Notes: I owe Sammy a huge thank you for swooping in SuperSammy style to help me finish this one! It ended up being a bit more than I initially anticipated, and I am so grateful for her help and amazed once again at her abilities!
Thanks to Mari who doesn't let a little thing like being in the middle of a great vacation stop her from reading whenever a document is shared :-)
Readers and REAL McRollers - Thank you for sticking with us the last four years! We're so glad you've been on this journey with us.
Hope you enjoy!
Shared Memories (A McRoll in the REAL World Story by Sammy and Ilna)
"Wait, I have an idea!" Grace's eyes continued to sparkle after her sudden announcement on the deck.
"What's your idea, Gracie?" Steve asked.
"Nonna always says our memories are our greatest gifts, so we can all share our favorite memory from the wedding!" she practically burst out.
"That's a lovely idea, Grace," Elizabeth said, bouncing Angie on her knee. Angie, whose fingers had found their way into her mouth, looked toward Grace and smiled, giving the teenager another idea.
"Oh! And I can write them down so that someday Angie can read them all and kind of feel like she was there!"
Angie's smile widened at the sound of her name and the chorus of "Awww"s that rang out at Grace's idea. Her head swiveled, beaming at the gathered group.
Grace looked at Steve and Catherine, seated next to each other and loosely holding hands at one of the deck tables. "What do you guys think?" she asked them.
They shared a quick smile and Catherine said, "I think it's a great idea, Grace."
Steve nodded his agreement. "Absolutely."
Grace clapped excitedly. "Uncle Joseph, can I borrow your legal pad and pencil?" she asked, pointing to the pad filled with playroom design ideas he had been sharing with anyone and everyone.
"Of course, honey," he said, flipping to the first blank page and passing it to her along with the pencil he'd brought out just in case any new ideas came from his show and tell.
Grace happily situated herself with the pad, writing a heading across the top of the paper, Wedding Memories, and looking around. "Who wants to go first?"
"I know what my favorite memory was," Lou Grover said, surprising everyone by speaking up immediately. He pointed his fork in Steve's direction. "How the highly trained and decorated Navy SEAL over there couldn't even wait for the vows to start before he kissed his bride."
Laughter mixed with several "Awww"s. Catherine smirked at Steve who grinned back, as unapologetic now as he had been at the time.
"You can't tell me you were that surprised," Danny said.
"Not at all," the SWAT captain replied. "But I still thought it was hysterical."
"I thought it was so romantic," Leilani said, a touch dreamily. "The whole ceremony was romantic. Beautiful words, beautiful sentiments. It was all so perfect."
"And so perfectly them," Kono put in. "Nothing was showy or overdone."
"Exactly," Jenna agreed. She smiled at Steve and Catherine. "I'd have a hard time picking one memory," she admitted, "but what I loved was how you really embraced having your whole huge extended family there and so many involved in the day." She motioned to the gathering on the deck that encompassed a large portion of those she meant.
"That was really important to us," Catherine said. "We wanted all of you there to share the day with us."
"Mamamama!" Angie squealed as she held up a small piece of strawberry before pushing it into her mouth.
"That's right, baby girl, we wanted everyone there with Mama and Daddy," Catherine said.
Grace was feverishly writing as they spoke. She looked up after finishing. "Aunt Elizabeth, I bet you'd have a hard time picking, too," she said.
"You're right, honey," Elizabeth replied. "The whole day was beyond wonderful, but if I had to choose, the two that stand out would be Catherine asking me to walk her down the aisle along with her father, and Steve asking me to do the mother/son dance." She looked over at the two of them, blinking back tears even now at the memories. "I was so touched in those moments, and I'll remember them forever."
Catherine leaned against Steve, tears filling her own eyes. "I knew something didn't feel right when I saw Dad about to escort you to your seat. I still can't believe I didn't think of it before, but I guess sometimes you just have to be in the moment for things to become clear."
"Exactly," Steve agreed. "I hadn't planned that dance, but in the moment, it felt right."
"I will always treasure those memories," Elizabeth said.
"So will we," Catherine returned, and Steve nodded.
"Ohhh," Grace said as she'd paused writing momentarily to watch and listen. "That is so sweet. Wait, I've gotta make sure I get all that down." She quickly wrote down what the three had said as best she could remember.
"Bahhh baaah eeee." Elizabeth smiled as the moment was broken by Angie's desire for another piece of fruit.
"Well, I'm a sucker for first dances," Gabby said once Grace had finished writing.
"Ohh, yes," Jess agreed.
"And such a beautiful song choice," Gabby continued. "Classic. Timeless."
"How'd you pick 'Come Rain or Come Shine'?" Esther asked. "Was it the first song you ever danced to?"
"No, it was actually Nonna's idea," Catherine said.
"Yeah, Gracie told her we hadn't picked a song out yet and she suggested that one," Steve added.
Catherine smiled. "We don't have 'a song' like a lot of other couples do, and we thought it fit."
"It fit perfectly," Gabby agreed.
"My vote was for 'Take Me Out to the Ballgame,' " Grandma Ang joked.
Jacob cracked up, nearly tipping backwards out of his seat. Cody lunged forward from his bench and put out a hand to stop him even as Jenna grabbed his arm.
"That would have been so funny!" Jacob said, unphased.
Angie flailed happily as she watched Jacob.
"But maybe that wouldn't have had quite the same romantic feeling," Ang added.
"Was their first dance your favorite part, too, Grandma Ang?" Kaitlyn asked.
"That was lovely, but, no," Ang said, smiling over at Catherine who was across the table from her. "My favorite part was seeing my girl in her beautiful dress and getting to share some special moments alone with her before she walked down the aisle."
Catherine smiled, reaching over to squeeze her grandmother's hand. "That was one of my favorite parts, too, Gram."
"What about you, Uncle Joseph?" Grace asked after she'd finished writing Grandma Ang's memory.
Joseph smiled. "What else? Dancing with my little girl who … hasn't been little in a long time, but will always be my little butterfly." He gave Angie, still in Elizabeth's lap, a little tickle. "Even though now she has one of her own."
"Aww," Grace said, bending over her pad to write.
"That day was very special because I knew that everyone there could see what Elizabeth and I have known for a long time," Joseph went on. "And that's how happy Catherine and Steve are together. How much they love and respect each other. That's the kind of marriage you want for your child. The kind of marriage you hope for. I remember walking down the aisle with my little family, and thinking those very thoughts as I watched Steve and Catherine step up to the altar together." He put his arm around Elizabeth. "And I remember looking at Elizabeth and knowing she was thinking the very same thing."
She smiled softly at him. "I was."
Once Grace had finished writing, she looked around. "Uncle Chin, how about you?" she said.
"I'd have to say my favorite part was the look on your faces when we told you you'd be spending the night at the Halekulani," Chin said to Steve and Catherine. "I was shocked we actually managed to surprise you."
"I was impressed by how the whole day went off without a hitch," Adam chimed in. "I've been to a lot of weddings but not many that ran as smoothly as yours."
"The credit for that goes to Boris and Gus," Catherine said as she raised her glass towards the two men. "We couldn't have done it without them."
"You were both an absolute pleasure to work with," Boris said sincerely. "My favorite part of the whole day was the absolute absence of anxiety among the guests and the wedding party. And I know from experience that was a direct result of the tone that was set by the bride and groom."
"Thank you," Steve and Catherine said in unison.
Boris chuckled. "And I also loved meeting Grace Williams who will someday take my job from me."
"I'm gonna give a shout out to Cammie," Gus said. "We have a lot of people try to incorporate pets into their events but it rarely works out as well as it did with her."
Angie looked around at the mention of Cammie's name and finally spotted the contented dog laying just off the deck chewing on a new bone.
"Oh, I agree with that." Esther smiled proudly. "Cammie was a rockstar."
"Cammie was great!" Jacob said as he waved his arm and nearly knocked over his drink.
"I bet I can guess what your favorite part was, Jacob," Jenna said, smiling.
"You can?" he asked. His brow furrowed a bit and he scratched his head. "But you weren't even there."
It was Jenna's turn to look confused. "What?"
"When Uncle Steve sat by me and told me thank you for doing such a good job as ring guy," he explained.
Steve smiled slowly, remembering the exchange.
"He was so busy talking with everyone else," Jacob went on, "but he still sat by me and told me that. I remember."
"I remember, too, buddy," Steve said.
"Aww, honey," Jenna said, reaching over and ruffling his hair. She smiled. "I thought you were going to say the cookie table since you ate about half of it."
"Oh yeah! The cookie table! That was awesome, too!"
Everyone laughed.
"And you know what else I remember?" Jacob went on. "I remember being nervous that I was gonna drop the ring, but Kaitlyn said she'd be right by me whole way. And that helped me not be so nervous."
Kaitlyn smiled at him. "I knew you could do it."
"And I got to dance with Aunt Catherine," Jacob said, beaming at the memory. "Like, real dancing."
"My handsomest partner that I wasn't married to," Catherine said, smiling over at him.
"What was your favorite part, Cody?" Jacob asked, looking at his brother.
"Oh, um … I don't know," Cody said with a little shrug. "I haven't really been to any other weddings, but I thought the whole thing was really nice."
Beside him, Jadon balked. "Nice? That the best you can do?"
Cody laughed. "I said 'really nice.' " He glanced over at Steve. "And I was just really … honored to be up there with you."
Steve nodded, shooting him a quick, but meaningful smile.
Cody swallowed, glancing around, then back at Steve. "I guess, there was … you know, during the vows … there was this moment. You're supposed to repeat after the chaplain, but … you just knew it, and you said it all straight through, and that was …" His voice trailed off and Steve smiled, teasing him a little to take the pressure off.
"Really nice?"
Cody chuckled, looking down. "Yeah."
Steve nodded, his expression softening.
"I think that was just another example of McGarrett being impatient for the end," Grover teased.
"It didn't seem like impatience," Cody said, his voice polite but firm. "It was more like …" He looked back at Steve. "Like you were really sure, so it just all came out."
Steve smiled softly. "That's it exactly," he said, his eyes drifting to Catherine who smiled back at him.
"The Code Man is better at the sentimental stuff than yours truly so I'll just say my favorite part of the day was the dancing." Jadon stood up and executed a tight spin. "I liked getting a chance to show off my moves."
"The dancing was definitely great," Casey agreed. "Not so much your dancing," she teased, "but just in general. Both the band and the DJ were so awesome."
Kamekona grinned. "Your moves were almost as good as my moves. I think I taught a few people what good dancing really looks like that day."
"Objectively speaking I'm not sure that's true," Max replied in his typical deadpan.
"If you recall, I won our dance off," Jerry said. "People are still talking about my version of 'Shake it Off.' "
Kamekona waved him off. "The judging was rigged, brah."
"I've known Steve a long time and watching him tie the knot with his true love was a moment I'll never forget," Duke interjected with his typically warm smile. "But I gotta admit that dance off was pretty amazing."
"What about you, Dylan?" Danny asked.
"I liked it when Uncle Joseph explained about the table for the fallen service members," he said sincerely. "I liked learning about that."
Jenna smiled proudly, and Joseph gave him a heartfelt nod.
"I also like the Swiss Army knife Uncle Steve gave me. I use it when we go camping."
"What about all the kissing?" Chin teased.
Dylan blushed. "I didn't like it very much back then." The boy's eyes danced mischievously. "But now I kind of understand."
Jenna grimaced slightly at the knowledge that her babies were growing up. "What about you, Kaitlyn?" she asked.
"I liked it when the butterflies were released." She smiled happily at the memory. "That was so amazing. And I also liked getting to meet a real pastry chef."
"I liked the cookie tables you helped Nonna put together," Cynthia Grover told Kaitlyn. "I have never seen anything like those in my life."
"They were the best," Samantha and Marcus agreed.
Angie yawned widely and settled down in Elizabeth's lap, content to listen to the voices of the people she loved.
"Okay, Stagler, you've been pretty quiet which is not at all like you," Steve said.
Carrie smiled. "I like hearing everybody else's memories of that day," she said. "I'd been waiting for it to arrive for so long." She grinned. "So so so so long." They laughed. "And I remember the night before I got a little worried that there had been so much anticipation, so many years of watching the two of you get to that point, that the event itself might be a bit of a let down …" She shook her head. "But it wasn't. In fact, it was just the opposite. It was one of the most amazing days of my life and I'm thankful I got to share it with both of you."
Catherine jumped up from her seat and crossed the deck to hug her best friend who had been there for every step of her relationship with Steve.
"I'm gonna go with what my wife said." John smiled as he dropped an arm across Carrie's shoulders.
As Catherine returned to her seat Carrie grinned wickedly . "Of course I also liked that Steve's mooney eyes were on full display for everyone to see that day."
He shook his head but smiled good-naturedly at the familiar description of Steve's look of love.
Grace finished writing and looked up. "You didn't go yet, either, Danno," she said.
"Yeah, Danno," Steve teased.
"What's your favorite memory?" Grace asked.
"Easy," Danny said, smirking. "Steve forgetting to breathe when he first saw Catherine in the chapel."
"I didn't forget to breathe," Steve protested as the others laughed. Catherine squeezed his hand, grinning.
"You totally did," Danny countered.
"I witnessed it, too," Carrie said, raising a hand.
"Stay out of this, Stagler," Steve quipped, shooting her a grin.
She grinned back. "Not a chance, McGarrett."
"But actually," Danny went on, now more serious, "there was this moment, right after the ceremony. The two of you had walked back up the aisle together and were in the alcove alone for a minute before Grace and I got there. And when we came around the corner, you were standing close together and just … radiating joy and love and …" He shook his head, smiling at the memory. "It was a thing of beauty."
A brief silence met his statement as everyone took in his words.
"Wow, Danno," Steve said, not an ounce of teasing or sarcasm in his voice.
"That was beautiful, Danny," Catherine said.
"So beautiful," echoed Grace, staring at her father proudly.
Gabby squeezed his arm, smiling at him.
He cleared his throat. "Well, I call it like I see it." He grinned at Grace who was quickly writing everything he'd said. "Did you get all that? 'Radiating joy and love,' " he repeated pointedly.
"I got it all," she promised.
"But if I'm being totally honest, what I'll probably remember most about that day, was how proud I was of my amazing daughter, and all the work she'd put into the preparations, her toast in front of a room full of people … all because of how much she loves her aunt and uncle."
Grace smiled.
"What was your favorite memory, monkey?" Danny asked.
Her smile widened and she took a deep breath. "I liked watching Auntie Cath walk down the aisle and the look on Uncle Steve's face as he watched her. It was the most romantic thing ever. And I liked seeing everything put together: the dresses, the flowers, the decorations. Oh! And I liked dancing at the reception with Uncle Steve and with you. I liked it when we saw the dolphins out the windows. I liked how so many of Uncle Steve's SEAL friends came and …"
She blushed wildly when she took notice of all the amused faces looking at her.
"I guess it is really hard to pick just one," she giggled, "but I guess if I had to it would be how Uncle Steve wouldn't look at the camera when the photographer was taking pictures because he couldn't take his eyes of Auntie Catherine. And how he kept looking for excuses to use the word 'wife'. And …" She laughed. "Okay, I pretty much just loved the whole day."
"Can't say it much better than that," Kono said, smiling at her.
"Thanks everyone for sharing your thoughts," Grace said. "I'm gonna put them all together in a book so someday Angie will know exactly what the wedding day was like."
"That's so sweet, Grace," Elizabeth said as she looked down at the contented baby in her arms. "I know she will love it."
"Oh!" Grace said suddenly. "Uncle Steve! Auntie Cath! What about you two? What were your favorite memories? I mean, unless they're … private. You don't have to say if they are."
Catherine smiled, looking at Steve. Both were thinking of their private vows on the beach in the morning and the "toast" they'd shared in bed that night.
"Some of them are," Catherine admitted. "But you've all listed some of my favorite memories from that day as well."
"Mine, too," Steve agreed. "And besides actually getting married, the best part of the day was having all of you there with us."
"Exactly, along with all the rest of our family who couldn't be here today. Our wedding wouldn't have been the same without everyone there."
Grace smiled as she finished writing. "There," she said, putting down the pencil.
Steve and Catherine stood, going over to where she was sitting.
"Thank you, Grace," Catherine said. "This was the perfect non-party anniversary gift. I know we'll treasure your creation and so will Angie."
Grace stood to hug them both. "You guys are the best and you deserve to have all these wonderful memories forever."
"Thanks to you, we will," Steve said.
Once the non-party had wrapped up and everyone had pitched in with the cleanup, Steve and Catherine were left alone with Angie and Cammie. After all the excitement, Angie had gone down to sleep even earlier than normal, and Steve and Catherine curled up together on the sofa after putting her to bed.
"I know we don't have a ton of experience with anniversaries," Catherine said, "but I'd say that one was pretty great."
He smiled, one arm around her as she lay against him, holding her other hand in their laps. "Absolutely." He kissed her temple. "But you know, I liked last year's, too. You couldn't sleep 'cause Niblet," he smiled at the name he hadn't used in so long, "was feeling playful, so we did some reminiscing of our own."
"Mm, and we said this year we'd tell her all about the wedding." She smiled. "I think Grace and our family pretty much took care of that."
"Between what we wrote last year and what Gracie's doing … I don't think Angie will have to wonder about a thing."
Catherine sighed happily. "It was so nice to hear what everyone else remembers about that day. It just … reinforces how special it was to have everyone we love there to share it with us."
"It was," he agreed. He paused, thoughtful, his thumb running lightly over the base of her two rings. "You know, as special as the wedding was, ultimately it was just one day. I remember your dad saying that to me before the ceremony. That it was just one day – a really special day – but it's not what makes a marriage. That it's what comes after that really matters."
She tightened her fingers around his and raised her free hand to her moon necklace. "And also what came before."
He nodded slowly, formulating his thoughts. "It's about the … the commitment we made to each other in lots of ways over the years. And that we continue to make every day."
Shifting so she could look at him more fully, she smiled, the sheen of tears reflecting in her eyes. "We'll show Angie that, too."
He smiled back softly, nodding. "We will." Leaning in, he kissed her slowly, pouring that promise into the kiss. "Happy anniversary, Cath," he whispered against her lips.
"Happy anniversary, Steve."
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