Notes: Mari and Sammy – Thank you for another year of love and laughter. Your support in the best and worst of times is something I hope I never take for granted.
Readers and REAL McRollers – Another year in the REAL World! It's gone so fast! Thank you for your enthusiasm and support. We hope you're looking forward to the next year as much as we are.
So … I missed my noon deadline by a couple hours, but in my defense, I do have a head cold and really just want to sleep. For you patience ... a little flashback :-)
Hope you enjoy! Happy New Year!
Happy Noon Year (A McRoll in the REAL World Story)
"Happy New Year's Eve!" Jacob announced as he stepped onto the deck ahead of the rest of his family to greet Steve, Catherine, and the rest of Five-0 and their significant others.
"Happy Noon Year's Eve," Kaitlyn corrected from behind him.
"Yeah!" Jacob stepped over to hug Catherine. "Happy Noon Year's Eve, Niblet!" he yelled in the general direction of Catherine's stomach.
Beside her, Steve laughed and ruffled Jacob's hair. "I don't think you have to yell quite that loud, buddy. And Niblet can't hear just yet, but pretty soon."
"Hey, who's ready for a New Year's Eve swim?" Chin asked, clapping his hands together.
"Me!" Dylan said, whipping off his shirt and kicking off his flip flops. "Race ya!"
Chin laughed as the pre-teen took off toward the water and followed, Cammie close behind behind.
"Wait for me, guys!" Jacob yelled, hopping on one foot as he tried to take off his own shoe.
"Sit down and do it right, honey, before you fall," Jenna said, guiding him to one of the wooden benches. "The water's not going anywhere." She looked at Steve and Catherine. "Thank you for doing the earlier party today. We definitely wanted to see you, but we'd signed up for the program at the Boys and Girls Club later …"
Catherine waved her off. "Not a problem at all. It sounds like you guys are going to have a great time tonight." She smiled, admitting, "I probably won't make it to midnight anyway."
Jenna gave her an understanding look. "I remember those days."
"We brought fruit, Aunt Catherine," Kaitlyn said, pointing to the containers Cody and Casey had set down on the table. "And cupcakes!"
"Ooh, I have been looking forward to your cupcakes, hon," Catherine said, wrapping an arm around her and giving her a little side hug.
Kaitlyn beamed. "I made the frosting look like fireworks for New Year's."
"Great idea."
Kaitlyn looked over at Danny. "I wish Grace was here."
"Me, too," he said, "but she's traveling with her mom. She'll be back next week, though."
"Maybe we could save her one," Kaitlyn suggested, brightening.
"She'd love that," Danny said genuinely.
"That's very sweet, Kaitlyn," Gabby added.
"I'm gonna pick out a really good one," Kaitlyn said, going over to the tupperware containers.
"She's so thoughtful," Leilani commented.
Jenna smiled proudly as they watched Kaitlyn look over the cupcakes carefully for the best one to save for Grace.
Steve clapped Cody on the shoulder. "And what are you up to tonight?"
"Jess' friend Kelsey is having a party. Her parents always have people over for New Year's and they let Kelsey have friends in the basement."
"Sounds like fun."
"Yeah, we won't stay much past midnight, though, since I've gotta be at the swearing-in ceremony tomorrow."
Steve nodded.
After an hour of swimming and other games, the group congregated on the deck to eat a New Year's Eve brunch before ringing in the New Year at noon.
Kaitlyn noticed the contents of Catherine's plate and asked, "Hey, why aren't you having any melon, Aunt Catherine? You always have melon. We put extra in for you."
"Ohh, honey, that's so sweet," Catherine said, reaching across the table and squeezing her hand. "Thank you. It's just that Niblet doesn't really seem to like melon so much."
Kaitlyn looked confused, so Jenna said, "Sometimes when a woman is pregnant, their tastes change. You know how I love macaroni and cheese?"
"Yeah."
"When I was pregnant with you, I couldn't eat it at all. It made me sick to my stomach."
"But I love macaroni and cheese."
Jenna smiled. "Well, it's not really that the baby doesn't like it … it has to do with hormones and the way a woman's body changes when she's pregnant."
Catherine nodded. "I'm sure after Niblet is born I'll eat tons of melon again. Maybe even before. Tastes change during pregnancy, too."
"That's true," Danny said. "When Rachel was first pregnant with Grace she couldn't stand to drink milk, but by the third trimester, that's all she would drink."
"See?" Catherine said.
Kaitlyn smiled, relieved. "That's good."
"You know what else Niblet isn't crazy about?" Catherine said, looking over at Dylan. "Ketchupy eggs.
"Really?" he said. "Man, that's disappointing."
Catherine grinned. "That's what I said!"
Danny leaned over to Steve, whispering, "Lucky you."
Steve chuckled but didn't comment, taking a bite of his quiche.
As noon approached, Casey and Kaitlyn passed out noisemakers and hats and everyone prepared to countdown.
Cody checked his watch and Steve smiled, remembering giving it to him the previous year.
"Okay, here we go," Cody said and everyone began the countdown.
"10 … 9 … 8 … 7 … 6 … 5 … 4 … 3 … 2 … 1 … HAPPY NEW YEAR!"
Hugs and kisses were exchanged, and Jacob laughed.
"It's weird 'cause it's still light out!" he said, causing everyone else to laugh. "Hey, remember last year when we said Happy New Year to all the different cities every hour? I'm gonna tell everybody tonight and maybe we can do that at the Boys and Girls Club."
"Well, I know some people in a different city who definitely want to say Happy New Year," Catherine said. "What do you say we get Aunt Elizabeth, Uncle Joseph, and Grandma Ang on Skype?"
Jacob's enthusiastic "Yeah!" was echoed by the rest of the group. Steve went to retrieve a laptop while Catherine texted with her parents to make sure they were ready. A few minutes later, the call connected.
"Happy New Year!" Catherine said.
"Happy New Year!" Elizabeth replied. "Wow! That's almost as big a party as last year!"
"It's a Noon Year Party, Aunt Elizabeth," Jacob said. " 'Cause we got another party tonight!"
Elizabeth smiled at his excitement. "Lucky you."
"What have you guys been up to today?" Catherine asked.
"Oh, just getting a few things ready in the kitchen while your father was out shoveling. Sonya and her daughter are coming over to ring in the new year later."
"Shoveling? You got snow?"
"A few inches overnight," Joseph said.
"Snow?" Jacob asked, perking up even more. "Can I see?"
"We'll send you a picture later," Elizabeth said with a smile.
"Thank you again for the Christmas gifts," Jenna said, her children echoing her thanks. "You're so generous."
"You're quite welcome."
"We loved the picture of you all in your Cubs shirts," Ang said.
"And our $2 bills!" Jacob added.
"That's right!"
"Did you send one for Niblet?" Kaitlyn asked. "Like how you brought one for Thanksgiving?"
"I certainly did."
"Niblet's already started a nice collection of those lucky $2 bills," Steve said.
Ang beamed from her spot on the sofa.
"So you did your countdown already?" Elizabeth asked.
"Yeah, we just did!" Jacob said. "So it's New Year's, but not really. We get to do it again at midnight!"
"If you're still up," Jenna said, rubbing his head. "You're going to have a lot of excitement today."
"I will be," Jacob assured her.
After a few more minutes, they exchanged goodbyes and more Happy New Years and ended the call. The group started to disperse with an Uno game at the far end of the deck and a game of catch in the yard with Cammie.
"That's like a new tradition," Jacob said to those still around the computer. "Skype with Aunt Elizabeth and Uncle Joseph and Grandma Ang on New Year's Eve."
"I like that tradition," Catherine said, smiling.
"Oh, here's the picture of the snow, Jacob," Jenna said, showing him the text she'd just received from Elizabeth.
He sighed. "I wish I could see snow for real."
Steve put a hand on his shoulder. "Maybe someday we'll go the Big Island. Some of the mountains there get snow because of the elevation."
Jacob looked up at him. "Elevation?"
"That means how high it is."
Jacob's eyes widened. "There's snow there?"
"Sometimes."
"Then maybe we could build a snowman!"
Steve chuckled. "Maybe."
"Did you ever build a snowman, Uncle Steve?"
"Yep. I've built one."
"Only one?"
"Only one." He looked over at Catherine and smiled. "But it was a good one."
Annapolis, 1998
"You've really never built a snowman?" Catherine asked, stepping out onto the snow-covered deck at the Mills' house.
Steve shrugged as he followed her out. "I'm from Hawaii. Then I lived in Southern California. Not a lot of experience with snow till I got here."
"Then we are definitely building a snowman. It's the perfect snow for it." She stepped into the yard and bent down, scooping a handful of snow into her gloves and shaping it into a ball. "Nice and wet. Good for packing."
With a mischievous smile, she straightened and threw it at him, hitting him square in the chest.
He balked. "Wh–" He brushed the snow from his coat, a smile threatening to break through on his face. "I thought we were building a snowman, you didn't say anything about a snowball fight."
She grinned. "No snowball fight, I was just demonstrating how good the snow was for packing."
He quirked an eyebrow. "And you had to do that by throwing a snowball at me?"
"Seemed expedient," she said with a shrug.
"I think maybe I need to try that for myself," he said, leaning over for his own snowball.
She laughed and held her hands out to stop him. "No, no! Remember what we came out here for. Snowman."
He smirked, straightening. "Snowman." He looked around. "Okay, how do we do this?"
"Well, you start with a snowball …"
He cocked his head, looking at her suspiciously.
She laughed again. "And you roll it along the ground to make it bigger." She grabbed his arm and pulled him out into the backyard. "Come on."
They set about rolling the base of their snowman to a decent size.
"You're right," he said as they pushed the huge ball of snow together into the middle of the yard. "Wet snow definitely packs well."
"Now we shape it," she said, squatting on one side to smooth the snow. He did the same opposite her and she smiled at him, her cheeks rosy from the cold air.
Once it was shaped to her liking, she stood and said, "Now a smaller ball for the middle."
They repeated the process, lifting the middle section into place together and packing additional snow around it to keep it there.
"And finally the head," she said and rolled a smaller ball to put on the top. They smoothed it into place and stepped back to take a look.
Catherine nodded, satisfied, and walked to the back of the yard as Steve continued to look it over appraisingly. "I guess the shape is right," he said, "but …"
"We're not finished yet," she called back. "He needs a face and arms and everything."
He laughed. "Right."
She came back with two sticks she'd found poking out of the snow by the treeline. "Here, stick that over on that side." She gave him one of the sticks and put the other in the snowman's body. "Better?" she asked.
"Getting there."
"Does the colonel have any charcoal, do you think?"
"In the garage, yeah."
"Okay, go get a couple pieces for the eyes and buttons. I'm going to see if Mrs. Mills has a carrot we can use for the nose."
They parted ways on their respective missions and returned a few minutes later, Steve with several pieces of charcoal and Catherine with a carrot, hat, and scarf.
Since his hands were full, she stuck the carrot in the center of the snowman's face and put the hat and scarf under her arm. "Lemme see what you got," she said, turning to him.
Steve held out his gloved hands full of charcoal and she selected the two biggest for the eyes, putting them on the snowman's face.
"Okay, put those other three on for his buttons, I'll be right back."
He dutifully positioned the charcoal on the snowman's middle as Catherine dug around the porch to reach the ground. She returned with several small rocks and he watched, eyes soft, as she carefully placed them in the shape of a smiling mouth.
She turned, catching him looking, and smiled. "Final touches," she said and took the scarf from under her arm. She wrapped it around the snowman's neck and handed the hat to Steve. "Last one."
"That's one of the colonel's hats," he said, taking it in his hands.
"Mrs. Mills said he wouldn't mind. She said there hasn't been a snowman in their yard in years so it'd probably make him smile."
"Okay, then," he said and put the hat on top of the snowman's head.
They stepped back together to look over their finished creation.
"That's a pretty good snowman," Steve said.
She smiled. "Everyone should do this once."
His gaze turned to her and he smiled softly. "Thanks for making sure I did."
Steve was pulled from the memory by Jacob's wistful voice.
"I hope I can build a snowman someday."
His attention was caught by the game of catch in the yard, and he ran down the steps.
Steve grew thoughtful, tapping a hand on his leg. Pulling out his phone, he typed a quick search and scrolled through the results.
"What are you doing?" Catherine asked.
He smiled when he found what he was looking for and showed her the screen. She scanned it quickly and grinned.
"Perfect."
"Back in a few," he said, pressing a quick kiss to her temple and heading inside.
"Where's he going?" Jenna asked.
Smiling, Catherine leaned over to tell her.
Twenty minutes later, Steve returned with two plastic bags.
"Hey, Jacob, come here!" he called. "Come up here, everybody."
As they gathered around the tables, Steve took out boxes of baking soda and bottles of cheap white hair conditioner.
"What's this for, Uncle Steve?" Jacob asked.
Catherine set one of the paint trays she and Jenna had retrieved from the garage in front of Steve and Jacob.
"Everyone should build a snowman once," Steve said with a quick glance at Catherine. "Hopefully you get to do the real thing one day, but until then, I thought we could try it with some fake snow."
He opened one of the boxes of baking soda and poured it into the paint tray, then squeezed out the bottle of conditioner on top.
"Go ahead, mix it up," he said to Jacob.
Jacob looked up at Jenna who nodded for him to go ahead.
With an excited smile, Jacob plunged his hands into the mixture, laughing at the texture
"Whoa! That's so weird and gooey!"
"You gotta mix it up, get all that baking soda in there," Steve told him, grinning.
Jacob looked up at him. "Is this what snow feels like?"
"Not exactly, but it'll do." He looked around at the rest of the group. "Go on, dig in, everybody. We'll make our own snowman village."
As the kids, and a fair number of the grownups, started mixing their own snow in the other paint trays, Steve stepped back, smiling at the sight.
Catherine moved beside to stand beside him.
"Great idea, Commander," she said.
"I've been known to have a few."
"You've been know to have a lot." She drew him down for a kiss. She pulled back and smiled. "But I bet you got quite the look buying ten boxes of baking soda and ten bottles of conditioner."
He chuckled. "Yep." Looking back at the group happily building snowpeople and snowbuildings from the concoction, he added, "But totally worth it."
As predicted, Catherine was in bed when midnight rolled around, Steve beside her with a book. Cammie alerted at the sound of distant fireworks, but relaxed when Steve whispered, "Shhh, it's okay, girl. It's just fireworks for New Year's."
Beside him, Catherine murmured, "Go ahead and say it, I know you want to."
He looked over, having thought she was asleep, to see her eyes still closed but a smile on her face.
He put the book on his nightstand and shifted down to lie facing her.
"Next New Year's …" he said leadingly.
She chuckled, and he leaned over to kiss her lightly.
"Happy New Year, Cath." Moving down, he kissed her stomach. "You, too, Niblet. This is your year … and we can't wait to meet you."
Hope you enjoyed!
The final marathon story is tomorrow, then we're back to our regular posting schedule. Thanks for another fabulous marathon, REAL McRollers!
Remember to send us your ideas for Steve and Catherine's shadowbox!
Keep track of all the REAL World stories on our Tumblr page - mcrollintherealworld dot tumblr dot com
You can still join our mailing list by emailing us realmcroll at yahoo dot com with Add me, please! in the subject line.
And find Mari on Twitter asking your opinions on all things McRoll in the REAL World! at Mari21763 and add #REALMcRoller