Sammy & Ilna - thanks for all the birthday love :) and Ilna thanks for taking Monday so I had my weekend off. Love you both!

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Sugar Cookie

It had been a long few weeks and with the case solved, Steve and Catherine had been enjoying every moment of downtime they'd had since taking down the smuggling ring. They had nothing more planned than an evening at home on the beach.

She'd decided chicken salad would work for dinner and moved to take it out of the refrigerator while Angie sat in her highchair. Placing the food on the counter, she turned at her daughter's, "Dada, hi, Dada!" and Steve's uproarious laughter in response.

Stifling her giggle with a hand, Catherine pressed her lips together before she said, "Angie, what …" and barked a laugh of her own. Looking between their 19 month old and her husband, she chuckled again as he reached their daughter first.

Their daughter who was gleefully smiling while smearing handfuls of applesauce over her hair and face.

"Me baf, Dada!"

Angie reached happily for her daddy, who snorted, "You're … taking a bath …?"

She nodded. "Baf!"

"In applesauce, huh?" Steve finished as he lifted her from the chair and Catherine leaned in to remove the tray.

"I turned around for a second to grab the chicken salad while you went for the beach towels and …" She waved a hand and wiped tears of laughter from her eyes. "Apparently, it's bath time."

He kissed the little cheek. "Apparently it is." His expression was proud and Catherine shook her head in amusement. "C'mon, let's hose you down."

"No."

"Yes. You're not going on the beach like that, you'll be a sugar cookie."

The second the phrase left his mouth he realized what he'd said, and they both chuckled as Angie asked, "Cookie?"

"Different kind of cookie, baby girl." He grinned.

Catherine gathered what they'd need for a beach picnic dinner as Steve preceded her and Cammie outside with their sticky toddler.

"Okay," he said as he turned on the sprinkler and set Angie on her feet. "Rinse off."

She made grabby hands. "Dada do."

"Like this." He kneeled to get under the sprinkler and scrubbed his face and hands.

Angie followed suit, giggling as Cammie stepped up and 'helped' remove the yummy stuff covering her little human. When she was de-applesauced, Steve lifted her and the family made their way to the water's edge.

After dinner, Steve held Angie in the water as Catherine tossed a floating Kong toy for Cammie until both were tired. Reaching their blanket, Steve set the toddler down in the middle, but the second her life vest was removed she promptly pushed up and ran off the edge into the sand, plopping on her tummy and pushing up on her arms to smile at her parents. "Ahh be da ay, Dada?"

"That's a good push up." Steve grinned and joined his daughter. "Look, try like this."

When he demonstrated, Angie giggled and copied him. "Puttup, Mama!"

"Yes!" Steve was smiling so broadly, Catherine grabbed her phone and began to video.

"Can you do another push up like Daddy?" She encouraged, chuckling when their toddler did before standing, then jumped up and down while watching Steve expectantly.

"Oh, it's PT now?" He got up and did several jumping jacks as Angie hopped in place while flapping her arms.

"Yay!"

Catherine beamed at him playing what amounted to 'Simon Says' with their daughter.

When Angie dropped on her tummy, Steve followed suit and her giggles floated on the breeze. Turning to roll in the sand, she said, "Do!"

Chuckling at the request of his sand-covered little girl, he rolled over several times and sat up. When Angie ran the few steps to him, he scooped her up, saying, "First time I've ever been a sugar cookie by choice," as he kissed her cheek.

Angie laughed and clapped, patting his sandy shoulders with both hands. "Cookie?"

"How'd I know you were gonna say that?" He raised his brow. "C'mon, Midshipman McGarrett, let's rinse off again first." He bopped her nose with a finger. "You're definitely the most beautiful sugar cookie ever."

Catherine stood to follow as they entered the water, continuing to film father and daughter grinning as they dipped beneath the gentle waves. When Angie called, "Mama 'wim Dada!" to announce she was swimming, she said, "I see you, sweetheart! Just like Daddy!"

Watching their little girl, a vision of her husband silently cutting through the water at top speed flashed through her mind. 'Just like your Daddy,' she thought, as a memory of her following Joseph into the water at North End Beach on a summer visit to Grandma Ang made her smile.

When they exited the water and the family retook their seats on the very large and now sand free blanket, Catherine passed a piece of valentine cookie to their daughter. "There you go, baby girl."

"Cookie! Num!" She said around the piece already in her mouth.

"A sugar cookie for our sugar cookie." She smiled at Steve. "She's obviously picking up on our workouts, but the sand rolling …" she chuckled and fed Cammie a small bite of icing-free cookie and was rewarded with a hand-lick and happy chuff, "must be genetic," she winked.

Steve's grin lit his face as he dropped a kiss on the damp curly hair of the little girl contentedly snuggled in a towel on his lap. "Is that true, Angie?" He ran a finger over the face whose profile was the mirror image of his wife's. "Did you get my SEAL gene?"

Catherine tilted her head in memory, seeing the young Lieutenant at his BUD/s graduation so many years before. "If anyone inherited it, it's our amazing …" she indicated with a chin tilt.

"Not to mention brilliant..." He was quick to point out and she smiled.

"...and brave daughter." Catherine scooted closer and gently patted the little foot peeking out of the towel cocoon. "If anyone's kid is gonna be the first female to graduate BUD/s …" She leaned in, pecked Steve's lips and smiled into the kiss when he did. "It just may be Angeline Elizabeth McGarrett."

# End. Thanks for reading!

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