Sammy and Ilna: In a tumultuous year, two of the best things in my life weren't things, they were you two incredible people. I'm so thankful every single day for your very very REAL friendship. Much love Xo
#REALMcRollers I can't say it enough… Thankful for all the love and support for us and the REAL Steve and Catherine. Hugs and love!
Thank you Super Sammy for another great title!
A special hug to a little lady across the pond, her big brothers and her simply wonderful mum for some fabulous stories that inspire me and make me laugh!
Au Naturale
As soon as Steve stepped into his and Catherine's bedroom, he stooped to catch a flying Joan who was running at him.
Arms outstretched, the toddler gleefully squealed, "Unca Teeve!"
Scooping her up and smiling when her little arms wound around his neck, Steve said, "Cath? Where are her clothes?" Not immediately seeing her, he repeated, "Catherine?"
"What, Steve?" She popped up from where she'd been peering under her side of the bed and pushed the hair out of her eyes.
"She's, running around …" his voice dropped to a whisper, "naked, Catherine."
"She's two, Steve." She snorted a laugh. "We came in here looking for the pink leggings my mom brought her because I was going to change her."
"BINK! BINK egg-enns!"
Catherine held the pair of leggings in one hand. "Somebody was hiding these from Aunt Cath." She held out her arms and Joan squirmed to get down. "I looked under the bed and by the time I looked up, she'd stripped down, diaper and all, and was running around au naturale like that." She grinned.
When Steve set her feet on the floor, Joan looked over at Catherine.
"C'mon, silly girl, let's get you dressed." She waggled her fingers so Joan would come to her.
"Potty," Joan announced, and before either of the highly trained naval officers could make a move, there was a puddle on the floor beneath the toddler. "Potty!" she proclaimed again as Catherine scooped her up and, holding her slightly away from her own body, headed for the bathroom.
"Oops, I guess now we're going to wash up and then we'll get you dressed in your pretty leggings, okay, Sweetie?"
As Catherine was taking her into their bathroom, Danny poked his head in the doorway. "Hey, you guys almost ready? Mary said she's got Joan's snack set up ... ah guess not." He smirked at his partner cleaning up the floor with the towel that he'd grabbed from the bathroom.
"Just a quick clean up first - little potty accident." Catherine called out.
"Ahh diaper leaks, I remember them well," Danny said.
"No diaper," Steve told him with a look of concern. "She wasn't wearing a diaper. She was running around naked when I got in here. Apparently that's a new … thing."
"Yeah, well, they'll do that, Babe. Grace would decide she wanted to play dress-up and we'd turn around and suddenly she was wearing Cinderella's glass slippers and nothing else. She was just about Joan's age. Even if it was chilly in the condo, she'd be waving the Cinderella dress, looking at me with that beautiful face, saying, 'Me princess. Dress please.' " The look in Danny's eyes at the memory was one of pure love.
Steve ran a hand through his hair and across the back of his neck. "Gracie outgrew that quick though, right? I mean, I don't want Joanie thinking it's okay to walk around naked or in her underwear when she's ... you know ... older."
Danny rubbed his hands together. "Oh, this is gonna be fun. You used to tell me not to worry so much - the combat boot's on the other foot now, isn't it, my friend?" As he glanced at Catherine who was carrying Joan, his eyes twinkled with mirth and he muttered, "and just you wait ..." his voice was pitched too low for audition, but a smile was firmly in place.
Steve looked at Catherine as Danny chuckled, "I'll tell Mary you'll be down in a few minutes," and left the room.
He approached the bed where a clean and dressed Joan was relinquishing a fistful of Catherine's hair to hold her hands as she bounced on the mattress. "You have to keep your clothes on, okay, Joanie?" He kissed her cheek and took her from Catherine who raised an eyebrow. "What? I think it's best to reinforce how it's not a good idea to be running around naked."
"Naaay-kid!" Joan parroted.
Catherine laughed. "Which is definitely not your normal philosophy. If you recall pancake night," she teased. "Or when we happen to be awake at two a.m., or any given morning, for that matter; or..."
"I get it." He smirked knowingly and leaned into the soft kiss she placed on his lips. "But that's totally different. Joanie is gonna remember not to toss her clothes off and run around ..." Catherine's expression stopped him, and he shook his head. "At least til she's forty."
He kissed her again, quickly.
"Kiss!" Joan happily announced and grabbed Steve's face to kiss his cheek then offered her own to Catherine. "Unca Teeve, Ann Caf, Kiss!"
Catherine kissed her little cheek and leaning up to place one more kiss on Steve's lips, she was stopped at Joan's words.
"Mama kiss Aawon."
Catherine laughed as Mary came into the room. "Hey, Danny told me you had it under control but I'm sorry about the floor, I can clean ..."
"Don't be silly, already done," Catherine told her.
"Thanks, guys. C'mon, peanut, let's get you your snack." She reached to take Joan from her brother.
Steve nodded, "Go ahead, Joanie, Uncle Danno might eat up all the food if you don't."
/
Downstairs, Elizabeth was chuckling at Danny's retelling of Joan's antics when Steve and Catherine joined the family in the living room.
"I hear Joan was a little fast for you two?" she said with a grin.
"Definitely." Catherine nodded and picked up Joan, who had run up to her, arms outstretched. "You were very fast!" She tickled the toddler and turned to face her parents. "She said 'potty' and before we could even move, well …" She shrugged.
"She's quick," Steve said a glint of pride in his eyes. "And she used the element of surprise."
"And you were distracted by your 'she's running around naked' freak out," Mary giggled.
"Thanks, Danny," Steve deadpanned as he took a seat in the armchair while Catherine sat cross-legged at his feet so Joan could pet Cammie.
"What are friends for?" his partner laughed.
"Don't let him tease you, it happens all the time, Steve," Grandma Ang smiled at him.
"Yeah, two year olds will do that, big brother. It doesn't mean she's gonna end up dancing on a pole."
"Mary!" Steve looked between his sister and Joan, who was happily combing her fingers through Cammie's fur while perched in Catherine's lap. "She'll hear you!"
"Oh my God." Mary laughed "Because she knows what a pole dancer is? You are way, way too easy to tease."
"How's the potty training going?" Danny asked.
"Good, actually. I figured we'd backslide a little with the travelling and the time change, but we're doing pretty good." Mary smiled.
"Was I hard to potty train, Danno?" Grace asked from where she was seated next to Catherine and Joan on the floor.
"You," Danny nodded, "Were a dream. Never had an accident …" He winked at Joseph who was grinning.
"Danno, that can't be true, Charles had like a billion accidents." She looked at Catherine's parents. "He even had one in the middle of my mom's new sofa."
"Catherine trained exceptionally early, didn't she, Elizabeth?" Grandma noted with a smile at her granddaughter.
"Actually, she did. She was trained, excluding an occasional accident, at fourteen months."
"Overachiever," Danny teased. At Grace's look, he added, "Girls potty train earlier than boys, but between two and three is average." Before she could ask, he said, "you were a little over two."
"So you were super smart even then, Auntie Cath." Grace looked at her.
"I don't know if it was smarts, but Mom went through a lot less diapers, I guess," Catherine grinned.
"Actually, we were stationed in Japan before Catherine was born and they train babies very early in Asian countries. I gave it a try and your Aunt Catherine adapted right off." She grinned at her daughter. "But of course my baby was especially brilliant."
Catherine kneeled up. Leaning in, she kissed her mom's cheek. "Then it's good genes from you and dad."
"Even if you did try to escape at bathtime and tear around naked, just like Joan. Right, Joseph?"
"Absolutely. Nothing like trying to catch a soapy toddler running at full tilt into the kitchen." He laughed and looked at Steve. "They really all do that at some point."
"I remember training you and your brother, Elizabeth," Ang said and chuckled. "We couldn't wait to get our kids trained back in those days." She pointed at Danny and Mary. "You young people never had to deal with cloth diapers."
"Okay, no. That's ... yuck." Mary wrinkled her nose.
Steve pointed at his sister, "I just remembered you had a little potty chair that you'd drag around. You left it in my room." He raised an eyebrow. "I almost tripped over it."
"Sorry?" Mary shrugged and giggled. "Was it … used?"
"I think that was the point. You wanted to show me you'd used the potty like a big kid."
"Awwwww," Grace said, "That's so cute."
Aaron smiled. "If my sister had an accident in her bed, she'd come into my room and crawl up onto mine. She was about three, I think, and my poor mom would have to change two sets of sheets and my sister's pajamas. Not to mention have me wake her and Dad saying 'please come change her, she's all wet.'"
As everyone chuckled, Catherine placed a hand on Steve's calf and traced up and down gently before moving to lean against his legs. He brushed his fingers lightly through her hair as she turned to smile softly at him.
"Hey, I could use a snack, what about everyone else?" she announced, and Grace stood to add, "I'll help."
"Great, there's popcorn and fresh fruit, let's bring it in here." Catherine moved to stand, but her mom waved her back down.
"You and Steve sit. C'mon, Grace, let's get the snacks. Joseph, come grab some water and juice."
Catherine's look wasn't lost on Elizabeth, who lightly squeezed Steve's shoulder as she passed his chair.
A bit later, as everyone was enjoying their snack, Catherine sat beside her mother on the sofa and placed a kiss on her cheek.
"Thanks, Mom."
"No need to thank me, Sweetheart. You know we love him."
Catherine smiled Elizabeth's smile. "I do know." She glanced at Steve who grinned at them from where he was explaining something to Grace.
"And so does he."
/
After everyone was settled that evening when Steve brushed against her as they moved around the den preparing for bed, Catherine reached for his hand and pulled him into a hug.
"Hey." She pressed her forehead to his when he bent to kiss her. "You good?" She gently ran her hands in little circles on his back.
"I'm good." He tightened the embrace. "Better than good. How'd you …" he shook his head. "Nevermind. You always know. Thanks."
She shrugged. "I love you." She spoke against his chest as she held on for a few heartbeats.
"Love you." His eyes lit, and he leaned back while keeping his arms around her waist. He kissed her softly before his next words lightened the mood. "So, you were escaping the bathtub and tearing around naked, huh?"
She grinned. "Au naturale, as the story goes."
"Hmm." He swayed them gently in place and pretended to contemplate until Cammie came up and pawed his leg.
They slowly stepped out of the embrace. "I'll take her. C'mon, baby." Catherine slipped into shoes and led the dog to the den door.
"You sure?"
She looked over her shoulder, hand on the knob. "Yep. Be right back. In the meantime, you can think about any changes you wanna make to your 'running around naked' policy, Commander." Her laughter followed her outside.
Ten minutes later when they returned, Cammie greeted Steve and curled up on her bed in the corner with a contented sigh as Catherine crawled up next to him on the air mattress. "So?" She licked her lips.
"Hmm?" His eyes lingered on her mouth, and his eyes darkened.
"I know that look, Commander, but should we discuss policies first?" She grinned.
"And I know that look, Lieutenant." He guided her onto her back and hovered over her. "I don't have to discuss my policy, because it remains intact. 'No running around naked' has never and will never apply to us."
"Sorted that out, did you?" She smiled against his lips.
"Very carefully." He slid his hands under her t-shirt and pulled it up and off. "Gave it lots of thought." He pressed his lips to her pulse point.
"I can tell." She pulled him against her until they were touching head to toe. "Feels like you're very happy to see me," she smirked at his groan when she moved to slide her foot up and down the back of his calf.
"I'm always happy to see you." He grinned before kissing her deeply.
She pulled him against her with a gentle heel at the base of his spine and lifted her hips to press against him. "Hmm true, but ..." His familiar growl at the intimate contact made her smile. "sometimes it's a lot more … obvious than others."
His grin was wolfish. "Gonna do something about that, Lieutenant?"
"Ummm hmmm." She nodded and slid her hands to his butt and gasped his name when he nibbled softly at her collar bone.
Steve stifled a groan against her shoulder and they laughed softly against each other's lips when they simultaneously said "shhhh".
"Sound restricti … umm, I … where were we?" He looked at her with darkened eyes.
"I was about to show you exactly how happy I am to see you, Commander."
Hours later, Catherine woke and shifted to watch him sleep. He was on his back, tilted slightly towards her, breathing evenly. She gently ran a hand through the hair at his temple and smiled when he didn't stir. She loved that he didn't bolt awake if she touched him as he slept. Steve was always aware to some degree, even while asleep, and his knowing it was her and they were safe, that he could continue to rest - warmed her to her soul.
She snuggled against him and pillowed her head over the steady thrum of his heart. Whispering, "Sleep well. Love you," against his skin when his arm slid down to encircle her waist. His fingers came to rest on her hip as he huffed a contented sound and murmured, "Cath," without waking up.
She placed a soft kiss against his chest, remembering how her heart clenched earlier during the family's telling of potty training anecdotes. Catherine had been keenly aware there was no one to tell a story about Steve. No parent to tease or brag. He hadn't shown any sadness over it, he rarely did, but it had automatically made her reach out to comfort him.
His comment when they were alone later confirmed he'd known exactly what she'd been doing and why, and that he was grateful for her love and support. Before closing her eyes she took another glance at his face. His features were relaxed in sleep and she raised her left hand to touch the smile lines at the corner of his eyes, thinking they made him even more handsome.
The Steve lying at her side was so much more content than the young man she'd fell in love with back at the academy, and that was everything. It was exactly what she'd wanted for him.
The beautiful hazel eyes drifted open and met hers. "Everything okay?" His voice was rough.
"Mmmhmm go back to sleep." She nodded as his right hand moved to take hers and settle back against his tummy, even as he drifted back to sleep. Catherine felt herself sliding into slumber and a tiny smile graced her lips as she murmured, "Everything is … amazing."
.
End. Thanks for reading
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Don't miss tomorrow's THANKSGIVING DAY marathon story!
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