Mari & Ilna-Can't believe it's time for our second Thanksgiving marathon. Thanks for making every minute of this adventure a joy.

Sandy-I don't know how I could possibly survive fandom without you. The value of having someone who just gets it is something I never take for granted.

REAL Worlders-I can't thank you enough for all your enthusiastic support and encouragement. You guys are awesome. You make me want to write better stories to live up to your awesomeness. I apologize AGAIN for being so embarrassingly behind on replying to reviews but please know each and every one is read and appreciated. THANK YOU!

Quiet Moments (1/1)

"I can't believe how comfortable these chairs are," Carrie sighed as she sank back into one of the new chaise lounges.

"Aren't they though?" Catherine grinned. "Esther said it's like floating on a cloud and she wasn't kidding. I'm just glad Kekipi could get them done in time for Thanksgiving."

"I could easily sleep on one of these." Carrie stretched out and waggled her eyebrows. "Among other things."

Catherine grinned mischievously. "Good thing the pillows come off for washing then."

"Of course you've already sussed that out," Carrie snorted. "See, this is why I knew the CVS bag o' fun would be the appropriate welcome home gift for you guys after your ordeal with Sacia and Sinclair."

"It was very thoughtful," Catherine nodded.

"I mean … I know no one is as careful about birth control as you guys but I figured after the gas and the ketamine you might not be thinking exactly clearly and might forget you hadn't had a pill in a couple of days."

"We were definitely running on fumes by the time we got home. The adrenaline kind of wore off right around the time we finished the dinner Grace arranged."

"Well at least you had a nice clean house to come home to," Carrie smiled affectionately.

"You knew?"

"The Allens were here when I came to drop off the CVS bag. I was planning on leaving it in the middle of the bed but then Jacob told me all about the note they wrote and the picture he was drawing and it was so sweet I decided to put the bag in the bathroom so … you know ..."

"So you didn't spoil the total innocence of the note and picture with a big bag of birth control?" Catherine laughed.

Carrie nodded. "Exactly. Plus I figured you were bound to need showers when you got home so the bathroom might be a better choice anyway."

"Good thinking."

"The clerk at the store gave me one of those looks when I checking out," Carrie chuckled. "I guess I did go a little overboard but this is you and Steve we're talking about. I figured you'd go through half of it the first night." Her phone buzzed with the sound of an incoming call and she pulled it out of her pocket. "It's John. He's making last minute arrangements for our trip to the mainland for Thanksgiving."

"Take it," Catherine waved. "Tell him I said hi."

Catherine's mind drifted back to the night their ordeal at the hands of Sinclair and Sacia ended as she heard her best friend say "Hi, Sweetie."

She wondered if it would shock Carrie to know the contents of the CVS bag went untouched for most of that first night.

Flashback

McGarrett Rollins Home

Bedroom

Between the long ordeal, a full stomach and a warm shower it was all Catherine could do to grab the CVS bag from the counter in the bathroom and follow Steve to bed. They both tossed their wet towels into the the hamper, stopped to give Cammie some extra attention, then crawled into bed completely exhausted.

Catherine placed the CVS bag on her nightstand then went immediately into Steve's waiting embrace. She took several minutes to savor the feel of his body against hers and to revel in the sound of his steady heartbeat. Waves of emotion rolled over her as she laid her head on his chest and allowed herself to feel all the relief, comfort, and happiness that came with being back in their own bed, together.

She wouldn't let anyone steal that from them. That someone got into their home and abducted them from their own room was an aberration. They would take whatever steps were necessary to ensure it never happened again. What she would not do is allow a single moment of fear to creep into their bedroom.

She could sense the tension building in Steve's hands as he wrapped her in a hug and buried his head in her damp hair. As she ran her fingers down his spine she could feel his muscles coiling like a spring. She pulled back slightly and one look in his eyes told her exactly what he was thinking about.

The pictures and the articles Sacia manufactured describing the carnage at the palace.

The ones that told him she was dead. And told her the same about him.

They hadn't talked much about them since their escape. They each gave a brief statement to HPD at the hospital but they didn't have a chance to discuss the details with each other. Now that they were alone the enormity of everything that had happened over the last few days began to hit home and the images and words in those fake materials took front and center.

"I knew they weren't real," she said in a voice barely above a whisper. "The pictures, and the articles. I knew they were fake." Tears began to roll softly down her cheeks. "But still ... " her breath caught in her throat.

"I don't want to think about them but everytime I close my eyes," Steve choked out.

Catherine's heart broke at the look of pain in his eyes. She leaned in and kissed him softly. But one touch of their lips ignited a firestorm in both of them and the kiss turned passionate and urgent. Catherine could feel the tension leaving Steve's body and when they finally broke for air he started to talk.

"When I first woke up I was handcuffed," he said quietly. "And all I could think of was that I hoped you weren't handcuffed too. You know I hate the thought of that."

"I know." Catherine placed her hand softly on his cheek. "I'm so sorry you had to go through that."

"They told me you were dead, that everyone on the team was dead." Steve squeezed his eyes closed. "Even with the drugs and not being able to think straight I knew it was all a lie. There were so many things that didn't add up."

"You know how I knew for sure they were lying?"

"How?" He took her hand in his and squeezed softly.

Catherine smiled a wobbly smile. "Remember the night the fireworks went off and you accidentally left a bite mark on my thigh?"

A look of regret passed over his face. "I remember."

"Well on this one occasion it turned out to be a good thing. Because as soon as I saw it I knew I hadn't been in that bed for months, or even days. So thank you."

Steve stroked her cheek. "If it brought you comfort it was worth it I guess. I knew they were lying but still … I had no idea where you were. All I could think about was getting out of that bed and finding you."

"I knew you were nearby," Catherine said confidently. "I could sense you."

Steve locked eyes with her then leaned in for another passionate kiss.

"Same here," he said when he pulled back. "I could feel your spirit. I knew you'd be fighting to get free."

"To get to you," she said as she kissed him softly.

"I would never ever stop fighting to get to you," he said with a look that Catherine felt down to her toes.

"Ditto, Commander."

"One of the fake articles … " Steve closed his eyes against the memory. "No I probably shouldn't …"

"You can tell me anything Steve. You know that."

He opened his eyes and Catherine grimaced at the pain she saw there.

"It mentioned your parents," Steve said. "That they were too distraught to go to your …"

He didn't need to complete the sentence. Catherine was pretty sure she knew exactly what the article said. Sacia designed them to cause maximum pain. Just like the article she was shown with the flag draped coffins Catherine was sure Steve had been shown something about her funeral.

"All I could think," he continued, "was about the pain they must have been going through knowing you were missing."

"Knowing WE were missing," Catherine corrected him.

"Your mom … when I talked to her right after I was apologizing for letting this happen but she didn't … she said that wasn't …" he looked at her and suddenly she didn't see pain in his eyes anymore. Only happiness and love. "She said she wanted to make sure I was ok."

Catherine smiled. "Because she loves you. And she knows none of this was your fault. Be prepared for her to be a little extra mom-like over Thanksgiving."

Steve smiled a genuine smile. "I'm kinda looking forward to it."

"Me too," Catherine admitted.

Steve yawned as he looked over her shoulder and his eyes landed on the CVS bag. "Leave it to Carrie to think of every detail."

Catherine tangled her legs with his. "She's good like that. But right now I just want to lay here and hold you and be grateful we're both alright. If that's ok with you that is."

"Sounds perfect," Steve said as he settled her against his chest and within minutes they were both sound asleep.

"He managed to get us on an earlier flight. Good thing I'm already finished packing."

Carrie's voice brought Catherine back to the present and she smiled. "Sounds great. Make sure you tell your folks we said Hi and thank them again for the box of stuff they sent when they moved."

"Will do. Tell you folks and Grandma Ang we're sorry we missed them but we're gonna be in New York in February for a wedding and I promise we'll stop and see them."

"They'll love that," Catherine replied.

"So you're all set?" Carrie teased. "No sound check needed this year?"

Catherine chuckled. "No, I think last year's intel still holds."

Carrie grabbed her purse but before heading for her car gave Catherine a tight hug. "We both have a lot to be thankful for this year."

"We sure do." Catherine swallowed around the lump in her throat. "I can't believe my folks are arriving tomorrow. Let the fun begin!"

THE END

If you are not on the REALMcRoll email list and would like to be, drop us an email at realmcroll at yahoo dot com with "Add me, please!" in the subject line. You'll get updates, contests, and fun McRoller games.

Looking for links to all the REAL World McRoll stories in one place? Check out our Tumblr page mcrollintherealworld dot tumblr dot com.

In addition, one of our AWESOME REAL Worlders, katydid13, has created a community on here onfanfiction dot net that brings all of the REAL World stories, and all of Mari, Sammy & Ilna's pre-universe stories in one place. You can find it at community/McRoll-in-the-Real-World