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Already Did
Part 2 of the 3rd annual Real World Holiday Marathon
5:00 a.m.
"Morning." Steve's voice was rough from sleep but his eyes were bright and smiling into hers when Catherine pulled back from their kiss. She'd hoped not to wake him, but when she reentered the room the sleepy hazel orbs were following her questioningly.
"Good morning," she beamed from where she'd perched on his side of the bed. She ran a hand over his chest and rested it on his jaw below his ear. "Cammie's fed and I ran her with the ball." Her thumb moved gently across his stubbled chin, slowing when she drew it over his bottom lip.
He pushed up on an elbow, captured her hand and kissed her fingers. "It was my turn, you should be sleeping in. You're only going to work from nine til twelve …"
"I fell asleep at like ten thirty last night." A chuckle escaped her lips. And when I got up to pee at four fifteen I was all … energized, so I ran her. Besides, you looked too handsome to disturb … again." She grinned, leaning down for a slow kiss. "Especially since you got in so late and we were up for an hour at two. I figured you should sleep." She shrugged, and instead of walking around to her side, crawled up and over him to reach it, settling against him comfortably and entwining their legs.
"If that's what you call disturbing me, please disturb me anytime, 24/7, 365, Lieutenant." His voice took on a familiar timbre and he slid a hand behind her head to pull her in for a deep kiss that only ended with their need to breathe. "But you should sleep now." He lifted his wrist. "You can stay in bed til 7:30."
"Only if you do. It was what, midnight when you got home? You can sleep till 7:30 if we shower together and grab breakfast in the building cafeterias or have a couple energy bars."
Steve grinned. "Shower together and make it out of the house by …" he raised his eyebrows.
Her smirk mirrored his. "8:40. Piece of cake." She pecked his lips. "Sleep. We have another two and a half hours,"
She felt his chuckle rumble through her when he agreed, "You sleep. You need energy for shopping with Gracie this afternoon."
She nodded and molding herself even tighter against him, sighed contentedly and closed her eyes.
Edwards' Residence
Catherine greeted Rachel with a smile when she entered the foyer of the Edwards' home.
"Hi Auntie Catherine!" Charles was beaming at her as he ran down the stairs to give her a hug. "Grace'll be right down she's …" he glanced at his mother "in the restroom," he emphasized and added, "She had to pee."
Rachel bent to his eye level and said, "That was very good, darling, but we don't tell people we're peeing, right? Remember we said they already know that from the word restroom?" She smiled at Catherine who gave her a tiny grin when Charles nodded and said, "That's because people don't go in the bathroom to rest."
As the adults chuckled, Rachel gave Catherine a brief hug. "Congratulations. Grace told us about the baby. She's simply ecstatic. You look wonderful by the way and Steve must be thrilled."
Catherine smiled ear to ear. "Thanks, we're very excited and we're happy Grace is excited, too."
"She adores you both and she really is quite good at minding Charles. She'll be a marvelous sitter." She ran a hand over her son's hair affectionately. "Did she tell you she's signed up for the child and infant CPR recertification and it doesn't even expire until April?"
"Danny told us. She said she wants to be re-certified way before my due date in case the baby comes a little early."
Rachel returned the smile that hadn't left Catherine's face and both women turned when Grace appeared at the top of the stairs.
"Hi! I'm all set." She caught Catherine in a hug. "It's awesome you've got half a day off, we can start nice and early." She turned to her brother. "Give me a hug, I'll see you on Christmas before you go to bed, okay?"
Charles nodded vigorously. "'kay." He looked at Catherine. "We saw Santa yesterday and we got Mommy a present but it's a secret." He looked at his mother with a smile.
"That sounds like you had a great day." Catherine bent to hug him. "You have a Merry Christmas, Charles."
"Merry Christmas!" He replied and added, "Grace said you're gonna be a mom."
"I am. In about six months."
When he glanced at her, Rachel supplied, "That's just about halfway through summer vacation."
"Oh. You're gonna be good at it," he said with a definitive nod.
"Thanks, Sweetie." She leaned down to kiss his cheek.
"Let's let Grace and Aunt Catherine get on their way, shall we?" Rachel held out her arms to her daughter, who walked into her embrace. "I love you, darling, I'll see you on Christmas. Tell your father and Uncle Steve I said happy holidays." She kissed the teenager who was fast approaching her in height.
"Love you, Mom." Grace adjusted her purse on her shoulder and kissed her brother one more time, saying, "And you." Looking at Catherine she grinned, "Let's go shopping."
Ala Moana Mall
Grace hit send and put her phone on the table. "Nonna never saw frozen hot chocolate." She grinned at sending the image of herself and Catherine to her great grandmother. When a response arrived with a ping she showed it to her aunt with a grin.
My two beautiful girls. I'm not sure frozen white chocolate can be called hot, bambina, but it looks delicious, enjoy. Xoxoxo Nonna
"She still signs her texts, 'Nonna', isn't that cute?" Grace giggled.
"Adorable." Catherine agreed.
"Even though Danno and Aunt Angela showed her how it says NONNA in the display."
"That makes it even more adorable. That and the hugs and kisses."
"I taught her that."
"Of course you did."
Grace gestured to the white chocolate-peppermint drink. "I can't finish."
"Are you sure?" Catherine pushed her own empty glass aside. "'Cause I'll finish it if you don't want it."
Placing a hand on her stomach, Grace shook her head. "Way too full. My cousin Niblet can have the rest." Her grin lit her eyes.
"Your cousin says thanks." Catherine lifted the glass Grace slid towards her and took a sip, grinning around the straw.
"Crazy how you don't even look a teeny bit pregnant. My mom's bump was showing by now when she was pregnant with Charles."
Catherine shook her head. "I think my face looks different, it's kind of rounder."
"I can't really see it." Grace said honestly. "But I keep waiting for you to pop," She pointed to her aunt's midriff, "and have a baby bump."
Catherine smiled. "I'm definitely going to have to get new pants soon, I've gained almost four pounds." She finished the last of Grace's drink and wiped her mouth, crumbling the napkin onto the plate that had contained her turkey burger wrap with avocado and German potato salad.
"Let's get some today!" Grace bubbled.
"It can wait a week or two, Sweetie, I don't want to take away from Christmas shopping time."
"No, it'll be fun. Unless you wanna go with Uncle Steve." Grace added. "I totally understand."
Catherine laughed. "The last thing I need to do with Uncle Steve is shop for clothes. Maternity or otherwise. I want him to share everything about the baby, and he'd totally go if I asked, but let's be realistic," she grinned, "can you actually see him in a maternity shop?"
Grace laughed. "No, guess not."
"Exactly. So if you want to …"
"I really do."
"Okay, we'll stop for a few pairs of work pants. This way I'll have them when I'm ready." Catherine could be a quick shopper, born of years in uniform, and she was already calculating she'd need three pairs of pants: black, grey and blue. "There aren't any in the mall, but there's a maternity shop on Lumianina."
"Ohhh perfect. I think you should get a couple of tops, too. Definitely a purple one."
Catherine smiled at her niece's enthusiasm. "Tell you what, if we have time, we'll look at tops, but today is about you picking up your gifts for your dad and Uncle Steve. So let's get the bill and hit the stores."
Just as Catherine was about to pay the check, her phone rang. Seeing it was Steve she handed her credit card to Grace and said, "It's Uncle Steve, sweetie, can you take care of this?"
Grace nodded and gestured she was going to stop at the restroom, mouthing, 'I should have gone with you before,' then turned to walk towards the counter as Catherine nodded and said, "Hey, everything okay?" into the phone.
"Hey. Not bad. Mike Keaweamahi is still ducking us. Carmen Clifton told us she's had a few hang up calls. She's pretty sure it's him. She's probably right. Duke is gonna step up patrols in her neighborhood just as a precaution. "
"Is she ok?"
Steve's voice was low and more than a little tense. "She's so young, Catherine. She knows she did the right thing but she's still … it's tough. Outside of her roommates I don't think she has much of a support system. And they're practically still kids themselves."
"I'm sorry we didn't get a chance to talk last night. I tried to wait up but Niblet was determined to turn in early. What's your take on her? I mean … I can tell you think she's credible." She knew him well enough to hear it in his voice.
"Yeah. She's scared. She had a rough start, but I think she's basically a good kid. She was worried about RJ and Gina, two kids she never even met face to face, so she called it in even though she knew it would probably cost her her job."
"She cared enough to put their welfare first. That says a lot about her."
"She's feisty. And smart. She reminds me of Gracie a little. Her life might have been very different if she'd had a few breaks growing up."
"Hopefully knowing she stepped up in this case and did the right thing will build her confidence. It may even be what she needs to turn herself around."
Catherine thought of Mary and how one positive step in the right direction could put a person on a path to change everything for the better.
"What's Danny's take?"
"Danny's Danny. He feels for Carmen and he's pissed at the Vanovers. The whole situation sucks, Cath." An audible sigh reached her ears and she wished she could touch him, give her support physically as well as verbally. "I gotta go, I just wanted to …" She could picture him running a hand through his hair. "Keep you in the loop."
"If you need me, call me back."
"I will. Cath?"
"Yeah?"
"Love you. Both of you."
Her heart swelled. It was the first time he'd said that out loud. "We love you. Be safe." She looked at the phone for a long second after he'd ended the call, and when she glanced back up, Grace was returning. Catherine smiled and when her niece reached her side, stood to follow her into the concourse of the mall.
Mall Level 2, Ewa Wing
"So …" Catherine said as they rounded a corner. "I have a little early Christmas gift for you."
"Really?" Grace's expression had her smiling.
"Let's go pick it out." She pointed to the Sephora store that was just ahead and the teen's eyes lit.
"Makeup?"
"Makeup. Danny said I could get you a few things. Now that the ban has been relaxed," she chuckled. "I thought if we got it now, you could wear it for Christmas."
"I love this store!" Grace exclaimed as they entered to find several salespeople sporting makeup in what could only be described as subtle to diva to outright theatrical.
"Can I help you ladies?" A twentyish girl with sparkly pink eyeshadow approached.
"We need some colored lip gloss and mascara for my niece." Catherine pointed to Grace, who nodded politely but was staring in awe at the rows and rows of cosmetics.
"Mascara? Danno agreed to mascara?" Grace's excitement was palpable.
"As long as you don't overdo it, he and your mom agreed to mascara and lip gloss with color.
"Thank you. I know Mom was the easier sell." She giggled with excitement.
"Maybe a little." Catherine winked. "So, let's get brown mascara, it's more subtle," she explained and turned back to the sales associate. "What can you show us that's new and fun in lipgloss?"
As they both tried on several shades of gloss, Grace shook her head. "Remember when we went shopping and you guessed I wanted a bra?"
Catherine wiped a too-pink shade off and grinned. "You were adorable."
"I couldn't even get the words out and you guessed. You even bought me a second sun dress. Then you talked to Danno." She rolled her eyes exaggeratedly. "I'm sure that was a fun talk."
Catherine chuckled. "There was a tiny bit of hyperventilating but he saw the light pretty fast. Faster than I thought, actually."
"You're the best." Grace hugged her. "You really are."
Catherine's voice caught slightly as she returned the impromptu hug. "Thanks, Sweetie, so are you."
"I'll pay it forward with Niblet someday." Grace pointed at her aunt's midriff. "I'll take her or him shopping and buy cool stuff."
"I know you will. The baby is very lucky to have you." Catherine sniffed. "Now don't make me teary. Hormones, remember?" Her eyes were full but her expression was gleeful.
They exchanged a smile and Grace pointed at the lipgloss shade she was wearing. "Does this one look okay? I really like it."
"That one's perfect. And the peach. We'll both get the light mauve one, too."
"We can match." She repeated what she'd often say when she was younger. "I still love that."
"Me, too." Catherine's eyes shone with happiness at the look on her niece's face. "How about we pay for these and go pick up the stuff for your dad and Uncle Steve?"
An hour later they were walking through the mall with their purchases, which included Steve and Danny's gifts from Grace, when they came upon the refreshment area near the mall Santa who was sitting on a wicker throne, listening intently to the toddler chattering on his knee.
They took a seat and Grace placed her hand on Catherine's arm and squeezed gently. "Next year!" She bubbled as Catherine smiled at the baby's mom who was waving from a few feet away in attempt to get the child to look at the photographer. "Of course, my cousin is gonna know exactly what he or she wants from Santa already, and won't cry at all."
Catherine laughed. "Niblet will only be six months old next Christmas."
"Still," Grace teased, "it's your baby and Uncle Steve's. Pretty sure it'll want cammo something." She leaned into her aunt's side and giggled. "I'm gonna get a drink, do you want one?"
She nodded. "A water, please." She reached for her wallet but Grace waved her off and was already a few feet away. As the teen got into a queue, Catherine's eyes drifted back to the gaily decorated Meet Santa area and a soft smile appeared as a memory surfaced.
December 1983
O Club
"Are you ready to tell Santa Claus what you want for Christmas, honey?" The smiling ensign asked the dark haired little girl who was holding each of her parents' hands in hers.
"I already got what I wanted." Five year old Catherine looked at her father and beamed. "My daddy's been stateside since summer so he's home for Christmas." She squeezed his hand. "And my Grandma Ang is coming."
The ensign shared a knowing look with a slightly misty-eyed Lieutenant Joseph Rollins. He'd spent enough holidays deployed to know how much it meant to be with his own children that year.
"Well that sounds like the best present of all, but I'm sure Santa has something extra for a good little girl."
Catherine nodded and tugged on Elizabeth's hand as her turn neared. "I'm next, Mommy!"
"Yes, you are. And I'm going to take your picture so smile nice and big, okay?" She knelt and adjusted the collar of her daughter's new red sweater, a present from Aunt Louise.
"Okay." Catherine dropped her father's hand and all but hopped up the steps to the platform and gave her mother a beautiful smile from Santa's knee.
After telling Santa her name and grade, and that her grandma was flying in the next day for a whole two weeks, she answered his question of 'what do you want for Christmas?"
"A ship."
Santa smiled and said, "A ship?" She nodded assuredly, beaming when he added, "Spoken like a sailor's daughter."
"I'm gonna be a sailor, too. I'm going to the academy."
"Ah ha, I'll bet you are, sweetheart." He reached into his pack and gave her a stuffed bear sporting an elf hat. "Here's a little early present for today and I bet you get that ship."
"Thank you, Santa." She slid off his lap, hugging the bear. "Merry Christmas. And Merry Christmas to Mrs. Claus."
She rejoined her parents just as Elizabeth and Joseph exchanged a proud glance as Santa thanked their daughter for being so thoughtful.
Present
Catherine was still smiling at the memory.
She'd gotten her ship. And had spent countless hours sailing it with a crew of figures, captained by none other than Donald Duck.
Thinking of the Donald Duck onesies waiting to be worn, She ran a hand over her tummy and whispered, "next year," before looking up to see Grace approaching with a smile.
The mall Santa, passing by on his break, smiled at the stunning young woman and beaming teenager. "Don't you girls look happy. Good day?"
Grace nodded with a little giggle. "Great day, Santa."
"That's what I like to hear. Mele Kalikimaka, I hope you both get everything you want."
When Catherine subconsciously brushed her left hand over her tummy the light caught her rings. With a smile that could outshine the sun, she answered softly, "I already did."
# End - thanks for reading
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