Sammy & Ilna - our 5th calendar year and I'm as excited for every story as I was day one. Only now instead of writing with new friends, I am writing with family. With two of the best people and friends I could ever ask to have in my life. Love you both. Oh and Sammy thanks for another great title and the edits/improvements.

REAL McRollers and Readers - You're getting one from me today because Sammy has a fun event tonight. She'll have an awesome story for Monday. Thanks to every one of you who are on this incredible journey with us. Love and hugs. And East coasters - stay warm! It's a balmy 9 degrees here in NJ.

Flushed Away

Steve had been filling Cammie's water bowl in the kitchen when suddenly he was upstairs in the bathroom doorway in seconds flat.

"Cath?!" His eyes surveyed his wife and dog before landing on his daughter, who was currently screaming far louder than two tiny lungs in a fourteen pound body should allow. "What's wrong?" He was beside her in two strides, one hand on her shoulder, the other on the baby's back. Catherine looked a little worried, which heightened Steve's concern a hundred fold.

"I don't … shh shh, Mommy's got you," she soothed, bouncing slightly. "I'm not sure, exactly. She was fine and she just started screaming." The baby was clutching at her blouse and wailing. "No build up … ohh sweetheart, c'mon, baby girl." She walked into the bedroom with Steve sticking so close Cammie circled them as one unit.

Placing Angie gently on the bed, she did a check of her limbs, digits, head and torso with Steve doing a visual once over as well while Angie made a grabby gesture for her mommy. Lifting her again, Catherine cradled her close, one hand on her head as the little hands again clung tightly, although the screams were dissolving into a more usual sounding cry.

"What's wrong with Daddy's girl?" Steve whispered as he rubbed soothing circles on her back. "Mommy and Daddy are right here - we'll always be here for you, please sweetheart, you're okay." His eyes met Catherine's as she sat on the bed and he did the same, wrapping an arm around her.

"She was laughing at Cammie licking her hand, I'd put a fresh diaper on and put her in her seat while I used the bathroom. I picked her up and …" The baby hiccuped and stopped crying. Her eyes glued to her mother's face, hands still holding fistfuls of her blouse. "Something scared her."

"She definitely sounded scared, and she didn't want you to put her down." He ran a hand through his hair. "She was reaching for you the whole time we were checking her over." Steve used a thumb to wipe the two huge tears glistening on his daughter's cheeks. "What scared you, baby girl?"

Catherine stood and walked back towards the master bathroom, knowing whatever it was, happened in there. "We were getting ready for Esther to come and you were in your seat with Cammie watching …" She stopped and looked at him. "Steve, I think it's the toilet."

"What?"

"I washed my hands, picked her up and then I flushed the toilet. That's when she screamed. And she grabbed onto me almost like she was afraid of falling." Catherine eyes squinted as if she was trying to recall something. "Do you remember when we bought the toilet? The salesman said it was 'pressure-assisted' to help prevent clogs but that makes it a little noisier than other toilets. That has to be it." She kissed Angie "Did the noise scare you, baby?"

"She's heard us flush the toilets before, do you think …" Steve hesitated a second and Catherine could tell he was searching his memory "The book said at about six months babies can begin to startle at loud noises. Even previously familiar ones."

"That sounds like what happened here," Catherine agreed. "I hope it's not a phase with all loud noise." She hated to think of Angie being scared, especially if she and Steve weren't with her. The thought of her baby screaming made her want to cry herself. She nodded towards the other side of the bathroom. "Should we…? To see?"

Steve's hands scrubbed over his face. "I don't … how about if you hold her in the bedroom I'll flush it and we check her reaction? That way she's not too close if that's what it was."

"Good," she said, moving to the bedroom and worrying her lower lip. Watching Angie while talking to her in a happy voice about how much fun she'd have that day with Esther, she called, "Go ahead," to Steve.

At the flush, Angie's head whipped in that direction and her lips quivered. Steve was beside them in a heartbeat, swooping her up and blowing raspberries on her little tummy. She let out a tiny giggle and both parents smiled in relief.

"That's it, then. The loud noise was too close," Catherine said, relieved they discovered the source and it was nothing physical causing the distress. "We'll figure it out and won't let it scare you again, baby, okay?" She kissed Angie and stepped to her dresser, quickly switching her rumpled, tear stained sleeveless blouse for a fresh one. "I could take her in, but I do have a meeting that could run long…" She mused. "She seems fine now though, right?"

"Right, look at that smile. You're smiling for your mommy, right?" He passed her the baby as he went to his nightstand and clipped on his badge. "And you're going to have a fun day with Esther and Cammie…"

They took solace in the fact that Angie seemed far less disturbed than either of them had felt, and with a calming kiss for each other, the family made their way downstairs to wait for Esther who was on her way.

After a quick call from Chin letting him know the witness they'd been searching for for two days had been located, Steve ran upstairs to grab Angie's seat from the master bathroom. He placed it on the coffee table in the living room just as Catherine and Angie stepped out of the kitchen, both smiling and ready to face the day. As Catherine gathered the materials she needed for her afternoon meeting Steve glanced into the first floor bathroom and murmured, "Daddy's got it, Angie." With a determined look on his face he kissed both his wife and daughter goodbye and headed out the door. As he started the truck, he hit speed dial three on the phone and switched to hands free just as Danny said, "Hello."

Evening

Catherine entered the house to find Danny in her living room, gently bouncing her daughter, while Steve was carrying the toilet that was formerly in the master bathroom down the stairs. On his return through the garage door he stepped around Cammie and placed a quick kiss on his wife's lips.

"Hi."

"Um, hi." She went to kiss the baby's cheek and turned towards Steve. "You're ripping out the toilet?"

"We're done," Steve confirmed. "Thanks, Danny." He indicated his best friend.

"He was on a mission." Danny nodded, adjusting the baby so she could see both parents. "And she's been a perfect angel, right, sweetheart?"

Catherine barked a laugh as she looked at her husband. "I repeat … you ripped out the toilet?"

"Ask the guy who won't spring for a plate lunch for his partner how much the new one cost." Danny grinned and clapped Steve on the shoulder. "I'm going home." He passed Angie to her mother. "Do Uncle Danno a favor, okay, sweetheart? Compare every single boy you ever meet to your daddy." He kissed her and smiled knowingly as one little hand patted his cheek. "Nobody will love you like he does." A grin appeared as he glanced at his best friend and winked at Catherine. "Or be anywhere near as crazy."

When Danny had let himself out, Catherine shifted Angie to her hip and regarded Steve with a full blown smile. "So, what'd you get?"

"Since ours is a top of the line toilet and the one in the downstairs bathroom's gotta be forty years old… " He pulled a tag from his pocket and handed it to her. "I figure we can put the louder one in the bathroom down here," he explained, "since it's less than two years since the upstairs remodel." He glanced at Angie as a thought crossed his mind. "Although, maybe we do an acoustic test and if it's too loud from down here …"

"It's a perfect solution. I'm sure the noise only scared her because she was right next to it." She kissed the baby, read "Kohler Portrait Comfort Height Toilet with quiet flush technology," and looked up at him. "You bought an eleven hundred dollar toilet?" Her brows rose and she couldn't hold in a chuckle.

Steve motioned for Angie and lifted her to kiss her cheek. "It's the quietest one they make. We were around the block from the Lowes on Pacific for a witness interview and I'd mentioned replacing it to Danny …" He shrugged. "Otherwise I was planning to use the guest bathroom until we changed the toilet."

"Of course you were." Catherine placed a hand on the baby's back. Angie had leaned her head against Steve's chest and one fist was holding the material of his tank top. "Your Uncle Danno's exactly right, baby girl. Your daddy loves you so, so much." Her smile broadened. "I can't wait to tell you he ripped out and replaced a toilet in twelve hours when you're old enough to understand."

He shrugged, unrepentant and looked down to address Angie. Her eyes met and held his. "Danny agreed with the book, she'll outgrow being startled by it and when she does, great, but for now it…" He kissed her head and she cooed happily. "It was causing a problem and the first floor bathroom could use a new toilet anyway, so problem solved." He gave a satisfied nod.

Catherine smiled and echoed, "Problem solved. Okay, baby girl, what do you say we eat?" She clapped, getting Angie's attention. When the little arms reached out she took her and snuggled her, breathing in the baby smell that was uniquely her daughter's. "How about if we make dinner since your daddy just spent two hours replacing the toilet because it made you cry." When the baby said, 'ahhhhh baaa!' Catherine noted, "She agrees. Go shower and I'll heat up the chicken cacciatore. Do you feel like rice or pasta?"

Steve ran a hand through his hair. "I'm good with whatever you want. Are we trying the zucchini for Angie?"

Catherine nodded and kissed the baby as she moved toward the kitchen with Cammie at her heels, saying, "You're gonna love zucchini. It's very yummy. Cammie loves it too, right, Cammie?"

When she saw her daddy enter the kitchen fifteen minutes later, Angie, who was in her highchair happily banging her keys on the tray, flailed her arms and legs excitedly and said 'ahhhh baaaa!'.

"There's Daddy's big girl!" He beamed as he began to plate the chicken. Catherine had placed it on the counter out of the baby's reach as she spooned a scoop of mashed zucchini onto Angie's dish.

Handing Steve the spoon, she smiled as he explained, "So, your mommy thinks zucchini is yummy - let's see if you agree." He fed her a tiny taste and they waited.

Her tongue poked out at the new taste and she smacked her lips.

Just then a loud bang had both parents and Cammie alerting. Steve and Catherine said, "transformer," simultaneously and watched the baby for her reaction.

Angie looked first at Catherine, then Steve and tilted her head to the left before opening her mouth for more food.

Catherine clapped happily, while Steve froze for a second, spoon midway to the baby's mouth.

"Baaaa!" Angie said as she leaned closer to the spoon. Steve broke into a huge smile and fed her another bite before kissing her cheek repeatedly until she giggled.

"She didn't care about that bang at all." He grinned broadly. "Beautiful and brave, like your mommy." He wiped some zucchini from her chin. "The scary toilet was a one off, right, sweetheart?"

"Brave like your daddy," Catherine pushed their daughter's hair off her forehead and looked at him. "Why'd you stop cold?"

"Are you kidding?" His brow rose. "Cath, she did your tilt thing."

Catherine looked between them. "My what?"

"She tilted her head exactly like you do while she was ... considering the noise. Or the zucchini." He leaned over and kissed her. "Either way, she tilted her head while she was thinking."

She smiled slowly and addressed the baby. "I guess you did, huh, sweetheart?"

"She definitely did." Steve grinned at how ridiculously happy his daughter making his wife's gesture made him as Angie latched onto his hand holding the spoon and tugged it forward. "Okay, okay, here's more."

After dinner Steve carried the baby into the master bathroom and turned to Catherine. "Alright, let's do it."

"Full steam ahead," she said and flushed the new toilet while watching Angie. And watching Steve watch Angie.

When the baby simply glanced down at the soft whooshing noise and looked at her father with curious eyes, Catherine grinned.

"There you go. No more crying." Steve kissed the little cheek.

"Not over the toilet being too loud, anyway," Catherine squeezed his forearm. "See that, Angie? We identified a problem and your daddy … eradicated it."

"With extreme prejudice," he added. The corner of his mouth twitching up at her amusement.

Catherine leaned in and stage whispered, "Your daddy's Steve McGarrett, I don't think there's any other way."

# End thanks for reading

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