car parked and the four occupants stepped out.
"Cody!" Dylan shouted, running towards him. "You shoulda come! They had boogie boards. It was so raw."
"Maybe next time," Cody said with a smile.
Chin, Kono, and Casey joined the group.
"You guys played basketball?" Casey asked, adjusting the bag on her shoulder and nodding toward the ball under her brother's arm.
"Yeah," he said with a quick glance at Steve. "HORSE."
"Who won?" Kono asked.
Cody's smile widened as Steve cringed slightly.
"You schooled him?" Chin asked the teen, a broad smile on his face.
"I didn't get schooled," Steve protested. "I only lost by one letter."
"He couldn't hit a three-pointer," Cody said.
Steve gave him a look but finally smiled. He shrugged. "Yeah, I'm good down low but I don't have much beyond the arc."
Chin and Kono smiled.
Dylan looked at Cody. "When are Jake and Kaitlyn getting back?"
Steve glanced at his watch. "They should be here any minute."
"Can we go up?" Casey asked. "I'm gonna take a shower."
"Yeah, you smell like sunscreen," Cody said. He took the key from around his neck and handed it to her. "Here. Both of you go. I'll be up as soon as the others get here."
"Okay," Dylan said as he and Casey turned toward the apartment building.
"Hey, what are you–" Cody started.
"Thank you!" Dylan said, turning and waving at Chin and Kono.
"Thanks for taking us to the beach," Casey said. "It was really fun."
"Absolutely," Kono said, holding out her fist for a bump to Casey and then Dylan.
"See you next week, all right?" Chin said.
Dylan nodded. "Yup."
"See ya," Casey said with a smile.
The two walked toward the building.
"Lock it behind you," Cody called after them.
"I know," Casey returned.
As soon as they disappeared inside the remaining four saw the familiar blue truck pulling up. Once it had parked the rear door opened and Jacob jumped down.
"Cody! Cody! I saw a shark!" he said, running over with a small stuffed shark in his hand.
"Oh yeah?" Cody said. "What else?"
"Jellyfish and a turtle and seals and lots of fish. All the colors!"
"What about you, Kaitlyn?" Kono asked as the young girl joined them with Grace at her side. "What was your favorite animal?"
"I like the seahorses," Kaitlyn said. "Their tails curl. Like this." She motioned in the air with her finger. "Right, Grace?"
"Right," the older girl said with a smile.
"And we got matching bracelets," Kaitlyn said, holding out her wrist to show a beaded bracelet with a silver seahorse charm on it.
Grace put her wrist next to Kaitlyn's as Catherine and Danny reached the group.
"Very pretty," Chin said.
"Did you play basketball, Cody?" Jacob asked.
"Yeah, we played HORSE. Do you remember I told you about that game?"
Jacob squinted, quirking his lips as he thought. "Kind of. Did you win?"
"Yup."
"Oh really?" Danny said with a broad smile.
Steve rolled his eyes. "Don't start. I only lost by one letter." He looked at Cody. "We'll have a rematch. And I won't make the mistake of letting you go first again," he added with a smile.
Cody shrugged, seemingly unconcerned.
"He get you on the perimeter?" Catherine asked Steve.
He pressed his lips together and gave a small nod.
"Aww," she said, rubbing his arm and smiling. She mouthed, "Smart," to Cody who smiled, looking down.
"What letter do you need?" Jacob asked Steve. "I know all my letters."
The adults chuckled.
"I'll explain it again later, Jake," Cody said. "Come on, let's go up. Mom'll be home soon."
Both of the kids beamed at that news.
"I'm gonna tell her about the shark," Jacob announced.
"And show her my bracelet," Kaitlyn added.
"Did you say thank you?" Cody asked.
"Yup," Kaitlyn said.
"Several times," Catherine confirmed, smiling.
"Is Dylan back?" Jacob asked. "I want to show him my shark." He moved the stuffed toy in the air as if it were swimming.
"Yeah, they're upstairs," Cody said. "Say goodbye to everyone."
"Bye," Kaitlyn said, smiling first at Catherine and then turning to hug Grace and Danny. "You're gonna come again soon?"
"You bet," Danny said. "Next week."
Grace nodded. "I've got a cheer competition and Danno's gonna bring you so you can watch."
Kaitlyn smiled, nodding her excitement. "Okay."
Jacob wrapped his arms around Catherine's waist and looked up at her.
"What are we gonna do?" he asked.
"Well, there's a LEGO program at the library," she said.
His eyes widened. "LEGOs? I love LEGOs!"
"I thought you might," she said with a smile.
"I've got a LEGO pillow," he continued, stepping back. "Cody got it for me. But it's not hard like a LEGO. It's a real pillow."
"Okay, Jake, say goodbye," Cody prompted.
"Bye!" he said, waving at the group.
"Bye," Kaitlyn echoed, also waving.
There was a chorus of goodbyes from the team and Grace. Cody looked at Steve and nodded.
"Thanks for the game. And uh . . . pumping the ball up," he said. "See ya."
"Yup," Steve returned with his own nod. "Next week."
"Okay."
He turned and started to walk toward the building, his youngest siblings in tow. Jacob reached up and grabbed the basketball from under his arm, holding onto it with both hands along with his stuffed shark.
Once they were inside, Steve glanced at his watch and said, "It's a little early for dinner, but you guys want to meet somewhere in an hour or so?"
Catherine and Chin nodded.
"Yeah, sounds good," Kono said.
"Grace?" Danny asked.
"Definitely," she agreed with a big smile.
"Side Street?" Chin suggested. "5:30?"
Steve nodded. "All right. See you there."
He handed the keys to the Camaro back to Danny, and the group dispersed to their respective vehicles.
As they walked toward the truck, Steve said to Catherine, "Sounds like they had fun."
"Yeah, Jacob and Kaitlyn loved the aquarium," she said. "Grace, too, though I know she's been there before. And Danny did his best Finding Nemo impressions."
"I don't know what that means," he said. "I mean, I know it's a movie. About fish."
She smiled. "He tried a couple of accents. And there's a little song: 'Just keep swimming, just keep swimming.' "
Steve chuckled.
"Jacob asked if you had ever taken me to the aquarium," Catherine said as they reached the truck. "Had to report that was a negative. Then Danny found this." She took a small flier out of her pocket and handed it to him. "Said if we don't already have Valentine's Day plans . . ."
He read the heading. "The 'Seaduction Tour'?" He gave her a sidelong glance. "Are you serious?" He scanned the rest of the copy, his brow furrowing. He read the last sentence in disbelief. " 'This intimate Aquarium tour highlights courtship rituals, monogamy, gender-swapping, and male pregnancy. Adults only' . . .? Catherine–" he looked at her.
"I booked us for the 11th," she said, taking his water bottle.
His eyes widened. "You did not."
"No, I didn't," she said, laughing "But, oh my God, your face."
He sighed, crumpling the paper in his hands as she took a quick drink.
"That may be someone's idea of romantic," she said. "But it's not mine."
He shook his head, a smile on his face.
Her expression grew more serious. "How'd it go with Cody?" she asked.
He nodded thoughtfully, looking up at the apartment building. "Good," he said and looked back at her. "Small steps, you know? Something to build on."
She gave him a sincere smile. "Yeah."
He returned her smile, and she squeezed his forearm before turning to walk around the truck to the passenger door.
Steve looked up once again and this time saw Cody standing at the window of one of the apartments. He gave a brief wave, and Cody paused for a beat then raised a hand in return. Steve opened the door and slid into the driver's seat smiling to himself.
Hope you enjoyed!
Notes: Thanks to my brother for input on some of the basketball phrases. Much appreciated!
Aquarium information, including the Seaduction Tour, is from the Waikiki Aquarium's website.
Keep track of all the REAL World stories on our Tumblr page - mcrollintherealworld at tumblr dot com
You can still join our mailing list by emailing us realmcroll at yahoo dot com with Add me, please! in the subject line.