Sammy & Ilna - this one's for you two. Because Oblivious will always be so special for bringing us together.

REALMcRollers: Love and thanks you all.

Oblivious: Rivals
Part 5 of the 3rd Annual REAL Word Thanksgiving Marathon

Steve looked at his partner with a frown as they walked. "You're wrong this time."

"I am totally, one hundred percent right. You, my friend," Danny waved an arm, "are still oblivious. Let's ask Catherine."

Catherine glanced up from her lunch as they approached. Leaning into Steve's greeting kiss as he took a seat beside her, she pushed a plate of fish wraps in front of him and a shrimp and rice plate across to Danny.

Steve took a bite. "Thanks for grabbing the food. The case wrapped. Is everyone okay at the house?"

"Everyone's fine. I'm done for the day, I just needed to run into the office for a few minutes. You wrapped a murder in two hours? That may be a record."

"Perp confessed and ran out screaming as soon as he saw us. Loaded on his own inventory, probably," Danny scoffed.

She smiled. "So, ask Catherine what?"

Steve dropped his head. "Danny thinks I was oblivious, I disagree."

Danny pointed his fork. "That woman was interested. In the biblical sense."

Catherine patted Steve's leg. "Tell, Commander. Because I have one for you, too."

Steve's expression changed, as did Danny's. "What? At the Governor's office?"

She nodded. "It was nothing like that." Her grin had both men relaxing. "You tell first. I'm sure yours is funnier."

"I'm not sure mine was even …"

"Tell your wife, Steven, so she can prove me right." Danny smirked and ate a forkful of shrimp.

That morning

"A dealer turned junkie this morning when we're supposed to be off duty," Danny groused. "Lucky he was crazy enough for a ride to Nuuanu and Vineyard." He indicated the cross streets for the Queen's Mental/Behavioral Health Services Unit. "At least I was already at your place with Grace so she can hang out with the family."

Steve nodded. "Let's interview the witnesses and get back. Catherine and I promised to make a sandcastle with Joanie." When a smirk formed on his best friend's face he asked, "What?"

"Nothing. You. Making sand castle appointments." He slapped his partner on the back. "Looks good on you."

"I … thanks." His face remained impassive but he couldn't keep the smile out of his voice as they moved up the stairs into the store across from the perpetrator's condo complex. The woman waiting to be interviewed apparently saw the whole thing go down when he shot a bogus UPS driver who was actually delivering drug money.

When they entered the store, Danny grinned broadly and muttered, "Perfect," under his breath. The huge sign declared, Once Upon a Baby … for Your Smart and Stylish Little One - Infant Through Preschool.

Steve pushed open the door and Duke met them in the entrance. "After the interview …" He pointed a discreet hand at the layettes with a wink and Steve shook his head. Duke and Danny exchanged a smirk as he handed the info sheet over. "You can interview the witness in the stockroom, there's an office area," the older man said. He gave a little wave. "See you after the holiday."

"Thanks, Duke." Steve suppressed a small smile and moved up into the store's main area with Danny close behind.

Three women were standing at the entrance to the storeroom and Danny nudged Steve as they passed a display of US Navy themed decor. "Maybe you need to come back with Cath …"

The grin that flashed across his features was quickly schooled when one of the women came forward. "I'm Billie. Sergeant Lukela said I needed to meet with you, Commander, may I just have a minute…?" She indicated the nearby restrooms. Her smile was a little too bright and her eyes lingered a second too long and while Steve didn't register the way she was looking at him, his best friend did.

"Of course. We'll wait in the stockroom." Steve moved toward the area as Danny shook his head with an amused expression.

When their witness returned a few minutes after excusing herself to use the restroom she was sporting freshly fluffed hair and a touch more makeup. Danny chuckled to himself at how his partner would only have noticed if the woman's appearance was pertinent to the case.

Sitting down at a desk in the office area of the large stockroom, Billie Todd crossed and uncrossed her legs and leaned closer to Steve.

"I saw the whole thing, he shot that man point blank." She shuddered, but peeked up through freshly-mascaraed lashes. "What do you need me to do? I can come in to your office if you need me to."

Steve shook his head, "No, that won't be necessary, just tell us what you saw …"

After she recounted the story, and they thanked her for her time, Bille hopped to her feet when Steve did. "If you need to, you can call me in case …"

"The suspect confessed, so it's not likely that will be necessary."

"In that case, I noticed Detective Williams pointing out the display." She turned a slightly lower wattage smile on Danny. "Are you expecting a little one, Detective? I can stop by with a catalog."

Danny's grin was cheshire cat like. "Ohhh, no. That's a done deal, my baby is in high school. My partner," he pointed, "on the other hand, is gonna welcome a little bundle of joy in just about seven months."

Billie Todd's smile dimmed ever so slightly before she caught herself. "Wow, that's exciting. I'd be happy to show you anything you need to see. And if the baby's mother is too tired to … participate, I freelance as a bit of a home decorator. "She lowered her voice conspiratorially. "For very special customers only."

"Thanks, but I'm sure my wife will be researching exactly what we need. And she's got great taste." He couldn't keep the pride from his voice if he tried.

"I bet she does." Billie's eyes remained bright. "But take my card. You never know. Pregnant women can get too tired and too, well, pregnant to do all the things you're used to them doing." Her eyes dropped to his waist and back. "You let me know if you need anything. Anything at all."

As Steve took the card and shrugged, saying, "Thanks, but I don't think so," he stuffed it in a pocket and Danny held back a laugh. Slapping his partner's shoulder, he said nothing at Steve's questioning look until they reached the car, where he proceeded to bust him until they arrived to meet Catherine who'd returned Steve's text to say she'd meet them at Kamekona's in ten minutes.

Present

"She was pushy but she was a sales person…"

"Tell your husband I'm right." Danny was still chuckling.

"Sorry." Catherine shook her head. "But Danny's right."

"Really? You, too?

"Me, too." She kissed his cheek with a grin. "I'm just used to spotting 'em. Been doing it for going on twenty years now."

"And yet she hasn't freaked over a single one. You are so lucky, again," Danny teased.

"Because he'd never give me reason to." She smiled broadly and patted his leg when Steve wrapped an arm around her shoulders and kissed her temple.

"Perfectly matched set." Danny pointed at his friends and added, "Soon to be a trio," as his eyes crinkled with a full blown smile.

Catherine and Steve's expressions mirrored Danny's before Steve turned look at her. "So, what happened with you?" He took a swallow from the water bottle she'd passed him.

"Mine was definitely cuter. And there were two of them."

"Two?" His brows rose.

"Yep. But considering their combined ages were eight …"

Danny snorted and Steve shook his head as Catherine recounted her visit to her office.

Governor's Offices

After finishing up a quick trip into work, Catherine encountered a group of four children being escorted down the corridor of the building.

"Hi!" One little girl waved. She had blonde hair in a high ponytail and sparkly pink shoes.

"Do you work in there?" A boy wearing a T-shirt featuring a Star Wars logo asked, pointing to the cavernous conference room.

"No, honey, that's a room just for meetings." Catherine smiled. "I bet you're all on a tour."

"Yesssss!" They chorused.

"Let's get going, boys and girls," the teacher, a young woman with a Nāmāhāna Preschool logo on her polo-style shirt greeted Catherine. "We are here for a little tour, Akio's mom works here." She touched a smiling child's head.

"Did you know that Nāmāhāna was the governor of Oahu and she was a girl?" Akio announced. "I'm going to be president when I grow up."

Catherine grinned. "I bet you will." She held out her hand to the teacher. "Catherine Rollins."

"Lindsey Price. I recognized you, Lieutenant. Nice to meet you."

"Same here. I'm just on my way out, I'll walk with you if that's okay?"

"You're on the task force." The boy with the Star Wars shirt announced. "I saw you on TV. I'm Luke. I'm gonna be a cop, too, like my grandpa and my mom."

"You're very observant, Luke. You'll make an awesome police officer." She looked at the others. "So we have Aiko and Luke, who else do we have here?"

"I'm Megan!" The blond girl who'd been the first to greet her said. "And that's Yasuo." She pointed to the friend whose hand she was holding. He had huge brown eyes and a smattering of freckles across his nose.

"We're Miss Lindsey's best class ever," Yasuo said.

Lindsey laughed. "Okay, best class ever, let's go, we need to be back very soon, it's almost snack time. We can have our fruit snacks while we wait for the bus."

That met with cheers as the little group followed Catherine through the building and outside; the children all chatting with her as they went.

"You're good with them," Lindsey observed.

"Thanks, I visit a second grade regularly. Four seems like a small group compared to that."

Yasuo tugged on her hand and she looked down to see him holding out a package of fruit snacks.

"Want one? We got extras."

Catherine bent to his level. "That's very nice, thank you."

His eyes were sparkling when he placed it in her hand and she ate the sweet, chewy snack.

Ten minutes later, after each child told Catherine their age, birthday and favorite animal, the minivan with the school logo pulled up to the building.

"Looks like your ride is here."

"Bye!" Megan caught her in a hug.

"Bye, sweetie, you all have a good Thanksgiving." She turned to Lindsey. "You, too."

"L'Tenant?" Luke asked with a shy grin.

"Yes?"

He pointed to her rings. "That means you're married, right?"

"Yes, honey." She couldn't hold back the hint of a smile that still accompanied any mention of her being married to Steve.

"Oh." He shrugged. " 'Cause if you wasn't, me and Yasuo would be your boyfriends."

"Well, thank you, boys, that's really sweet, but I bet there're some girls your age just waiting for you to grow up." She tousled his hair. "And that's the nicest offer I've had in awhile." She grinned remembering Jacob two years before.

Yasuo smiled. "That's what Miss Lindsey said, too."

Present

"Two proposals, huh?" Steve shook his head. "My list of rivals is growing."

"Your list of rivals knows no bounds, I'm sure," Danny snorted. "Which is another reason you're the luckiest bastard on the planet - Catherine only has eyes for you."

"Aww, thanks, Danny. The kids were adorable, they reminded me of Jacob."

"The first time I had competition from the kindergarten set."

"These were preschoolers," she corrected.

"Just shows they developed good taste early." His grin matched hers.

She laughed and stood, "Thanks. Let's head back. Dad texted they all had lunch and Joan has been brushing Grace's hair for fifteen minutes."

As they all walked back to the parking lot, Steve wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "Never going back to that particular store, but I saw some really cool navy cammo bedding sets."

"Tiny bit early for that," she said as she patted her tummy.

"Nah, it's all about being prepared." He winked. "Hey, maybe a t-shirt that says Don't mess with me, my mommy can take you down."

She pulled back and looked up at him with a smirk. "Already? Really?"

"Forewarned is forearmed, Lieutenant."

Catherine laughed out loud as she got into her car. "Then we definitely need one that says, Don't mess with me, my Daddy is Commander McGarrett. "

Danny Williams noticed how the smile remained on his partner's face all the way home.

# End - thanks for reading. OBLIVIOUS will return

Don't miss tomorrow's story. Part 6 of the 3rd Annual REAL Word Thanksgiving Marathon

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