Please, dear reader, be sure to read our short 'set up' fic The Real World before reading SURPRISE.
Sammy's Notes: I can't say thank you enough to Mari, the best writing partner in the world, for coming up with the idea of the Real World Universe and for asking me to join her on the adventure. You're the best, Mari! Writing with you is the most fun I've had in a very long time. And thanks to ilna for agreeing to join us on this journey. Let the good times, McRoll.
Mari's Notes: Not only has Sammy been simply the best writing partner, ever, she's truly become a friend. We have so much in common it's freaky and we share a snarky sense of humor. Also, we have such fun crafting our fics and just talking about everything, an email from her always makes me smile, even before I open it. I'm thrilled that she was open to my idea of the Real vs. Reel world for our beloved characters since we are now happy once again! And Ilna, thanks for agreeing to step into to the Real World with us! As Sammy said, let's McRoll!
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SURPRISE! A McRoll in the REAL World storyA Sammy & Mari collaboration
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Five-0 Headquarters
Thursday evening
"Well, Gracie, our Ohana gets me a cake every year, which is really nice, and when Catherine and I were in the same place at the same time, she'd make sure we did something … fun … for my birthday. When we weren't, she'd always call me, as long as I was available and not on a mission for the Navy." Steve smiled at his niece.
"That is really nice." Grace smiled happily at Catherine but returned her eyes to her Uncle Steve. "But I meant like a birthday party. You know, with balloons and presents and stuff."
"I had parties as a kid." Steve answered.
Danny could see his best friend thinking of a way to tell Grace 'After my mom faked her death and abandoned us, and I got shipped to boarding school, no one thought to give me a party' and not make her feel sad for her favorite Uncle.
"Hey, Monkey, what say we let Uncle Steve and Aunty Catherine finish up their work so they can get home and have dinner sometime before breakfast?" Danny prodded.
"Okay. I'm ready. 'Night Uncle Steve, Aunty Cath." Grace hugged them goodbye and gathered her belongings.
/
Camaro en route to Williams' residence
"Who are you texting?" Danny asked, seeing the serious face his daughter wore.
"Aunty Catherine."
"You just left her ten minutes ago." Danny chuckled.
"I know, but Danno, did you hear Uncle Steve? I didn't want to make him feel bad, but, he hasn't had a birthday party since he was a kid. That's not right."
Danny swelled with love and pride for his very loving, sweet daughter and a smile lit his blue eyes. Until he heard her next words.
"So we're gonna throw him a surprise party."
"We? We, who?"
"We - me and Aunty Catherine … and you!" She grinned. "It'll be the best one ever. Kamekona can do the food and we can make up a reason to get him to the party and surprise him with gifts and cake and balloons and everything!"
"Did Aunty Catherine agree to this?"
"Yessssss!" Grace pumped her fist as she read the last reply from Catherine. "She said she thinks it's a great idea."
"Of course she does." Danny sighed.
"I'm gonna start planning as soon as we get home." Grace said excitedly.
Despite his misgivings, and concern that there were many things about throwing Steve McGarrett a surprise party that could go terribly wrong, he couldn't help but smile at his daughter's enthusiasm.
/
Five-0 Headquarters
Saturday morning
"Are you absolutely sure this party is a good idea?" Danny asked in a half whisper to Catherine who was standing at the smart table. "Grace has been making notes since the two of you texted the other day. I think she may be getting a little carried away."
"I think it's sweet." Catherine smiled. "And when it comes to surprise parties it's good to think big."
"Great." Danny huffed. "So my plan to have you rein her in needs some work."
Catherine smiled. "Don't worry, Danny. Everything will be great. You can be in charge of wrangling Steve when we need him to be somewhere else and Grace and I will take care of the rest."
"Why does the thought of that make me nervous?" Danny mumbled.
"Oh look!" Catherine said excitedly. "There's a big party store in Honolulu. We should be able to get all the decorations and balloons we need there. We'll have to store them at your house till the day of the party so Steve doesn't catch on."
"Of course you will."
"You don't like the idea of a party?" Catherine looked at him with concern.
"No … don't get me wrong … I love the idea of a party. I'm just not sure what Steve's reaction is going to be like if things get out of hand."
"Steve will love it." Catherine assured him. "Especially once he knows it was Gracie's idea."
"I hope you're right."
"I am. Don't worry."
"Hey, what are you two whispering about?" Steve asked as he came out of his office. Catherine quickly closed the party store listings she'd been looking at turned to Steve with a bright smile.
"Danny wants to borrow my copy of The Notebook because he can't find his and he was whispering because he didn't want you to overhear."
/
McGarrett/Rollins Residence
Sunday morning
Catherine and Grace were sitting on the couch in the living room in full party planning mode. They had magazines and catalogs spread out in front of them and each held a notepad and a pencil making TO DO lists for Steve's upcoming surprise party.
Steve was headed to Kamekona's to grab lunch with Danny and Chin and then the three of them were going to spend the afternoon moving some furniture out of Danny's house to make room for a number of new things he'd ordered.
"I think we need a big Happy Birthday banner to hang right there." Grace pointed at the wall opposite the front door. "I found two I like online and there are a few others in these catalogs. I like this one," She pointed to one of the catalogs, "but I think it might be a little too sparkly for Uncle Steve."
As Catherine leaned over to look at the picture she heard the unmistakable sound of Steve's truck door slamming in the driveway.
"What's he doing back?" Catherine began hurriedly trying to gather up the catalogs.
"Danno promised to keep him away all morning!" Grace said as she shoved a few of the catalogs behind her back and tried to look casual.
Steve came through the front door. "I forgot my wallet." He said as he turned towards the stairs.
'So this is the one time he decides to come back for it.' Catherine thought to herself.
He made his way up the stairs and into the bedroom. He reappeared a few seconds later with his wallet in hand. Catherine watched as he descended the stairs and reached for the handle of the front door. Just when she thought were home free Steve looked at them.
"What are you two up to?"
"What do you mean?" Catherine schooled her features.
"What's all this stuff?" Steve took a step closer.
Grace looked at Catherine with panic on her face. Catherine had to make a quick decision.
"Steve!"
"What?"
"It doesn't concern you." Catherine indicated the front door with a tilt of her head.
"I just wondered what you were …" Steve tried again.
"It's female stuff." Catherine said pointedly.
Steve froze. He backed away from the coffee table as though it was on fire.
"You guys have fun. I'll see you later." He said as he bolted out the front door.
"That was close." Grace giggled. "But now he thinks we're sitting here talking about periods."
Catherine laughed. "Don't worry. He's doing everything he can to put that thought out of his mind as we speak."
"Why do boys get so weird any time you mention periods?"
"It's a mystery, Honey."
"It comes in handy on days like today."
"It does, but try not to overuse it. Save it for when you really need it."
They went back to the catalogs and Grace looked up excitedly. "I found it!" She was pointing to a blue Happy Birthday banner with white letters and a US Navy logo. "Look, we can add three lines of whatever we want to say!"
/
Sweet Things Cake Shoppe
Tuesday afternoon
Danny stood patiently in the Sweet Things Cake Shoppe as Grace examined one of the display cakes closely.
"Have you decided yet, Monkey?"
"I'm not sure." Grace walked around the display table taking in a 360 degree view of each cake. "We have to get the right cake. It's an important part of the party."
"I know." Danny smiled at how seriously Grace was taking this party planning. She was determined that everything be perfect for her favorite Uncle. "Have you decided on a flavor at least?"
"Aunty Catherine said that Uncle Steve's favorite flavor is vanilla. And it has to be butter cream. I think we should get that because it's his birthday so he gets to pick. I'm just not sure what to do about people who don't like that flavor though. They'll just have to eat cookies I guess …" Grace's voice dropped off and her eyes got wide as she spotted a large cupcake stand with dozens of elaborately decorated cupcakes. "Or we can get one of these." She said excitedly as she moved towards it.
/
Kamekona's Truck
Thursday evening
"… and not the Diablo shrimp, Uncle Steve says it's too hot. We need the garlic shrimp and…"
As Catherine watched with Danny from a few feet away, she shook her head as Grace rattled off her menu choices to Kamekona, who dutifully took notes. "She's really, really into this."
"Ya think?" Danny smiled. "She's on a mission. I hope to God Steve doesn't figure this out, cause she'll be crushed. She was actually upset when he said he hadn't had a party since he was a kid. She remembers my family having cake and dinner for everyone's birthdays at my parents' house. My mom kept going with celebrations even after we grew up."
"I think that's sweet. I've been deployed on nearly all my birthdays. My parents always manage to get a gift to me and we'd talk, and when Steve and I were in the same zone, he'd always try to get to me, or at least call, but your family parties sound great." Catherine told him sincerely.
"Yeah, well, that's my mother. Anyway, if Steve doesn't guess, we're good. If Grace is happy, I'm happy. Hell, I was going to say we all go to the Hilton for his birthday, on me, but once my daughter's on a roll …" He sighed "I think she gets that from my mother."
"Just your mother?" Catherine grinned.
"Yeah, well …" Danny smiled "Like I said, we keep SuperSEAL in the dark, it's all good. He walks in, we actually do surprise him, and he shoots us, not so much." Danny snickered.
/
Party City, Honolulu
Saturday morning
Grace consulted her list as she walked down the aisles of the giant Party City store.
"We need balloons, and decorations, and party hats, and ooooh look … sunglasses." Grace picked up a pair of pink sunglasses with an attached mustache and put them on for Catherine to see.
"Those are adorable. This is turning in to quite an elaborate party."
"Uncle Steve has a lot of missed parties to make up for." Grace explained as she removed the glasses, then turned, unsure. "Do you think it's too much? Because we don't have to get the sunglasses."
Catherine smiled. "The sunglasses are perfect. Let's get some in every color and we can hand them out as people arrive."
"I love planning parties." Grace said dreamily as she dropped more sunglasses into the cart.
"You're very good at it," Catherine assured her.
"Thanks. Okay, the balloons are in the next aisle over."
As soon as Grace turned the corner she stopped and stared in awe at all the different designs of balloons.
"Look at all of these." She squeaked excitedly "Batman, Mickey Mouse, Barbie …"
"Which ones do you think Uncle Steve would like?"
"Probably not Barbie." Grace giggled.
"Probably not." Catherine agreed.
Grace surveyed all the choices thoughtfully. "Maybe we should get mostly solid colors and just a couple that say Happy Birthday. I think Uncle Steve would like that better than balloons with faces on them."
Catherine smiled at how well Grace knew her uncle. "I think you're right. Balloons with faces might be a little too much. So, what colors should we get?"
"How about a few of each?" Grace asked excitedly.
Catherine suddenly had a vision of a house full of balloons. She wanted to suggest they scale it back a little but then she caught a glimpse of the excitement on Grace's face and decided against it. As they added more and more balloons to the cart she found herself getting caught up Grace's excitement.
"Okay that should be enough balloons. But my Grandma says that no party is complete without crepe paper streamers."
"Then off to the crepe paper streamer aisle." Catherine said as though she was leading a charge.
"Yay. This way." Grace said as she skipped off towards the streamers.
/
Williams Residence
Saturday afternoon
"Wow, did you buy out the store, Monkey?" Danny asked as he looked at the bags and boxes in the back seat of the Camaro. Catherine had had the foresight to realize they probably wouldn't be able to fit everything in her Corvette but didn't want to make Steve suspicious by borrowing his truck, so she'd traded cars with Danny when she came to pick up Grace for what Steve thought was a shopping trip to the mall. The team had worked eleven days straight and had been ordered by the Governor to take the weekend off so Catherine and Danny were confident Steve wouldn't catch on.
"Some things we couldn't decide on, so we got more than one." Grace said as she began unloading bags and carrying them into the house.
"Some things?" Danny smirked.
"Steve's going to love it." Catherine assured him as she grabbed a handful of bags. "Gracie is totally tuned in to exactly the kind of things he would pick himself. She knows him well."
"Uh-huh. We'll see."
"Don't be a spoilsport." Catherine warned as she pulled several bags out of the backseat and headed towards the house. "Grab the helium tanks out of the trunk. They need to be kept somewhere cool."
"Helium tanks?!"
"Yes." Grace giggled as she made her way back to the car to grab another load of bags. "You didn't think we were going to blow up 250 balloons with our own breath did you? And …" She fished in the bag she was holding, "We got invitations printed up!" She proudly held one out to her dad.
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You have received your orders!
Please report for duty to
2727 Piikoi Street
to Celebrate
Steve McGarrett (Uncle Steve)'s
SURPRISE
Birthday Party - (Shhhh!)
March 16th
4:00 pm
RSVP to Danny 808-555-4395 or Catherine 808-555-8063
By February 27th
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Kamekona's Helicopter
Party Saturday
"Thanks again for doing this for me, Brah. I really appreciate it." Kamekona said as he navigated the helicopter along the shoreline.
"I don't understand why you need to recertify your pilot's license."
When Grace and Catherine had tasked him with keeping Steve occupied while they set up the surprise party at the beach house Kamekona decided getting him off the ground was the best way to ensure there were no slip ups.
"I told you. There was some sort of mix-up. They said I didn't log enough hours over the last 90 days."
"Didn't you show them your logs?"
"Yes. But it's possible I might have forgotten to write a few things in. I meant to do it but I got busy and then I couldn't find the slips of paper I had my flight hours written on."
"You remember I told you how important it was to keep accurate logs." Steve admonished.
"I do." Kamekona said sheepishly. "And I have learned my lesson. From now on I will write everything down."
"In the log." Steve reiterated.
"In the log." Kamekona repeated. "But right now I can't afford to argue with them, Brah." Kamekona said. "I need to keep my license. You said you didn't mind."
"I don't." Steve conceded.
"Good. Then I'll just circle the island one more time and that should do."
/
McGarrett/Rollins Residence
Saturday afternoon
"He's gonna shoot us." Danny surveyed the room. "It looks like Party City threw up in here." He said with a smirk.
"Too much?" Catherine asked.
"Little bit, yeah."
Catherine knew what his answer would be before she'd asked, but she smiled happily at Danny. "Grace was so excited; we kind of got on a roll."
"In case you didn't have one before, your 'people who can't say no to my daughter' membership card has arrived." Danny outright laughed.
"Yeah, well. Steve will understand, because he's worse than anyone when it comes to Grace."
"Danno!" The subject of their discussion popped her head out of the kitchen. "Doesn't it look great?!"
Danny wrapped her in a hug as she came to his side looking wide eyed at all the decorations. "It's perfect, Monkey. I can't wait to see Uncle Steve's face." His eyes twinkled with undisguised mirth as they caught Catherine's.
Just then, the bell rang and Chin, Leilani, Kono and Adam walked in. "Whoa, Brah. This is … festive." Chin said as he surveyed the room.
"Isn't it pretty, Uncle Chin?" Grace's smile was infectious.
"You did a great job, Grace." Chin accepted her hug.
"Come see the cake! It's not really a cake. It's a cupcake tree. That way everyone can have their favorite. Do you think that's a good idea?" Grace grabbed Kono's hand and effectively dragged her toward the kitchen.
"I think that's a perfect idea." Kono agreed enthusiastically.
The alarm sounded on Danny's phone. "Okay I'm up." Danny said as he dismissed the alarm. "Kamekona should be bringing Steve back to earth soon and I've gotta take over for phase two of Operation Keep Steve Away."
"Do you have a plan?" Catherine asked.
"We're headed to the other side of the island to pick up a dresser for Grace. I've arranged for a little delay once we get there. Then we have to take it back to the house and unload it."
"Okay, as long as you give us another 90 minutes, we're good."
"Everything looks pretty much ready." Danny said as he glanced around. "How can you need another 90 minutes?"
"We need to get everyone here and get all the cars hidden. Plus, we need to get to the airport to pick up the last surprise. Just trust me … I need 90 minutes."
"You have all the flight info, right?"
"Yes. I'm on it. You just keep Steve away till 4:15 and everything will be good."
"Alright, whatever you say. Grace, honey, I'm leaving. I'll be back with Uncle Steve."
"Okay, Danno. Just make sure he doesn't come back before 4:15."
"I have my assignment, Monkey."
Grace walked Danny to his car, hugged him, then turned around and darted back into the house.
"Are you ready, Aunty Cath?" She asked excitedly.
"I am." Cath grabbed her purse and keys. "Let's go."
"Wait, where are you going?" Chin asked.
"Grace and I have to run to the airport to pick up a surprise guest. Kono is in charge while we're gone."
/
McGarrett/Rollins Residence
4:17 p.m. - Front Lawn
"Steve?"
"Yeah?" Steve continued to walk as he glanced at Danny. They had finally gotten the new dresser into Grace's room and Steve was looking forward to spending the rest of the evening relaxing.
"Do me a favor?"
"Is everything okay?"
"Everything's good. Just … can you trust me for a sec and, uh, hand me your gun?"
"My … you gonna shoot me, Danny?" Steve smirked at the very odd request from his partner.
"No, Steven, I am not going to shoot you. If I was, I'd use my own weapon and claim you drove me insane. Any jury would acquit me." Danny smiled but held out his hand, motioning for the weapon.
"I am not giving you my weapon, Danno, unless you explain …"
"Jesus, I thought you trusted me …" Danny plastered what he thought was hurt expression on his face and apparently it worked, because Steve gave over his SIG with a sigh.
"I just wanna see …" Danny pretended to study the SIG but motioned for Steve to continue past him into the house.
At the threshold, Steve unlocked the door, turned off the alarm and called out "Cath? Gracie?"
The thundering "Surprise!" had Steve's hand halfway to his empty holster and Danny in peals of laughter as he clapped his partner on the back. "Happy Birthday, Man! And here you are." He handed the SIG back, to the roaring laughter from the crowd of gathered friends.
"I … what the …" Steve took in the sight of his friends and ohana, fronted by Catherine and Grace and was momentarily at a loss for words. He didn't have long to think about all the happy faces and what looked like hundreds of balloons and streamers adorning his home before Grace catapulted toward him, wearing the biggest smile of all.
"Happy birthday, Uncle Steve!" She flung herself into his embrace and, tilting her head back, grinned up at him. "Are you surprised?!"
"Am I surprised? Hell, uh, heck yeah, Kiddo." Steve caught Catherine's smiling eyes as she came up behind Grace.
Grace swiveled a bit in Steve's hold to face her father. "See, Danno!" She was grinning ear-to-ear.
"You were right, Monkey. You really surprised him. Uncle Steve must be slipping in his old age." Danny teased, but his expression was one of delight.
"Gracie? You did all this?" Steve asked quietly, incredulous. His voice dropped to a whisper, "For … for me?" Catherine and Danny shared a look as they caught the expression of disbelief on Steve's face.
Danny felt a flash of anger toward Doris and in turn, John, for making his best friend ever have an expression that said he couldn't believe they'd thrown party for him. Catherine was at Steve's side in a second. She whispered, "She did, and it's very much deserved," and gave him a soft peck on his lips as Grace told him,
"No, Silly. Well, it was my idea, but Aunty Cath and I, we did it all together and Danno helped us a whole lot." Grace looked around. "And Kamekona and Uncle Chin and Aunty Kono helped too!"
Steve slipped his arm around Catherine's waist and placed a kiss on her temple before bending to drop one on Grace's cheek. "Wow. Thank you both, I …" He turned to see Danny standing a few feet away. "Thanks, Man. You really didn't have to…"
"Clearly, I did. Do you think I wanted to get steamrolled by these two," Danny nodded toward Grace and Catherine "if I didn't help?"
"Well, thanks, everyone. I'm usually not one for birthday celebrations, but …" Steve's gratitude was lost on a sea of "Happy Birthdays" as his guests came up to greet him en masse.
"Hey, Boss, wait till you see the cake!" Kono winked at Grace.
"Do not let Kono near my cake!" Steve warned and his teammates laughed.
"No side of salt, promise!" Kono giggled and held up her hands. "Happy Birthday, Steve." She said warmly and hugged him.
"Happy Birthday, Brother." Chin pulled Steve into hug, then stepped back as Danny hugged his best friend and slapped him on the shoulder.
/
When Steve was done greeting his guests, Grace called him over to the dining room table where she flipped open the laptop and Steve's eyes got a bit glassy as his Aunt's image filed the screen.
"Aunt Deb!" Steve smiled as she began to sing Happy Birthday. When she ended with "Happy Birthday, handsome nephew!" The room erupted in applause.
"Catherine? Where are you?" Deb's voice rang out.
"I'm here, Deb." Catherine stepped into view of the monitor.
"Do you have it?"
"Right here." Catherine held up a package with blue wrapping paper.
"Good girl, go ahead." Deb instructed, and Catherine handed it to Steve.
"You didn't have to send a gift, Aunt Deb." Steve's gentle rebuke belied the truth as he tore into the paper. Again, his eyes shone when he saw the framed photo nestled in the box.
"Now, now, that's supposed to make you smile, Steve." Deb scolded with a huge grin firmly in place.
"Wow. This is, wow." Steve cleared his throat and Catherine came closer, placing a gentle hand on his arm.
"That's a wonderful gift, Steve. May I see?"
"Of course." Steve smiled and slid his arm around her waist as Catherine gently lifted a framed photo of him and his father from the box. A smiling Steve was clapping with unabashed delight in front of a huge cake, while a beaming John McGarrett held him aloft.
"That was taken at your second birthday party. We'd just sung Happy Birthday and you made a dive for the cake during the song. John intercepted you before you face planted in it." Deb laughed at the memory.
"It's a perfect gift, thank you." Steve said, sincerely. "How are you today, Aunt Deb?" They spoke often since her Thanksgiving visit and Deb was holding her own for now, the good days still outnumbering the bad.
"I'm great. Better now that I see you with all your friends. Go back to your party, we'll talk on Tuesday. Bye, everyone!" With that and a blown kiss, Deb signed off.
"Nice memory, Steve." Danny clapped his partner on the back as he handed the framed photo back to Steve after it had been passed around the room.
/
We have another surprise, Uncle Steve!" Grave was practically dancing with excitement.
Steve bent down to hug her. "Another one? Gracie, I don't know if I can handle any more." He said and winked at his niece.
"You'll really like this one!" She giggled, "Close your eyes!"
"Close my eyes?" Steve looked wary.
"Just do it, Steve." Danny coaxed and Steve looked up to see Catherine nodding happily at him. With an exaggerated shrug he did as he was told.
A few seconds later "Open your eyes, nipote," reached his ears, and as Steve opened them he was momentarily speechless as his brain caught up with the fact that the little lady standing in front of him with outstretched arms was none other than…
"Nonna!" He caught her in hug that nearly lifted her from the floor. "What are you doing here?!" He greeted Danny's grandmother.
Steve's expression of unmasked joy made Catherine's heart glow. Yes, this was a great idea. She returned the fist bump Grace offered her as Nonna said "My church was having a trip to Hawaii next week and when Grace called and told me about how she and her Aunty Catherine we planning this party, how could I refuse two of my favorite girls asking me to come help you, my handsome boy, celebrate your birthday?" Nonna smiled and grasped Steve's hand. "So, Daniel flew me out a week early, and here I am!"
/
Later in the festivities, after dinner and cake
"You have to open your presents, Uncle Steve!" Grace announced.
"Monkey, grown-ups don't always open their gifts until later, after people have gone home." Danny explained to his daughter.
"But, Danno, people want to watch Uncle Steve open them! Especially the funny ones!" She turned to face Steve "That's okay, right? You'll open them?"
Grace's huge, excited eyes pinned on him left Steve no ability to decline her anything. Even if being the center of attention like that was definitely not his first choice. "Um, sure, Gracie…" He'd begun when Catherine interjected.
"You know, what, Grace? I bet Uncle Steve would really love it if you helped him. Why don't you sit right here," She scooted over and patted the seat between her and Steve, "and you can help him out." She caught Steve's silent 'Thank you' and smiled in response.
"Really?" At Steve's nod, Grace plopped between her aunt and uncle with a grin. "Cool!" She handed Steve a gift bag from the small mound on the coffee table. "Open this one first!"
Ten minutes later, Steve had accumulated a tidy pile of gifts. Some were serious, like the replica of his dad's first badge and unit photo in a shadow box from Chin; a gift card for a weekend at one of Adam's hotel properties along with a scuba session for him and Catherine from Kono and Adam; and a G-Shock watch with altimeter, barometer and thermometer, engraved with two words "Thanks Boss" from just Kono; a month of plate lunches from Kamekona; and a boxed set of Keanu movies from Max and Sabrina. He also had several bottles of liquor and enough cases of Longboards to host another party.
There were a few gag gifts as well, including a Happiness is a Warm Gun tank top from Lou Grover in addition to a gift card from the Grover Family; bullet ice cube trays; SIG shaped soaps and cammo handcuffs from a close friend and former Annapolis roommate of Catherine's who had recently been stationed at Pearl. That last one earned a couple of catcalls from the crowd, a quick distraction of Grace by Danny, and a flush of pink to rise in Catherine's cheeks as she glanced at Nonna.
/
After Steve had opened his gifts, Danny handed him a box. "One more."
"What's this? You and Gracie already gave me a gift; we're gonna to do dinner at the Hilton with you guys, not to mention this whole thing was Gracie's idea."
"Yeah, but we were at the zoo last weekend and I couldn't resist." Danny smirked.
Steve opened the package to a roar of laugher from the rest of his team. An olive-drab T-shirt with the word ANIMAL in block letters across the chest was nestled in the tissue paper."
"Danny…" Steve feigned annoyance but his smile at having a partner who was 'family' gave him away.
"Danno's only kidding, Uncle Steve, you know we love you!" Grace giggled and hugged her uncle.
Steve bent to kiss Grace's cheek. "Thank you, Sweetheart." He stood and spreading his hands said "Thanks, everyone. This was … unexpected."
"That's how surprise parties work, Steven." Danny threw at him.
"Shut up, Danno." He turned back to the guests "Seriously, thanks, all of you." Steve held up the beer that he'd placed on the table. "To Gracie, for all her hard work and for being such a great niece." The smile that lit Grace's face rivaled the sun. "To Catherine, for … everything." Steve caught her eyes, making sure she got his full meaning. Her soft smile assured him she did. "And to my smart-ass … sorry Gracie … Smart-aleck, partner. For helping these two ladies with this party and for having such a great daughter."
"Here, here!" Chin and Kono agreed together and everyone toasted.
/
Later, still
So, Catherine, I see the party is winding down." Jerry said nervously.
"Looks that way." Catherine smiled at him as she continued to stack dirty dishes next to the sink.
"I was wondering if I might be able to get you to help me with a little something I'm working on."
"Sure, Jerry, I'll be happy to if I can."
"Great." Jerry smiled excitedly. "I have this code I've been trying to crack and I just can't seem to figure it out. I was hoping you could take a look at it."
"I'll take a look. Just bring it by the office anytime …"
"Actually, I was hoping you could take a look at it for me tonight."
"Tonight? Gee, Jerry …"
"I know it's short notice but I only have access to the material till tomorrow and I'd love for someone with your experience to take a look at it."
"Take a look at what?" Steve asked as he entered the kitchen.
"Jerry has a code he wants me to look at … tonight."
"Tonight?" Steve asked. "I was actually thinking Catherine could help me with … something … tonight." He waggled his eyebrows.
"She can help you tomorrow." Jerry said, completely failing to read the room. "I really need her tonight. This could end up being an important breakthrough. I'll call my mom and tell her to expect us."
Steve and Catherine stared at Jerry disbelievingly as he pulled out his phone and left the room.
"Wait, Jerry, no." Catherine called after him as Steve continued to stare with an incredulous look on his face.
"Is he kidding me?" Steve asked.
"I don't think so." Catherine sighed as she headed out after Jerry.
Danny passed Catherine on the way into the kitchen.
"What's up with her?" Danny asked as he noticed the look on Steve's face.
"She has to go tell Jerry she can't go on a date with him tonight."
"What?" Danny laughed.
"You heard me."
"Jerry asked Catherine out on a date?"
"He tried to make it look like he needed a favor …" Steve trailed off as he looked at his partner and saw him smirking.
"You mean somebody tried your old move on your girlfriend? That is hysterical."
"I'm sorry?"
"I meant bad … that is so bad." Danny tried to hide his laughter but failed.
"Did you know about this?"
"What? That Jerry has a crush on Catherine?"
"Yes."
"He said something about it the day of Catherine's retirement ceremony but I thought I had successfully warded him off."
"Apparently not." Steve headed out the door towards the sound of Catherine's voice.
Danny stopped him with a hand on his arm. "Steve, come on, it's Jerry. It's a harmless crush."
Steve relaxed and even managed a half smile. "I know. You're right. I just … it surprised me."
"Surprised you that someone has a crush on Catherine?"
"No. It surprised me that someone made their move right in our own kitchen." Steve laughed.
Confident that Steve had his emotions under control; Danny followed him out into the living room where Catherine was trying to reason with Jerry.
"Well, I could go home and get the information and then come back here if that would work better. I'm sure Steve wouldn't mind."
"Not tonight, Jerry." Catherine said patiently. "But I can meet you early in the morning if you want."
"I think it's better if we do it tonight …." Jerry started.
Steve walked up beside Catherine, slid his arm around her waist and planted a kiss on her temple. "Not tonight, Jerry. Tonight, Catherine will be helping me … celebrate my birthday. But, if you want to come back in the morning for brea … let's say brunch … that'll be fine."
Now it was Jerry's turn to look incredulous as the reality of the situation dawned on him. He turned to Danny. "Oh … when you said animal you meant … oh. Okay. I got it now. I'm sorry, I didn't …" He looked at Catherine disappointedly.
When Steve shrugged in a 'no problem' gesture and Catherine gave Jerry an easy smile, he cheered a bit and looked at Danny.
"It's okay, Jerry." Danny smiled. "Let's go get another cupcake."
/
The last of the guests had said their goodbyes and made their way to their cars that were stashed at the homes of various neighbors leaving Steve, Catherine, Danny, Grace and Nonna as the only ones remaining at the beach house.
"Wasn't this fun?" Grace asked excitedly as the adults all took a seat in the living room. Steve and Catherine sat side by side on the couch while Nonna sat in the chair facing them and Danny perched on the arm of her chair.
"It sure was, Gracie. It was a great idea, thank you. I don't think I've ever had a better birthday."
"I knew you'd like it." Grace beamed. "I told you, Danno."
"You didn't think I'd like it?" Steve asked his partner.
"I was concerned that surprising you might cause an unexpected reaction." Danny smirked.
"Don't be silly, Daniel." Nonna patted his arm. "Of course Steven would love the party when his two favorite women in the world planned it."
"And another one of my favorite women flew in to attend it." Steve said and Nonna beamed.
"You're a good boy, Steven. But it's been a long day and I think we should go home and give you and Catherine a chance to get some rest."
"Already?" Grace asked. "I'm not even tired."
"That's because you have endless energy, Monkey. But the rest of us need to get some sleep."
"Okay." Grace said. "Maybe we can come back tomorrow and help clean up?"
"That sounds like a plan." Catherine smiled sweetly at her co-conspirator.
"I'll tell you what." Nonna held out her arms and Grace crawled into her lap. "In the morning, your father will take us to the grocery store and we'll pick up everything we need for frittata and I'll make everyone a nice brunch while you figure out how to get rid of all these balloons."
"That's the best offer I've had all day." Catherine said excitedly, glancing around at the decorations.
Steve leaned close. "The day isn't over yet." He said softly in her ear.
/
Bedroom 11:45 p.m.
Catherine was sitting cross-legged in the middle of their bed when Steve entered the room. She'd carried some of his smaller gifts and gift cards upstairs while he'd started another load in the dishwasher and locked up downstairs.
"What's all that?" Steve asked, placing a white box on his night table before joining her on the bed and leaning up against the headboard.
"Your cards, see?" She waved her hand over the small pile of greeting cards in front of her crossed legs. "I made a list so you can thank everyone."
"List?" Steve knitted his eyebrows.
"A list." She nodded and nibbled on the end of her pen. "You have to mention the gift when you write the thank you notes."
"I … okay."
Catherine tilted her head. "You've never done this before? Sent out a bunch of thank-yous?"
"No." Steve shook his head. "Not really. Not to more than one person at a time."
Catherine's heart tightened a bit at the fact that after Steve was old enough to write thank you notes for himself, he'd most likely have stopped having any kind of parties or celebrations in his honor.
"Cath?" Steve questioned her suddenly somber expression.
"Oh, sorry. It's easy. Look, we just keep a list and then you'll remember who gave you what. You got a lot of really thoughtful gifts." She mused.
"Yeah. The shadow box from Chin was great. Everything was." He grew silent for a second and then continued; "I think I'd like to keep the photo of me and dad in here, if you think …" He stopped at Catherine's wave toward the corner of the room.
"Good," she smiled as his gaze followed hers to the high-top dresser. "I thought it looked great there. I mean, you can put it anywhere you'd like of course, but…"
"It's perfect." Once again her ability to read him like no one else gave Steve a feeling akin to breaking the surface after tumbling in a wave. He leaned in and kissed her. "Thank you for today."
"You're very welcome. It really was Grace's idea." Catherine told him when they broke the kiss. "She worked so hard on this. She absolutely adores you, you know." She gathered the cards and reached over to deposit them on the nightstand as Steve's smile spread ear to ear.
"Where ya goin'?" He asked when Catherine slid off the bed and kneeled in front of her night stand.
"Just a sec." Catherine reached into the back of the drawer and returned with a small package which she held out to him. "One more. Happy birthday."
"Catherine …" Steve caught her eyes and held them "You didn't have…" Her fingers on his lips stopped him.
"I know." She nodded toward the box as she got back on the bed and kneeled next to him. "Please."
Steve's breath caught when he opened the package. He blinked for several seconds and turned the gift over in his hand. "Cath I can't … this is …"
"Yes. Yes, you can. I want you to have that." She lifted his face to hers with a gentle hand. "He'd want you to have it."
In his hand, Steve held a World War II era Silver Star. The vintage box stated the 3rd highest award for valor, for 'Gallantry in Action against an Opposing Armed Force.' had been awarded in 1943 to Ensign Thomas Rollins. Catherine's Grandfather. "Cath, I … thank you."
"My dad gave me that the last time I visited. I called grandma Ang last week; she knew him and she agreed my Grandpa Tom would be happy if you had it." Catherine's eyes shone. "I thought it should belong to the bravest man I've ever known."
Steve kissed her, mumbling another "Thank you" against her lips. "This is … Cath, it means the world that you'd want me to have it."
Catherine beamed as Steve slid away for a second to place the medal next to the photo Aunt Deb had given him.
"There. I'd like to keep it where I can see it all the time."
"I'm glad." Catherine's smile never dimmed as Steve rejoined her, and she saw his own beautiful smile turn into a playful grin.
"Ya know…" His voice dropped a notch, and he scooted close enough that she could feel his breath on her ear. "You were so busy hosting; I don't think you got a birthday cupcake …"
"I had a bite of yours …" Catherine played along.
"Yeah, but there were a lots of flavors, vanilla's my favorite but," Steve pulled back and reached into the box he'd brought upstairs and placed on his night table. "I saved you a red velvet." He scooped off some frosting with his finger and held it up to her mouth.
"Did you, now? Then I think we should share …"
Steve leaned in and licked the frosting from her lips. "I like the way you think, Ma'am."
/
Morning 9:45 a.m.
"Steve?" Catherine raised her voice so Steve could hear her from the shower. "Danny will be here in twenty with Nonna and Grace."
Steve exited the bathroom, a towel slung low on his hips. "Cath, leave that, we have a ton to clean downstairs…"
Catherine was standing in the bedroom doorway with the bedclothes clutched in her arms. "Um, no can do. Remake the bed; I'll throw these in the laundry."
"Right now?" Steve asked.
"Right now." She stepped back into the room and kissed him over the pile of sheets in her arms. "Because Nonna's going to want a tour of the house and I, for one, have no desire to explain to even the sauciest senior citizen about the frosting all over our sheets."
Catherine turned and walked into the hall to the sound of Steve's laughter ringing in her ears.
.
.
End
Thanks for reading!