HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY ILNA! Have a great day and a great year ahead. You deserve it!

Mari—you're the best of the best. You are a force of nature and I'm constantly in awe of your strength and energy.

Sandy—thanks for over a decade of sharing laughs and tears. Thankfully there have been more of the former than the latter.

REAL McRollers—I can't come close to expressing how much your support and enthusiasm mean to me. I know I sound like a broken record but as usual I am embarrassingly behind on replying to reviews. Please know that every single one is read and treasured.

City Lights(1/1)

McGarrett Rollins Home

Bedroom

Saturday 7:30 A.M.

"Happy Birthday."

Catherine opened her eyes and couldn't help but smile at the happy, contented look on Steve's face as he gazed back at her.

"My birthday was yesterday," she grinned, her voice still gravelly from sleep.

"Well that was your REAL birthday but an occasion as momentous as your birth deserves at least an entire week of celebration."

Catherine scooted closer until their noses were nearly touching and tangled her legs with Steve's. "Dinner was amazing," she said as she began to draw lazy circles on his shoulder with her finger.

"It really was good, wasn't it?" He kissed the tip of her nose.

"I'm still stuffed. I can't believe we've never eaten there before. I don't think I even knew there was a restaurant inside the Honolulu Design Center until last night."

"Frank Kaewa recommended it. Remind me to thank him."

"Absolutely. It seemed like everyone really enjoyed it. Leilani said she'd eaten there before but I'm pretty sure it was the first time for the rest of us."

"Well I'm glad you liked it. That's all that matters." Steve leaned over and kissed her bare shoulder.

"It was amazing, just like you." Catherine pulled his face back towards hers and kissed him softly on the lips. "And it was great celebrating with so many friends but … "

"But?"

"I gotta say I'm looking forward to three full days of just the two of us." She placed her hand softly on his cheek.

"Me too."

"I can't believe we're going to LA." Catherine's eyes danced with excitement.

"Well we are," Steve grinned. "And we're gonna do whatever you want for three whole days. It's your birthday week … you get to decide."

"But my birthday week technically ends tomorrow," Catherine pointed out.

"I'm willing to extend it a few days."

"Wow! You have that kind of power?" Catherine waggled her eyebrows.

"I do now."

"I'm impressed."

Steve grinned. "I already took care of Cammie's morning run and we have some time before we need to get to the airport … " He began to nibble on her neck.

"Mmmmm … " Catherine purred. "Maybe we can leave a little early and have a nice, leisurely lunch on our way to the airport. Maybe stop at the mall to grab a few things for the trip."

Steve stopped suddenly and shook his head adamantly.

"We can't do that."

"Why not?"

"We have to eat lunch here," he insisted.

"Okaaay," Catherine looked at him questioningly. "Is there any special reason?"

"No … we just … ummmm … I was looking forward to the leftovers we brought home last night."

"We didn't bring any leftovers home last night." Catherine could tell Steve was up to something and she was determined to find out what.

"Are you sure?"

"Positive," She chuckled. "What's going on?"

"What makes you think anything is going on?" Steve tried for innocent but missed it by a mile.

"I know you and you're acting weird. Now spill."

He dropped his chin to his chest. "I was doing so good keeping the secret."

"What secret?"

"You have to promise to act surprised."

"Steve … "

"Promise," he insisted.

"I promise."

"And you can't tell anyone I told you," he added.

"I promise," Catherine said seriously.

"Nonna's gift is being delivered today at noon," Steve said. "She made special arrangements and I promised her I'd make sure you were here when it arrives."

"What is it?" Catherine's eyes lit up.

"Catherine … I can't tell you. But I know you're gonna love it."

"Can you give me a hint?" she wheedled.

"No." Steve tried to stay strong. "Nonna would kill me."

"She'll never know you spilled the beans."

"She's Nonna. She'd know."

Catherine ran her hand down his abdomen under the blanket. "Is there any way I can convince you to give me a hint?"

Steve laughed. "I don't think so but I'm very much in favor of you continuing to try."

"I have ways of making you talk," Catherine teased as she got to her knees and straddled his body.

"Remember, you're a year older now," Steve grinned. "You think you still got it?"

"Oh I still got it, Commander. Don't you worry about that."

"Well then give it your best shot, Lieutenant."

"You'll be putty in my hands," she purred as she leaned in and kissed him passionately.

Steve grinned as he quickly flipped them over so Catherine was underneath him. "I have no doubt about that. But I'm still not giving you any hints."

Living Room

Noon

Steve and Catherine sat side-by-side on the couch waiting for Nonna's delivery, Cammie dozing in her usual spot across the room. Their duffle bags were packed and ready to go, sitting near the bottom of the stairs. Esther had agreed to look after Cammie while they were gone and to spend some extra time at the house so she wouldn't get lonely.

Right at noon on the dot they heard a commotion on the front porch. What sounded like feet shuffling and muffled whispers and giggles.

A second later the doorbell rang.

Catherine cast a confused look at Steve then got up and made her way across the room with Steve and Cammie both right behind her. With one last glance over her shoulder she opened the door.

As they got their first glimpse of what was waiting for them on the porch they both froze. Steve's mouth dropped open and Catherine couldn't hold back an excited squeal.

HAPPY BIRF-DAY ANN CAF!" Joanie screamed excitedly as she bounced up and down in her mother's arms and clapped. "SU-PWISE!"

Cammie woofed excitedly.

"Mary … Joanie … oh my … what are you … "

"SU-PWISE!" Joanie repeated as Mary struggled to hold into both the squirming toddler and Nonna's rose bush.

"Let me get that for you," Steve offered as he reached out and took the potted bush. "Nonna said she'd arranged for delivery but she didn't mention it was gonna be you."

He put the rosebush on the coffee table as Catherine took Joanie from Mary and hugged the happy toddler. "This is the best birthday surprise of all," she cooed as she kissed Joan and leaned in to hug Mary.

"It really is," Steve said as he ruffled his niece's hair and hugged his sister. "I can't believe Nonna skipped telling me this part of the surprise."

"I mentioned to her a few weeks ago that we were thinking of coming to surprise Cath for her birthday," Mary explained as she leaned down to pet Cammie. "She was pretty sure you wouldn't be able to keep the gift a secret for a whole week so she definitely didn't wanna tell you about the surprise delivery elves."

"Nonna! Woses! Look Ann Caf … PRETTY!" Joanie gestured excitedly towards the rosebush.

"It's gorgeous," Catherine said as she moved in for a closer look.

"There's a card." Mary reached into her purse and handed Catherine an envelope with Nonna's distinctive handwriting. Catherine opened the card and began to read.

Happy birthday, bella! May this year and every year be filled with love and family. This rosebush was started from the one in my backyard. I thought you could use it to make yourself the bath milk you loved so much when you visited at Christmas. I also thought it would be nice to have a little piece of New Jersey growing in Hawaii.

Hope you enjoyed the delivery service. Skype when you get a chance.

Love, Nonna

Catherine wiped a tear from her eye. "I can't believe it. This is amazing." She turned to Steve. "You knew about this?"

"For a whole week," he grinned proudly.

"You kept a secret from Cath for a week?" Mary looked shocked. "That's gotta be a new record for you."

Joanie scrambled out of Cath's arms and went to stand beside the rosebush. Cammie was immediately at her side.

"'mell Ann Caff!" she giggled and hugged Cammie.

Catherine leaned in and smelled the fragrant blooms. "It's gorgeous," she grinned at Joanie.

"'mell Unca 'teve."

Steve did as he was directed. "Very pretty."

Joan pointed towards the bush. "No touch. Ouch! Jus 'mell."

She held out her hand and showed Steve and Catherine two Elsa band-aids.

"We learned that one the hard way," Mary chuckled. As she stepped further into the room she spotted the packed duffel bags. "Oh no. You're going somewhere?"

Steve panicked for just a second until he looked at Catherine then he beamed when he saw the look on her face matched his own thoughts exactly. He should have known it would.

LA could wait.

There was no way they were going to miss a chance to spend time with Mary and Joanie. Family was far too important to miss any opportunity.

"We were," Steve said, "But that was before we knew we were getting a visit from the best delivery person ever." He picked Joanie up and held her above his head as she giggled loudly.

"I'm so sorry. I should have asked," Mary said apologetically. "You guys go. Have fun. We can entertain ourselves for a few days."

"Absolutely not," Catherine said in a tone that left no room for negotiation. "We were just headed to LA for a long weekend. We can do that some other time."

"I should have asked. I'm so … "

"Are you kidding me?" Catherine cut her off. "I'd much rather celebrate the rest of my birthday weekend with you two. How long can you stay?"

"We have a flight out Monday afternoon. But are you sure? We can grab a hotel … "

"Absolutely not," Steve said as tickled a smiling Joanie. "Where are your bags?"

"In the rental. But I feel bad about making you cancel your trip."

"You're not making us cancel anything," Catherine said as Steve handed her Joanie so he could go retrieve the bags from the car. "We'd much rather spend time with you guys."

"As long as you're sure."

"We're sure," Catherine said definitively. "We're gonna have fun, aren't we Joanie? We're gonna read and play with Cammie and go for a swim. And I don't wanna hear another word about a cancelled trip. It's my birthday so I can order that."

At the sound of the word birthday Joan threw her arms in the air and squealed "SU-PWISE ANN CAF!"

"She's been practicing that all the way here. The people on the plane were thrilled."

Catherine laughed. "Well we're not gonna worry about them. We're gonna go in the kitchen and find some juice and something for a snack after your flight. We're gonna have so much fun this weekend."

Deck

7:30 P.M.

After a day of frolicking in the water, standing on a surfboard pretending to surf, playing fetch with Cammie and exploring every corner of the yard followed by a grilled fish dinner on the deck and a long walk down the beach Joanie was sleeping soundly on Steve's chest as he sat in one of the Adirondack chairs and watched the sunset.

"I can put her to bed," Mary offered from the chair next to his.

"She's fine," Steve smiled as he stroked Joanie's back. "Leave her here for a little while. Maybe she'll wake up for a later and we can look at the stars. I promised her I'd point out some constellations."

"I remember you used to point them out to me on this very spot," Mary said softly, her eyes damp.

"I remember that too," Steve said around a lump in his throat.

Catherine smiled as she came back from putting the leftover fish in the refrigerator. She was thrilled when they could recapture even a simple happy memory from their childhoods. She handed them each a beer before dropping down in the chair beside Mary's with her own.

"Thanks," Mary smiled as she looked at the night sky. "We never see stars like this at home. They get blocked out by the city lights."

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Catherine never got tired of the view.

"It sure is. And so is this deck," Mary added. "Pictures don't do it justice."

"Thanks," Steve and Catherine said in unison.

"You know," Mary said as she put her beer down and reached for a box she stowed under her chair earlier, "This might be the perfect time for me to give you your birthday gift. We'll save Joan's for when she's awake but I want you to open this now."

"You didn't have to get me anything," Catherine said sincerely as she put down her beer and took the box. "Your visit was more than enough."

"It's not much. I just … well I had an idea and … you'll see. I hope you like it," Mary said nervously.

"I'm sure I will." Catherine opened the colorfully wrapped box and folded back the purple tissue paper. "Oh, Mary," she gasped. "This is beautiful. Did you make this?"

"I did. I've been watching these online how-to scrapbooking videos and I really enjoy them and I thought it might be a good idea for a recipe book."

"It's stunning," Catherine said sincerely as she lifted the book out of the box and showed Steve the beautifully decorated cover. "Cooking with Love. By Catherine Rollins," she read.

"I know you love to cook and I know you have recipe books from Nonna and Grandma Ang and … I don't know … I just thought it might be nice to have one of your own." Mary dipped her head.

Catherine reached for the younger woman's hand and squeezed it tightly. "It's an amazing idea. I love it!"

"That's really nice, Mare," Steve agreed.

"I designed the pages … well I thought it might be nice to fit them a little more to you specifically. Take a look."

Catherine opened the book and looked at the first entry. "Steve's favorite," she read with a smile as she looked at the page decorated with ocean waves and subtle hearts, with empty space in the middle for Catherine to add a recipe.

"There's a couple of those since I figured he'd never be able to narrow it down to just one," Mary chuckled.

"The printing is amazing," Catherine said as she rain her hand over the page. "Did you do it yourself?"

"Yeah." Mary blushed and nodded. "I've been practicing."

"It's really lovely." Catherine began turning the pages and reading the other page titles. "My Favorite, The First Thing I Ever Cooked for Steve, A Recipe I Messed Up But It Came Out Better Than the Original, The Thing Everyone Always Requests, Can't Miss Crowd Pleaser, Time Consuming But Worth It, Favorite Treat, Sounds Better Than the Recipe Reads … these are … " Catherine was overcome with emotion and leaned in and hugged Mary tightly. "Thank you. I will treasure this forever. Really."

"I'm glad you like it."

"I love it. I really, really do. I've never seen anything like it. What a great idea. Thank you."

"You're welcome. And you know … some day in the future … I could make a wedding album or a baby book."

"You don't even try to be subtle anymore," Steve snorted.

"It's part of my charm," Mary grinned.

Sunday

8:00 A.M.

Kitchen

"Something smells delicious," Catherine said as she and Steve entered the kitchen. They took Cammie for a morning run then came home and showered and by the time they were dressed Mary and Joanie were up and already in the kitchen. "But you didn't have to cook breakfast."

"Morning Ann Caf! Morning Unca 'Teve," Joanie said from her booster seat pulled up to the kitchen table.

"Morning Joanie," Steve said as he gave her a big smacking kiss in the cheek resulting in giggles.

"Morning Sweetie," Catherine said as she kissed the toddler on the head and went to pour herself a cup of coffee.

"It's the least I could do," Mary said. "It won't be as good as five-star room service at some fancy hotel in LA but I make a pretty good pancake."

"This is much better than room service," Catherine said as she took a seat beside Joanie. "Just look at her." She took Joanie's hand in hers. "She's grown so much just since last time we saw you guys. Before you know it she'll be off to school."

"I know," Mary said wistfully. "She's growing so fast."

"Please Mary, promise me you'll never hesitate to come visit," Catherine said earnestly. "I mean it. Any time at all and for as long as you want. We want you to feel welcome here. We love having you. I wouldn't trade days like this for anything."

"Cath's right," Steve nodded. "We want you to visit as often as possible."

"Thanks," Mary said as she swiped away a tear. There was no mistaking how sincere Steve and Catherine were and it warmed her heart. Not only for the love and support they provided to her but because she knew Joan's life would be enriched immensely by their presence in it. "We will. I promise."

"Good," Catherine said as her phone buzzed in her pocket. She pulled it out and saw Carrie's name on the screen.

"Hi, Car. What's up?"

"Listen Cath I hate to bother you in LA but I'm having a bit of a crisis."

"Actually we're not in LA. What's wrong?"

Steve looked at her questioningly, prepared to spring into action if something was wrong.

"Why aren't you in LA?"

"Mary and Joan popped in to surprise me for my birthday. What's your crisis?"

"Oh well crisis may have been an overstatement."

Catherine could tell by the tone of Carrie's voice that nothing was seriously wrong so she smiled at Steve to let him know everything was ok and he relaxed immediately. "What's going on?"

"The electricity is out at our place and we have a retirement party to go to later and I'm supposed to bring cookies and I promised homemade and not store bought."

"They're never gonna let you live down the Oreo debacle are they?"

"Probably not. I can bring all the ingredients. I just need your oven."

"What kind are you making?"

"Chocolate chip. Can't go wrong with those."

"Don't bother dragging all your stuff over here. I have everything you need. Just come over whenever you're ready."

"You're the best. See you in a few."

Catherine disconnected the call and looked at Steve. "Carrie has to bake some cookies for a party this afternoon and the electric is out at their place so she's coming over here."

"Cookies!" Joanie threw her hands in the air.

"YAY," Catherine smiled as she raised her arms too. "I'm sure we can make some extra for ourselves."

Steve smiled at the sight of them then glanced at Mary and saw her smiling at the same thing. He had no idea what they'd have bene doing if they were in LA right now but he was sure they wouldn't be enjoying it nearly as much.

Forty-five minutes later Catherine opened the front door to find a frazzled looking Carrie holding an empty cookie tray.

"Thanks so much," she said gratefully. "Hey, great jewelry, is it new?" She pointed to the macaroni necklace and bracelet Catherine wore proudly.

"Joanie made them herself." Catherine held her wrist up and modeled her new accessories.

"They're awesome."

"They really are," Catherine said softly and Carrie couldn't help but grin at the sentimental tone in her best friend's voice.

"Can I meet the designer?" she smiled.

"Absolutely," Catherine laughed. "She's out back with Steve."

Ninety minutes later Carrie was sliding her last tray of cookies into the oven as Catherine entered the kitchen from the deck, Cammie trailing happily behind her.

"She's had enough fetch for the morning. I think she needs a nap and a little alone time," Catherine smiled as Cammie headed to her favorite spot in the living room. "Do you need any help?"

"Nope this is the last tray then I'll be out of your way."

"You're not in the way."

"You wanna go to this retirement party in my place?" Carrie asked hopefully.

"Not really. But at least you're tasking good cookies."

"True," Carrie nodded. "That's something I guess."

Twenty minutes later all the cookies were on the tray and the kitchen cleaned up as Carrie went out on the deck to say goodbye. Cammie followed her out, apparently done resting and looking for someone to play with.

As Catherine turned from her spot at the railing Carrie saw tears in her eyes.

"Hey, hey, what's wrong? I thought you said you were ok with cancelling the trip."

"It's not that," Catherine waved her off.

"Then what?"

"Look."

Carrie looked off in the direction Catherine was pointing and saw Steve and Mary coming across the beach, Mary's hand on Steve's arm, Joanie perched happily on his shoulders, all laughing happily.

Carrie smiled and her own eyes became suspiciously damp. "If you'd have told me back in the academy this would happen someday I wouldn't have believed you."

"Me either," Catherine said around the lump on her throat.

"I mean I knew you two would be together," Carrie clarified, "but settled in a beach house in Hawaii surrounded by friends and family, putting down roots … I never would have guessed."

"It's great though isn't it?" Catherine beamed.

"Really great," Carrie agreed. "The excitement of LA has absolutely nothing on your own back yard."

"You can say that again," Catherine smiled.

Carrie pulled out her phone and aimed it towards the beach. "Only one thing missing from this picture," she said.

As if on cue Joanie squealed "Come play, Ann Caf!"

"Come on we're gonna build a sand castle," Steve called as he lifted Joanie off his shoulders and placed her in the sand.

"Uncle Steve was telling her a story about a handsome prince and a beautiful princess who live at this very beach and now Joan wants to build them a house," Mary chuckled.

"Go on," Carrie smiled when Catherine looked at her. "I'll let myself out."

"Thanks," Catherine beamed as she and Cammie headed off to join then others. "Have fun at the party."

'A castle at the beach for the prince and princess,' Carrie chuckled as she headed back into the house. 'Well you have the perfect one right in front of you to use as a model.'

THE END

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