Sammy & Ilna -

"Piglet sidled up to Pooh from behind.
"Pooh!" he whispered.
"Yes, Piglet?"
"Nothing," said Piglet, taking Pooh's paw. "I just wanted to be sure of you."

~ A.A. Miline

Thank you both - because I am always sure of you.

REALMcRollers I'm covering Sammy today so you get another one from me. She'll be posting a wonderful Sammy story on Monday. Happy weekend and thanks as always for being awesome.

Smooth Moves

"Guess who's coming to Oahu?" Carrie's happy tone had Angie reaching for her godmother with both hands.

"Ahhhh eeeee bagah!"

Carrie clapped and smiled delightedly when Angie mimicked the motion. "Rock Your World!"

"Some people just say hello, Stagler." Steve smirked and passed her the baby. "What's Rock Your World?"

"Who's Roc …" She kissed Angie's cheek and waved at him with a snort, whispering to the baby, "Your daddy's clearly not as cool as we are. Where's Mama, gorgeous?"

"Right here." Catherine returned from the yard with Cammie close behind.

"Mama!" Angie pointed and clapped again.

"There she is! Cath, you'll never guess what I found out today. Rock Your World is doing three shows … here," she informed her best friend. "We need to go."

"Here, here? On Oahu?" Catherine waggled her fingers at her daughter and was rewarded with a smile that revealed two bottom teeth.

"On Oahu. One's at the base." She bent and placed Angie's feet on the deck, carefully helping her balance and staying close as she walked several steps to her mommy. "Look at you, Aunt Carrie's future sprinter." She grinned before turning to her friend with a smile. "You in?"

Catherine lifted Angie and kissed her cheek. "I'm definitely in. When is it?"

Steve looked between the women and shook his head. "Who, I repeat, is Rock Your World?"

"Do you remember that boy band that did that big tour when we were third years…" Carrie pointed between herself and Catherine.

He snorted. "I can pretty much guarantee I have no memory of any boy band, ever, but I do …" he smirked at his wife, "seem to remember you two hopping around your room more than once to some bad music."

"Ha! There you go, you remember." Carrie chuckled.

He raised his brows. "I remember I was not focusing on any music if Cath was dancing. Period."

"Awww thanks." Catherine reached up to pat his chest.

Carrie grinned, knowing his statement was absolutely true. "We both used to love them in high school and when they released a greatest hits CD when we were at the Academy, we picked it up."

"And even though the songs seemed a little …" Catherine added and pressed her lips together to hide a laugh, "... immature all of a sudden, we still played it and danced around."

"So we gotta go," Carrie explained.

Steve chuckled and took Angie, who was ready for a trip down her water slide while Catherine and Carrie went out for lunch. "Greatest hits." He scoffed. "Van Halen has greatest hits, ladies. Boy bands no one's heard of have … I don't even know what."

The women each kissed Angie goodbye as they headed out to the car for a lunch and pedicure afternoon.

Carrie sat back in the pedicure chair and sipped her iced tea. "So I'll get tickets …"

Catherine nodded. "Definitely. I'll check with Mom and Dad in case Steve gets called in and they need to cover."

"Sounds like a plan. I may need to brush up on a song or two."

"Me, too." They exchanged a look and a chuckle. "Bet we're surprised how many we still know. We did play that CD a few times…"

Catherine grinned at a memory. "More than a few."

Bancroft Hall, US Naval Academy 1997

"Love you, love you, like lightning crashing," the girls sang together before collapsing on their bunks as Carrie held a the universal teen microphone - a hairbrush.

"How did we actually like those lyrics only a couple of years ago?" Catherine laughed. "Lightning doesn't crash, thunder does."

"Because we were seventeen. And you sound like McGarrett."

Her face lit with an unintended smile at the mention of his name. "Hmm?"

"Hmmmm," her best friend echoed. "Look at you, all grinning." She checked her watch. "If he's stopping by before lights out he's got 32 minutes."

Catherine's attempt at a casual shrug fell short. "Think so. I promised him some of Mom's cookies." She gestured towards the recently opened care package on her desk.

"Ha! That's what he's coming for. Cookies." The blond popped up off her bunk and began to sing along with the halfway-finished track. "C'mon." She pulled the roommate who'd become her best friend onto her feet. "You're wasting music."

They were still laughing and dancing when Steve's quick knock earned him an "Enter."

Stepping into the small room, he held up the six inch American flag that allowed him to enter a room where there were more midshipmen than beds while still remaining within regulations.

"Hey, Cath …" he began but stopped, momentarily transfixed by the sight of her as she tightened her ponytail and smiled brightly. "Uhh… you said …" He shook himself and focused. "Cookies, you said to stop and get the cookies from your mom." Noticing Carrie, who'd crossed the room to turn the CD player off, he added, "Hey, Stagler," and she snorted a laugh.

"Hey yourself." Carrie patted his shoulder as she grabbed a towel. "I'm hitting the shower. Enjoy the cookies, McGarrett." Her meaningful look wasn't lost on her best friend, who was still grinning at Steve. "See you in twenty two minutes."

Catherine rolled her eyes at the light laughter and pointed to the CD player. "New CD. Old songs, actually, but we realized during plebe summer we liked the same band in high school."

"Ah, yeah." Steve hadn't registered the music other than to note it was on. Catherine was wearing a sleeveless issue tank and shorts and her feet were bare. He swallowed twice and she smiled, looking from his eyes to the desk and back.

"I'll get the cookies." She reached for the bag into which she'd separated a dozen oatmeal cookies. "There's enough for you and Freddie."

"Don't you wanna keep more for yourself? I mean your mom made 'em for you."

She shook her head. "She made them for me to share. Besides, if I don't share 'em I'll only eat them all." She pulled one out and took a bite, passing him the uneaten portion. "I can't … resist."

"I can see why they'd be hard to resist." The double entendre hung in the air as he ate the rest of the cookie, chewing slower than normal. The sight of her in the shorts and tank, her face flushed from dancing and laughing, had left his mouth dry.

They both turned at the sound of multiple footfalls in the hallway. "Four minutes." Midshipmen were hurrying to make lights out. "They're great, as usual. Thanks. And tell your mom thanks." He held up the bag.

"I will." She smiled, softly this time. "See you tomorrow." She walked beside him as far as the threshold. Steve grinned and ate another cookie as he reached the door.

"Yeah, tomorrow."

Present

"Hey," Catherine greeted him as she knelt to hug Cammie upon her return from spending the afternoon with Carrie. "Is she napping?"

He nodded, pointing at the monitor that rested on the coffee table. "Just went down." His eyes went to the bag she held as she bent to kiss him. "Whatcha got?" He tugged her down beside him on the sofa.

"Cookies. I stopped at the bakery near the salon."

He took the bag and selected one. "Oatmeal?" he asked curiously. She normally went for chocolate chip.

Grinning as she grabbed his hand and guided it to her mouth for a bite, she looked into his eyes. Thinking back to the look in those eyes when she passed him one so many years ago, she knew exactly when he remembered the same moment.

"Oatmeal." He smiled in response and moved to kiss her.

"Oatmeal." She smiled against his lips. "I couldn't resist."

# End. Thanks for reading!

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