Mari & Ilna-Well, let me tell you what I see. I see pride! I see power! I see a bad-ass mother who don't take no crap off of nobody!
Sandy- Derice, a gold medal is a wonderful thing. But if you're not enough without one, you'll never be enough with one.
REAL Worlders- This is what it's all about, this is whether you win or lose the race, right here in the push start! This is where you're gonna practice, right here, right here in a Volkswagon!
In honor of the official start of the Olympics today's ANs brought to you by Cool Runnings.
With Both Hands (1/1)
Mary McGarrett's Home
Saturday 8:00 A.M.
Steve and Catherine arrived at Mary's house early Saturday morning, eager to share their news, and were surprised not to find Mary and Joan waiting on the front porch as they often did when visitors were on the way.
They checked their watches almost simultaneously.
They'd lingered a little over breakfast with Aunt Deb then waited to make sure she got off to Catalina safely but they were still right on schedule.
As they got closer to the front door they heard an obvious commotion coming from inside and both went immediately on alert.
They dropped the duffel bag on the porch along with Catherine's purse then opened the door slowly and called out for Mary and Aaron. When they got no answer they moved several steps into the house and listened, trying to assess the situation. The noise appeared to be coming from the back of the house so they moved in that direction, prepared to face whatever they found.
As they made their way through the living room Steve called out again. "Mary? Aaron?"
This time Mary's voice called back. "We're in the playroom."
She sounded a bit frazzled but not scared and Steve and Catherine relaxed slightly.
As they stepped into the room the source of the chaos became clear immediately.
There was a large hole in the plaster ceiling through which water was spraying. Mary was frantically attempting to move toys and games to drier ground while Joanie stood in the middle of the room, grinning from ear to ear, wearing a rain hat, rain boots and her flower girl dress.
"Unca Steve! Ann Caf!" she squealed happily. "It's raining in da house!"
"I see that," Catherine said as she immediately began helping Mary move things to the dry part of the room.
"Where's Aaron?" Steve asked.
"He's upstairs trying to get the water turned off," Mary replied. "He said the valve is stuck."
"What do you mean upstairs?" Steve asked.
"In the attic," Mary explained. "The previous owners had plans to turn it into living space. They added a half bath but then ran out of money and decided to sell the house instead. We never go up there so we had no idea it was leaking but then this morning we heard a crash and ..." she pointed at the ceiling, "this happened."
"I'll give Aaron a hand," Steve said as he turned and rushed out of the room.
"You gettin' wet Ann Caf!" Joan grinned. "Mama wet too!"
"She thinks this is really fun," Mary explained as she moved the last of the board games out of harm's way. "She was already wearing her dress from the wedding in honor of your visit and since I knew there was no way I'd be able to keep her out of this room I just figured what the heck and put on her hat and boots."
"Very smart," Catherine chuckled as they started grabbing puzzles. "She looks adorable. Make sure I get a picture before she decides to change."
"Will do."
Luckily the book shelves were at the far end of the room and so far, remained dry. Once the puzzles were all safe Catherine looked around for what to move next.
"Good thing you keep your scrapbooking supplies in plastic tubs with lids."
"That's for sure," Mary agreed. "I'm thinking maybe we're gonna need to …"
Before she could finish her sentence the water stopped.
"Oh thank you," she said, relief evident in her voice.
A minute later Steve and Aaron appeared in the playroom.
"A pipe under the toilet in the upstairs bathroom is leaking," Aaron reported. "And the valve on the water shut off was rusted open."
"I guess we better call a plumber," Mary sighed. "On the weekend. That should be fun."
"Actually the pipe is a pretty simple fix. I helped Danny fix one in his house a few months back. We just need a few things from the hardware store and we can have it fixed in a couple of hours tops," Steve offered, then looked at the hole in the ceiling. "You're definitely gonna need someone to fix the plaster though."
"I have no idea who to call for something like that." Mary looked helplessly at Aaron and could tell by the look on his face he was at as much of a loss as she was.
"You guys go to the hardware store and I'll do a little research and get a few names of people who can work on the ceiling," Catherine said.
Joanie giggled as she jumped up and down in a puddle that had formed on the carpet directly under the hole. " 'plash Unca Steve! 'plash Aa-won!"
Mary smiled affectionately. "It might not hurt to rent a rug machine while you're out. Joan spends a lot of time sitting on this carpet. I'd feel better if we scrubbed it."
"Will do," Aaron nodded. "Hey, I bet you two are happy you came all the way from Oahu for this."
Steve smiled. "It's not even close to the worst thing we've ever walked in on."
"It's not even the first flood," Catherine chuckled recalling their weekend on Kauai and Steve's friend Darryl's flooded condo.
Mary's face grew somber. "You didn't come here to deal with our indoor waterfall though; I got the definite feeling there's something you want to talk about."
Steve and Catherine shared a smile, communicating non-verbally as they often did, then Steve turned to his sister. "Let's get this mess cleaned up and the pipe fixed then we'll talk over lunch."
Mary bit her lip. "Should I be worried?"
"Not at all," Catherine smiled.
"Ok then," Aaron said. "There's a Home Depot a couple miles down the road. We can get everything we need there."
Steve shot his sister a reassuring look. "Sounds good. Let's go."
Forty-five minutes later Steve and Aaron returned with everything they needed to fix the leaking pipe as well as a heavy duty wet vac/scrubber for the carpet. While they were gone Catherine and Mary had cleaned up all the plaster and debris that fell from the ceiling and managed to sweep some of the excess water out the back door.
While the men went to work on the pipe Catherine began cleaning the carpet while Mary tossed all of Joan's stuffed toys in the washer and wiped all of the others down carefully with hot water and antibacterial cleanser just to be safe.
Steve and Aaron quickly realized that the best access to the leaking pipe was through the garage ceiling so they set up their base of operations there.
Joan kept herself entertained making regular trips to the garage, asking Aaron and Unca Steve what was happening, then returning to breathlessly report their progress to her mother and her favorite aunt, though most of the details were forgotten as soon as she left the garage so the accuracy of her reports was questionable at best.
She had removed her rain hat but was still wearing the boots and the flower girl's dress. When she got bored with the goings on in the garage she helped Aunt Catherine push the rug scrubber.
"I strong!" she said proudly.
"You sure are," Catherine grinned.
As predicted Steve and Aaron had the pipe replaced in short order then went back to the attic and replaced the rusty water valve as well. Mary took Joan to the living room so Catherine could finish up the last bit of the carpet and just as the rug scrubber shut off she heard a small scream.
She rushed in to find Mary standing on the couch holding Joan as high in the air as she could.
"What happened?" she asked as Steve and Aaron descended the drop down stairs and burst into the living room.
"Something ran across my feet," Mary said, trying to keep the panic out of her voice for Joan's sake.
"Bunny!" Joan called happily pointing to the kitchen.
"It was definitely not a bunny," Mary grimaced.
Catherine, being closest, ventured into the kitchen to take a look. Within seconds she was back. "Definitely not a bunny," she nodded. "It's a squirrel."
"A squirrel?!" Mary pulled Joan to her chest and cradled her tightly. "They bite, don't they?"
"It must have gotten in through the garage when we had the door open," Aaron surmised. "I'll get a broom and get him out."
"I'll help," Steve offered. "Mary, why don't you take Joan out to play on her swing set until we get this little issue resolved."
"You don't have to ask me twice," Mary said as she eyed the front door warily. "Cover me."
"Mama bunny," Joan said as craned her neck to see the animal in the kitchen.
"Not today, peanut."
Steve couldn't help but chuckle as Mary jumped off the couch and dashed for the front door.
"Do you need me to help?" Catherine asked once Mary was safely outside.
"No," Steve smiled. "Maybe you better go try to keep Mary calm. I think Aaron and I can handle the squirrel."
She kissed him lightly on the lips as she moved passed him towards the door. "Just let me know if you change your mind."
Joan and Catherine played happily on the slide as Mary stood outside the kitchen window and watched Aaron and Steve do their best to corral the wayward squirrel. The scared animal ran across the counters, leapt to the top of the refrigerator, scrambled across the stove, and even briefly took cover behind the fruit bowl on the table. Finally, once it had exhausted itself, Steve was able to capture it in Mary's mop bucket and transport it safely outside.
"I'll tell you one thing for sure," Mary said as Steve and Aaron made their way to the backyard. "There's no way I'm cooking anything in that kitchen until every inch of it has been disinfected. So it looks like lunch is gonna be takeout."
"YAY!" Joanie squealed excitedly. "Fortune cookies!"
"They're her new favorite thing," Mary explained. "The owner of the place down the street loves her and always gives her extras."
"Fortune cookies pweeeeeease."
"We'll see what Uncle Steve and Aunt Catherine want to eat," Mary said.
The second Joan turned her pleading eyes on her aunt and uncle Mary knew it was all over.
"Chinese is fine with us," they said simultaneously.
"Pushovers," Mary grinned. "But before that, what was it you wanted to talk about?" Mary asked.
Steve looked at Catherine and appeared to be trying to decide if this was the right time to spring their news but a quick glance back at Mary told him it definitely wasn't.
"I know you, Mary," he chuckled. "You're not gonna be able to concentrate on anything else until the kitchen has been cleaned. Our news can wait."
"Are you sure?" Mary asked.
"Positive. I think we've gotten all the interruptions out of the way. We can talk over lunch."
Steve and Mary got to work scrubbing down the kitchen, with Joan supervising from her booster seat, while Aaron and Catherine headed to a nearby restaurant to grab Chinese takeout. They sat on a bench in the foyer laughing amiably about the events of the day while they waited for the order to be prepared.
"I know this probably isn't how you planned on spending your Saturday," Aaron said apologetically. "But to be honest I'm glad you guys were here. I'm not sure how we would have gotten things under control this morning without you."
"We were happy to help," Catherine smiled.
"Is … " Aaron hesitated, not wanting to overstep his bounds. "Is everything ok? Mary was a little surprised when Steve said you guys were flying in for the weekend. She said she could tell you wanted to talk about something. She's worried it might be serious since you flew out to do it in person."
"It's not." Catherine shook her head. "Well not in a bad way at least. Some things are just better done face to face."
"I'm not trying to stick my nose in ... I mean this may be none of my business. It's just … I love Mary and if this is something that's gonna upset her I want to be prepared." His gaze dropped to the carpet. "You know what? Just forget I said anything. This is between you guys and Mary. I just …"
Catherine squeezed his forearm.
When he raised his eyes and met hers she was smiling sincerely.
"You're a good man, Aaron. Mary and Joan are lucky to have you."
"Thanks," he blushed.
"Steve and I have something we want to talk to both of you about," she continued.
"Really?" Aaron looked a bit surprised.
"Really," Catherine nodded. "You're part of our family now. Get used to it."
The owner of the store called to Aaron to let him know their order was ready and that as usual he had put extra fortune cookies in the bag for Joan. They exited the restaurant, put the bags in the back seat and buckled in for the short ride home.
Aaron pulled to a stop at the red light near the edge of the parking lot. Unfortunately, the driver behind him, distracted replying to a text, did not.
The impact was enough to jolt both Catherine and Aaron but only slightly as the car that hit them was only going about ten miles per hour.
"Are you ok?" Aaron asked immediately.
"I'm fine," Catherine responded. "You?
"I'm fine," Aaron said as he looked in the rearview mirror and saw the look of horror on the other driver's face.
He and Catherine jumped out of the car and after making sure the other driver, who was alone is his vehicle, was unharmed Aaron called the police while Catherine called Steve to let him know what had happened.
"Are you sure you're ok?"
Catherine could hear the concern in his voice.
"I'm sure. We're both fine," she said confidently.
Steve, who had been relaying what Catherine was telling him to Mary repeated her reassurances and Mary breathed a sigh of relief.
"Just make sure the microwave is scrubbed down and ready to use by the time we get there. I have a feeling the food is gonna need to be reheated."
An hour later they sat on the back porch, finishing up their late lunch while Joan happily opened her extra fortune cookies.
"Play with toys!" she called happily as she pretended to read one of the small slips of paper. "Unca Steve and Ann Caf come to my house!" she said as she picked up another.
"She pretty much just makes up what she wants them to say," Mary laughed.
Steve smiled broadly. "I see that."
"So," Mary cleared her throat nervously. "We got a little sidetracked today … "
"That's what you call a little sidetracked?" Steve teased.
"You know what I mean," Mary smiled apprehensively. "What was it you guys want to talk about?"
"We told you it's nothing to worry about," Steve reminded her.
"I know but … look, big brother. I love you guys and I worry about you. I reserve that right."
"Well, there's nothing to worry about this time," Steve smiled as he took Catherine's hand in his and squeezed.
"That's good to hear," Mary exhaled heavily. "But now I'm curious. What could possibly be so important you'd want to come here and tell us in person? Or would you prefer to wait until tomorrow since after everything that's happened today whatever it is may seem a little anti-climactic?"
Steve looked at Catherine who grinned and nodded for him to go ahead.
"Well, do you consider this anti-climactic? Catherine and I have decided it's time to try and have a baby. We're ready to start a family."
"Oh my gawd!" Mary leapt to her feet and if not for Aaron's quick reflexes the Kung Pao Chicken would have ended up on the ground. "I can't believe it. I'm so happy for both of you."
She hurried around the table and wrapped them both in a tight hug.
"This is amazing news!" she said as tears filled her eyes. "I can't … I'm just … I'm so excited I don't know what to do first."
"Congratulations. Both of you," Aaron said sincerely as he reached across the table to grab their hands. "This is awesome news."
"Mama happy! Aa-won happy! Unca Steve happy! Ann Caf happy!" Joan asked as she looked up from her pile of cookies. "Me happy too!"
"Yes, we're all very happy!" Mary confirmed then turned to Steve and Catherine with a wide grin. "We better not say anything to her right now. Once she knows there might be a baby on the way in the future you won't talk about anything else."
"We told Aunt Deb, and my folks of course, and Danny and Carrie both guessed," Catherine grinned. "For the most part though we're trying to keep the list of people who know kinda short until there's something to tell."
"Then we definitely don't want the peanut to spill the beans," Mary smiled.
"She's probably no more likely to than Danny," Steve smirked.
"Well, there's only one solution then," Mary said in a sing song voice as she clapped her hands happily. "You two just need to get busy so there's something to tell very soon."
"I just stopped taking my pills so … you know … patience," Catherine said but it was hard not to get caught up in Mary's enthusiasm.
"I am gonna be such a good aunt," Mary sighed dreamily as she returned to her seat next to Aaron. "I mean the two of you are gonna be great parents obviously but me … I am gonna grab onto the aunt role with both hands."
"And you're gonna be great at it," Steve said.
Mary glanced at her brother and the look of absolute confidence and sincerity took her breath away.
The siblings grinned at each other and said simultaneously, "I can't wait."
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 on fanfiction 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