Notes: Mari and Sammy – Thank you for the ALWAYS helpful suggestions and fabulous feedback.
Esther – Thanks for you know what ;-)
Readers and REAL McRollers – Your incredible support continues to amaze. Thank you for joining us in the REAL World!
Hope you enjoy!
You Know Me Well (A McRoll in the REAL World Story)
Steve woke to Catherine's hand sliding across his bare chest. He reached for her but she captured his hand in hers and pressed it back to the bed as she moved on top of him. He opened his eyes only to close them again when she kissed him deeply, her dark hair falling in a curtain around them.
"Happy birthday, Commander," she murmured in a low, sultry tone.
"Mm," he hummed, his voice roughened with the remnants of sleep and the beginnings of arousal. "Thank you."
She began pressing hot kisses down his neck and chest, fingers tracing tantalizing paths in their wake.
"This my first present?" he asked, raising his head to look at her.
She grinned up at him saucily before resuming her journey. "How do you know it's not your only present?" she replied against his warm skin.
His breath caught when her lips found a particularly sensitive spot, head hitting the pillow again as his eyes fell shut, and he reached down to run his fingers through her hair. "Works for me."
He felt as much as heard her chuckle in response and looked down.
"Any special requests, birthday boy?" she asked, peering up at him as she gathered her hair over one shoulder and out of her way.
"Yeah . . ." he said with a groan and closed his eyes again. "Don't stop."
An hour later, Catherine was in the kitchen in a light robe, sipping coffee while Cammie eagerly drank from her water bowl. Steve entered the room in swim trunks with a towel draped over his shoulders. He stepped in front of her, placing a hand on the island to either side of her hips, and leaned down for a long, slow kiss.
When he started to straighten, she grasped the two ends of his towel in one hand and pulled him back down for another.
"Mm, keep that up, I'm never getting outside," he said in a husky voice.
She smirked. "Ooh, can't have that."
"Sure you don't want to come?" he asked.
She smiled, shaking her head. "Nope, all you today."
"Okay," he said and took a step back.
"But you should open your present before you go out," she said, turning toward the island and setting her mug down.
"Thought I got my present," he countered, his voice low and conspiratorial.
She grinned as she turned back and handed him a small wrapped box. "Here."
"You didn't have to get me anything else," he said. "Hell, you didn't have to get me anything. I mean, we went to eat with everyone last night. I know it wasn't technically my birthday, but you went to so much trouble getting that last minute reservation for a room big enough for all of us."
"It wasn't that much trouble," she said. "Boris helped a ton. He knows a lot of people in the restaurant business."
He smiled wryly. "I bet he does. And we've got the big camping trip this weekend that's turned into a birthday thing."
"Oh, little bit of bad news there. John's on duty, he won't be able to come. But Carrie's still in, and I talked to Jenna. She said Jacob is practically vibrating with excitement."
Steve grinned, nodding. "Cody said Dylan's had the 'go bag' I helped him pack back in January out of the closet and at the foot of his bed since Monday."
"The girls are ready, too. Whenever Kaitlyn starts to get nervous, Casey reminds her about the s'mores, and that does the trick."
"I think she's gonna like camping."
Catherine nodded. "I think they all are. Now would you go on already?" she said, nodding impatiently at his gift. "Open it."
As he did, she picked up her coffee again and took a sip, watching him over the lip of the mug.
His eyes widened excitedly as he recognized the Garmin Forerunner 920XT. "Oh, awesome." He removed it from the already open package. "This is the one with the running and swimming metrics."
She smiled happily at his reaction. "Yeah, I know you've been eyeing it for a while."
"You did not have to do this, but I'm glad you did," he said genuinely. "Thank you, Cath." He leaned over and kissed her.
"You're welcome." She took the empty package from his hand. "It's all charged up and ready to go," she said with a knowing smile. "Have fun, Aquaman."
He grinned. "So far this is definitely my kind of birthday." With a parting kiss, he headed outside for a nice long swim.
"Smiling," Danny stated from his position at the end of the alley when Steve and Cath approached the police tape after exiting their respective vehicles.
"Huh?" Steve asked, lifting the yellow tape and allowing Catherine to walk under it ahead of him.
"You're smiling," Danny reiterated. "Why are you smiling when you've been called in on a homicide on your birthday?"
Steve shrugged. "I can't complain. I've had a great birthday so far. Dinner last night was excellent. This morning–"
"Don't even say it," Danny stopped him, looking between the two. "I'm sure it was stupendous. We don't need details."
Catherine looked on in amusement as Steve feigned an innocent look at his partner and Kono and Chin joined them.
"I was just gonna say I got a nice Skype call from Mary and Joanie. Gracie called before school. And Cath got me this awesome multisport watch. Measures six running and five swimming metrics. Tracks heart rate underwater."
"Sure you were," Danny said doubtfully as Steve smirked back.
"Ohh, Cath showed me that," Kono said. "Pretty sweet, boss."
"Yeah," Steve agreed.
"So where is it?" Danny asked.
"I'm not swimming right now," Steve said matter-of-factly.
"Yeah, but knowing you you'll end up running at some point during this case and won't you want all your 'metrics' recorded?"
"Speaking of case . . ." Steve said, smirk firmly back in place, "Chin?"
"Victim is a white male, late forties. Single gunshot wound to the chest. Max estimates time of death around 11:30 last night. Happy birthday, by the way."
"Yeah, happy birthday," Kono echoed.
"Thanks," Steve said. "Witnesses?"
"None yet," Chin said. "Body was found this morning by the man who lives across the street when he was taking out his trash."
"Okay, let's get going with interviews and see if we can get ahead of this. I've got plans this afternoon I don't want to miss."
Later that day, Steve sat in his truck by Cody's high school, waiting for the teen. Shortly after the last bell, Cody appeared and walked over to the truck.
"Hey," Steve said in greeting.
Cody smiled back, but rather than heading for the passenger door, he stopped by Steve's open window.
"Can I drive?" he asked. "Please?"
Steve raised an eyebrow. "Does this have something to do with that extra backpack you're carrying?"
Cody's lip twitched in a half smile as he adjusted to the two straps on his shoulder. "Maybe."
Steve looked at him appraisingly for a beat, but nodded. "Okay." He got out of truck, leaving the door open for Cody, and went around to the passenger side. He put his seat belt on as Cody adjusted the seat and mirror. "You got a destination in mind?" he asked.
"Yeah," Cody said. "But we have to stop at your house first."
"You know I'm not real big on surprises."
"I know, but . . . I think you'll like this. I hope anyway," he added, less sure.
Steve smiled to put him at ease. "Okay, let's go."
Cody pulled slowly out of the parking spot. "Did you have to work today?"
"Wasn't supposed to, but we got called in on a case."
"On your birthday?"
"On my birthday. Wrapped it quickly, though. Might be a new record."
"That's cool."
They drove in comfortable silence for a few minutes before Steve said, "You really not gonna tell me where we're going?"
Cody huffed a laugh. "You'll guess as soon you see what we've gotta pick up at your house."
Steve did indeed have a good guess when he saw his hiking boots and backpack set out just inside the front door. He and Cody greeted Cammie, plying her with a treat to apologize for leaving again so quickly before returning to the truck, and he wasn't surprised when Cody drove to Nu'uanu Pali Lookout.
After Cody retrieved the boots that Steve had given him the previous year from his extra backpack in the backseat, both changed shoes and started on their hike.
"I've been trying to think of something cool to do with you for your birthday for weeks," Cody admitted after they'd climbed down the wooden ladder to the path below the overpass. "You made my birthday really awesome last year with the paintball and the wallet. I had all these ideas like hang-gliding and parasailing but . . ." He winced as he looked at Steve. "Those things are more expensive than you'd think."
"I just like hanging out with you, Cody," Steve said honestly. "I don't need you to spend any money on me or plan some big day."
"Yeah, that's what Catherine said when I called her last week. And I knew she was right. So I decided to do this instead."
"This is perfect," Steve said. "There's not many other things I'd rather do on my birthday. I mean that."
Cody smiled with pride and satisfaction, hitching his backpack higher on his shoulders.
They continued their hike, talking about the last week and the upcoming camping trip until they reached Likeke Falls. As they had done a year ago, they found a place on the rocks to sit, and this time Cody took out a bottle of water and an energy bar and passed them to Steve who nodded his appreciation.
"Thanks."
They ate and drank for several minutes, enjoying the waterfall and the relative quiet around them. While there were other hikers around, the air was filled with the sounds of nature instead of human noise.
"When we came here last year . . ." Cody began and trailed off, looking down. He took a deep breath and raised his head, meeting Steve's eyes. "It was kind of a big deal for me. You told me a little about your dad . . . and how you felt when he sent you away. Do you remember?"
"Yeah," Steve said quietly, holding his gaze.
"That made me realize . . . that you were kind of like me." He glanced down, swallowing thickly. "That you had your own stuff to deal with and you actually wanted to hang out with me." He looked back at Steve. "That it wasn't like a . . . a charity case or something."
"That's good. 'Cause it was never like that, Cody," Steve said earnestly, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Not then and not now."
"I know," Cody said. He looked around at the waterfall and surrounding trees. "This is where I started to believe that." He turned back to Steve and gave him a small smile. "So this is where I wanted to come with you on your birthday. To tell you that."
Steve squeezed his shoulder. "That right there, hearing that from you? That's the best birthday present you could have given me."
Cody's smile spread slowly across his face, and Steve shifted closer, wrapping an arm around his shoulders.
Cody looked at him. "Happy birthday, Steve."
"Thank you, Cody. Thank you for spending part of it with me." He nodded toward the waterfall and hiking paths. "For planning this. It means a lot . . . that you know me well enough to plan something like this. Exactly the kind of thing I like to do."
Cody nodded. "I'm getting to know you pretty well."
"Yes, you are," Steve agreed with a smile. He released Cody's shoulders but stayed beside him. Opening his water bottle, he took a drink, looking around thoughtfully for a long moment. "There was a time when I . . . when I didn't let people get too close," he said, glancing at the teen. "I thought it was easier that way. It took a long time for that to change. And even now . . ." His voice trailed off, and he took another drink.
"I know what you mean," Cody said, watching his profile.
After another long pause, Steve looked at Cody, his voice completely sincere. "The number of people who know me well . . . it's growing." He swallowed, nodding slowly. "And the fact that you know me so well? I wouldn't change that for anything."
Cody's slow smile returned, and Steve gave him a final nod. Shoulder to shoulder, they looked out at the beautiful scenery, reflecting on the difference a year could make.
After dropping Cody off, Steve returned home to find Catherine on the sofa. She set down her tablet when he came in, putting his backpack on the floor inside the door.
"Hey, birthday boy," she said, smiling. "Have a good hike?"
He smiled at her as he greeted an affectionate Cammie. "Yeah, figures you were in on that."
"He came up with it on his own," she countered. "I thought it was a great idea."
"It was," he agreed with a nod.
"He knows you." She slid over so he could join her on the sofa.
"Yeah," he said, a small smile on his face as he thought of his conversation with Cody about that very fact. He sat down, bending over to untie his boots. "Good hike and a great talk."
Though his eyes were on his task, she smiled to hear him admit that.
"Between that and . . ." he looked up at her and smiled, leaning over to kiss her briefly, "you . . . plus dinner yesterday, hearing from friends and family . . . I've had a great birthday."
"Oh, and Esther left you coconut cupcakes." She held up both hands innocently. "I promise I haven't touched them."
He smiled broadly. "See? Great birthday."
She kissed him again. "Mm, and just think, next birthday . . . we'll be married."
He grinned. "Now who's pointing out all the things we'll be married for?"
"You started it," she said with a shrug, her smile teasing.
"I did," he acknowledged easily and toed off his boots, pushing them under the coffee table with a foot.
"You know . . ." she began. "Your birthday's not over yet."
He quirked an eyebrow in interest.
"I fixed you a special dinner, but it's still in the oven," she said. "And I have one more present for you."
"More?" he said and shook his head. "You really don't have to get me anything, Cath. I told you, this has been a great day."
"Actually, I wasn't sure if I should get it for you," she said, though a twinkle of mischief had appeared in her eyes.
He looked confused. "Really? Why's that?"
She inhaled a deep breath, moving fluidly to straddle his lap. "Well, it's something you've had before . . ." she said, running her hands over his shoulders and leaning down to press a soft kiss just below his ear. "But I know you really . . . really . . . like it."
An involuntary shiver ran through him as her lips closed on his earlobe, tugging lightly.
"You know me well," he said, his voice low and amused. He grew serious. "That's a present I'll never stop wanting."
She straightened to look at him, touched by his tone.
He smiled softly, his eyes on hers. "I love you."
"I love you. Happy birthday, Steve."
Closing the small distance between them, he kissed her deeply, his heart full and happy.
Hope you enjoyed!
Note: Steve and Cody's first hike to Likeke Falls was in the story Uphill Climb.
The REAL World Ask the Authors Q&A is back by popular demand! We'll answer questions in the endnotes of every story this week.
Today's question:
ToZiKa asks, Are there any plans of having Mary and Aaron make some things more 'legal' in the future? Like getting married, Aaron becoming official guardian of Joan, maybe even adopting her. Or even Joan starting to call him daddy?
The answer . . . D, all of the above! But no spoilers on when ;-)
You can send us questions anytime by email (realmcroll at yahoo dot com), on our Tumblr page (mcrollintherealworld dot tumblr dot com), or on Twitter (at Mari21763).