Super thanks to Ilna & Sammy for their input on this one. And to Ilna for starting the Halloween theme and Sammy for writing the Halloween Party, because I really, really wanted to write an after party story, Halloween being my favorite holiday and all.

Thanks to all our readers, guests and #REALMcRollers for your continued love & support! We're so happy you love the REAL World as much as we do. I hope you enjoy the extra posting this week.

Love & Nonna Hugs, Mari

This is part three of our Halloween Trilogy, and follows I Asked You Not to Tell Me That by Sammy

/

Would You Believe?

Danny and Grace Williams' residence
12:45 a.m.

Steve, Catherine, Kono, Chin and some of the other adults stayed after the Halloween party to help Danny clean and set the house straight. They'd ended up polishing off a few more pizzas as they were working and talking. After a couple of hours, Steve and Catherine were the last to leave.

"That was … something." Steve shook his head as he, Catherine and Cammie climbed into the truck. Once in the familiar back seat, Cammie immediately settled down for a snooze, still wearing her Five-0 bandana.

"Wasn't that wonderful? Getting to be there for Grace's first boy/girl party was so special," Catherine sighed happily, "and she had a great time." She caught Steve's look and cocked an eyebrow.

"I'm glad Gracie had fun and she looked perfect." Steve was still smiling at how she'd run out into the yard where they were cleaning up after the scavenger hunt to salute them before she finally went to bed. "I just … I still don't know about that book of games being for kids, a lot of them were way too … touchy."

Catherine laughed, "Touchy?"

"Yeah, too many of those games involved touching. Touchy." His brows knitted in a slight frown.

"Steve…"

"Cath, any party game that involves some little …" He stopped and glanced at her before continuing, "… um, kid, getting too close to Gracie is too touchy."

"Aw, and here I thought you liked … touchy." Catherine grinned and dropped her hand to Steve's thigh.

"See, with you, I like touchy. If we … ah,'" When her hand slid higher, Steve's voice caught for a second before he continued with a smirk. "… if we ever played those games, we'd win. No contest."

"Especially the touchy ones, huh?"

"All of 'em. Piece of cake. 'Guess who kissed your cheek' or 'identify your partner's hands with a blindfold on.'" He scoffed.

"Steve?" She was as competitive as he was, but she shook her head with an amused smile.

"What?" He looked completely serious. "We always win competitions when we're teamed up, Catherine. You seriously don't think I could tell if it was your fingers I was touching? Or if it was you who kissed my forehead?"

"Of course you could. What I meant was, those games are for kids, not monogamous couples who've been having sex for fifteen years. Besides, you wouldn't have to touch my hand; you could pick me out by … the pattern of my breathing, even. Same goes for me."

Steve looked proud when he confirmed, "Exactly."

"The touching part would just be extra fun." Catherine laughed at his expression when she added, "you did good, tonight. You didn't scare any of the boys too badly."

"Hmpf." His smile gave him away.

"Come on, Grace had a blast."

"She really did. They all did. But that was still something, keeping an eye on all those kids."

"You mean watching all those boys like you were evaluating enemy maneuvers …" She grinned and removed her hand from his thigh to gently poke his ribs with a finger, "go ahead, tell me I'm wrong." She couldn't hold back a giggle.

Steve held up a hand in surrender, "Okay, okay, you're not wrong, but I was only backing Danny up …"

"Aren't you the guy who texted me about busting Danny for calling a ten year old kid Ted Bundy?"

"Ten, he was ten Catherine. These kids are almost thirteen. With …" His hand cut the air, reminiscent of a Danny Williams' gesture and Catherine's grin broadened. "Hormones." He glanced at her, saw her nose crinkled in a smile, and sighed. "Danny and I were just being …"

"What?" Catherine's grin was a challenge.

"Would you believe …" Steve affected a Maxwell Smart tone and his smile matched hers. "Diligent?"

"Oh, if we're playing that game, Agent 86, nope, I wouldn't believe. Try again."

Steve laughed, knowing he was busted. "Would you believe …" he made another attempt in his normal voice, but Catherine's chuckle cut him off.

"Overprotective." She leaned over and kissed he cheek. "I'd believe overprotective. And Grace is very lucky to have you. Both of you. But you can't be on every boy she thinks is nice like a SAM missile. She hasn't even started to date yet, you'll be …" She ran her left hand through the silver flecks at his temple, "all grey before she finishes high school."

Steve's right hand shot off the wheel and captured Catherine's. "That so?" He pulled it forward and kissed her knuckles before releasing it. "You calling me old, Lieutenant? Cause that's a little pot-kettle, isn't it? You're only a year younger than me."

"You, old? Never. And it's seventeen months." She clarified.

"What?"

"It is not a year. It's seventeen months. I'm seventeen months younger than you."

"Same difference." He shrugged.

"Only to a guy." She scoffed good-naturedly.

Steve's eyes sparkled at the sound of her happy laughter tinkling like wind chimes through the cab of the truck and he dropped his hand to rest it above her knee. They didn't speak for a minute, just sat in comfortable silence, wearing identical smiles.

When they stopped at a light and watched a group of costumed twenty-somethings cross the street, Catherine spoke, "We did a good job. Grace looked adorable."

"Beautiful. Just like her idol." Steve nodded.

"You know if there were female SEALs she'd totally have dressed as one."

"Nope, that costume was all about emulating her favorite Aunt. And she couldn't have a better role model, Cath, really."

He was rewarded with a "Thank you." and a beautiful smile.

He gave her leg a gentle squeeze. "It's true."

"She was so happy about our costumes matching, too …" Catherine moved to lace their fingers but her hand flew to her mouth at a sudden thought. "Oh, damn. I forgot we have to stop for water."

"Jeez, I forgot, too." He huffed a sigh. They were both tired. "We have none?"

"Not enough till the water cooler's replaced on Monday." It had inexplicably stopped working the day before.

"We can stop at home first, then I'll run to Foodmart."

"And come back out? You wanna do that?"

"If we go by the house, I could drop you and Cammie off and change out of this," he glanced down at his costume.

"Yeah, but that's an extra half hour. You know, tap's okay for us, and I wouldn't even mention stopping, but …"

"… Cammie doesn't like tap water," Steve finished for her. They'd always given Cammie bottled water and after getting the cooler when they'd renovated, she drank that. When she was given tap water, at a play date or at the park, she'd drink it if thirsty but only after sniffing and reluctantly tasting it first.

Catherine warmed at how Steve was willing to go out, as tired as he was, in a costume, to buy bottled water for their dog. "We have to pass the CVS anyway, just swing by and we'll get a couple of cases. It'll take us five minutes."

/

CVS
Woodlawn Drive
1:00 a.m.

There were only a few customers, mostly costumed, milling about in the CVS. Even the employees were dressed for Halloween. Seeing the single case of bottled water at the end-cap display, Steve said, "I'll look by the pharmacy, maybe they have two more cases." and walked toward the back of the store as Catherine went to ask a young man of about twenty if they were out.

"Excuse me, are you out of the 24 packs of water?" She asked.

The young clerk, whose nametag said Josh, was squatting to stack Halloween candy in the sale bin and tossed "Sorry, I didn't …" over his shoulder as he turned; his mouth dropping open slightly as he came eye level with Catherine's mini-skirt clad legs. He cleared his throat and straightened, lifting his eyes up past the go-go boots, fishnet stockings and 1960's black and white dress to stutter, "I … I'm …um sorry, can I help you?"

She smiled indulgently as his face reddened to the tips of his ears. "We need a couple more cases of water." She pointed to indicate the empty display.

He glanced down the aisle where Steve disappeared, "Um, ah, there's more in pharmacy. People bought a lot for Halloween parties. Your … uh … friend…?" his voice was hopeful at the word, "should find at least three cases back there. That's a great costume. You look prett … uh, cool; you look cool, by the way."

"Thanks. Yours is cool, too. Toy Story, right?" Catherine's look was kind and friendly. The kid wasn't creepy, just shy and a little awkward.

He beamed. "Yeah, Woody from Toy Story. Do you want help with the water? I could go get it and carry it out for you."

"Oh, no, but thanks."

"You're sure?"

"Yes, thanks, we've got it."

Steve came up behind the young man with three cases of water in his arms. He'd heard the exchange and was smirking at Catherine. "Can you ring us up?" He moved the few feet to the counter as Josh scrambled behind the register.

"That's eight bucks." He blushed again as Catherine pulled out a ten dollar bill and showed him her navy reservist I.D. "Minus the military discount, it comes to six forty." Josh's eyes never left Catherine as he handed her the change. "You're sure I can't carry those out for you?"

Steve's fingers came to rest on the small of her back as she put the change and I.D. away.

Catherine declined, thanked Josh again, and placed a hand between Steve's shoulder blades as he hoisted the cases into his arms and walked toward the door.

Josh's hope of the handsome guy being her friend dwindled at their familiar gestures and Steve's, "Thanks, I got it. You can back off, now, Cowboy." delivered with a grin that showed no animosity, but a definite glint of pride in the woman at his side.

Once outside, Steve tossed the cases of water into the bed of the truck and they climbed in. As Catherine buckled her seatbelt, he leaned across the seat to give her a quick kiss. "You stopping in there made that kid's night, you know."

"He was just being helpful." She grinned.

"To you." Steve's eyes glinted with mischief.

"Yeah, well, that bubble burst when he saw I was fifteen years older than him."

"That bubble burst when he saw my hand on your back." He full-on laughed.

"Which was a totally unconscious gesture, I'm sure." She chuckled.

"Would you believe …" He started.

Catherine snorted. "Okay, 86, give it a rest, I want my sailor back." And their laughter filled the air.

/

McGarrett/Rollins residence

Catherine unlocked the door and turned to Cammie. "Hey, Sweetie, wanna make a last potty run since we woke you up?" She said as Steve dropped the cases of water in the kitchen. Cammie had slept all the way home.

"C'mon, Cammie," Steve called as the dog danced around Catherine's legs. "I'll take her; put a few bottles of water in the refrigerator for tomorrow?"

When she turned to watch them return from outside, Catherine smiled as she heard Steve say, "There's your bottled water, get a drink before we go upstairs …" to Cammie, who happily followed his gesture at her freshly filled bowl and lapped up a drink.

Steve shut the lights and said, "I'll lock up, go ahead," meaning he'd check the already secured doors and windows as was his habit.

Once upstairs, Steve tossed his suit jacket over the chair and was down to just his boxers by the time Catherine passed him on her way out of the bathroom. He snagged her around the waist and kissed her.

"Hmm" She returned the kiss, "that was quick," she indicated him being in boxers while she was still dressed, minus her boots and hat.

"Expediting a plan, Lieutenant." His hands found the zipper and her dress pooled at her feet. She stepped out of it as Steve toyed with the strap of her bra before lowering it to kiss her shoulder.

Catherine maneuvered them toward the bed until he was seated at the foot with her standing between his legs, her hands on his shoulders as he pushed down the fishnet thigh-highs that were part of her costume. When Steve saw her stifle a yawn, he breathed, "How tired are you? You wanna not …" he raised an eyebrow in question.

"Not that tired." Catherine said and laughed. He grinned and placed his lips against her tummy above the waistband of her pale lavender bikinis. She kicked the thigh-highs the rest of the way off and removed her hands from his shoulders to toss aside her bra.

"You know, a lot of guys would probably want their girlfriends to leave the costume on." Catherine nodded her head in the direction of her discarded dress as Steve scooted backwards and she crawled up onto the bed to settle into his arms.

"Mmm nope." He murmured against her neck. "Prefer you in as little clothing as possible. Even if I do like you in purple." His fingers traced over the silky bikini panties covering her butt.

"'cause ya know, they'd probably think it was hot, almost like having sex with a different person."

Steve pulled back to look in her eyes. His expression was one of incredulousness when he said with complete sincerity, "Why on earth would I want to have sex with anyone but you?"

Catherine's breath hitched as she took his face in both hands and kissed him, not stopping until they needed to breathe. "Thank you."

"Hmmm? For what?"

"For …" She kissed him again, "having no idea how remarkable you are."

Honest confusion flitted through his eyes. "What?"

"I love you and you're amazing."

"Love you, and I haven't done anything amazing ... yet. Let me at least earn the complement." He said lightly; realizing with a smile how his simple statement, uttered off the cuff in total honesty had meant the world to Catherine. He moved to hover over her and his kiss was gentle.

Her hand rested on his cheek. "You already have. Every single day. You already have."

"Like I said, I love you." He moved to kiss her again, with more urgency.

Catherine's dazzling smile and words were almost lost in the kiss, but not before she said, "Now that I believe."

.

End. Thanks for reading, Mari

We hope you enjoyed our Halloween Trilogy as much as we enjoyed bringing it to you. Steve & Catherine will soon be preparing for ten days of having company while they host Thanksgiving and we'll be bringing you a story a day for ten days in November. Until then, tune into the REAL World Monday for our next story.