50 FIRST DATES

Based on the characters and stories of Hawaii Five-0.

Hawaii Five-0 is owned by CBS and their respective creators.

A serial anthology of all the possible first meetings of Steve McGarrett and Catherine Rollins

Annapolis, Maryland - 1999

"Next round's on me!" Freddie yelled across the packed out dive bar. "Time to get good an' drunk before we get shipped off to Coronado," he slurred.

Freddie Hart and Steve McGarrett were being "honored" at their favorite local joint. They had spent so much of their free time there during their Naval Academy days, that even the locals didn't know they were only there temporarily, just passing through on their way to BUD/s training at Naval Base Coronado. Steve and Freddie had decided to take a detour to Maryland to see some friends before they went through twenty-four weeks of hell in California.

Steve sat beside his best friend at the bar and took a long pull from his beer. While he wasn't usually the type to celebrate something by getting wasted, he sure as hell wasn't going to pass up a free drink.

The bar was unusually packed—even for a Friday night. It was a familiar environment, but Steve still kept his head on a swivel. Freddie had left his post at the barstool beside Steve to shoot pool with some scantily clad co-eds. "Those girls are barely legal," he muttered to himself.

There were always leeches trolling the bars surrounding the Naval Academy, hoping to hook up with a sailor. While Steve had never had any qualms with casual sex, one night stands just weren't his thing. He tipped back his beer and finished it in one gulp, then slid it back down the bar to the bartender who caught it and disposed of the bottle.

A little unattached fling to blow off some steam sounded like fun, but with BUD/s right around the corner, the last thing Steve wanted was to get in any kind of unsavory situation.

Steve stood up and glanced around. It was a quarter till eleven and he wanted to turn in. Freddie sauntered over to Steve and informed him that he would be taking one of the young ladies back to his hotel room for a few hours. Before Steve could protest, Freddie had left the bar with his arm slung around a half-dressed barfly. Freddy and Kelly needed to get back together STAT. "Great…. We're sharing that room," he mumbled to no one in particular. Steve sighed and made his way to a corner booth. If he was going to be stuck here, he might as well get comfortable.

"Excuse me." A feminine voice snapped through the noise of the bar.

Steve looked up. A woman with dark hair pulled back into a tight bun slid into his booth. She had to be about five foot five and couldn't have been more than a hundred pounds soaking wet. Steve rolled his eyes. He wasn't in the mood to flirt with a college freshman. "Um, are we sharing this booth now?" He asked in a rather annoyed manner.

The woman reached out and grabbed the glass that was in front of her and swirled it in her hand. "Actually I was going to ask you that since you sat down in my booth, in front of my drink, and sat on my purse." She'd had just about enough of these drunk boys thinking they ran the place.

Steve surveyed the table and realized that it was, in fact, occupied. Embarrassed at the awkwardness he had caused, he tripped over his words in some sort of apology. "Crap. I—uh, I'm sorry. I didn't realize you were sitting here. Let me just... I'll, uh, I'll get out of your hair."

"How do I know you didn't slip something in my drink?" She questioned as she crossed her arms.

Steve shrugged, "Look, I'm sorry I took your booth." He replied in a frustrated, sarcastic tone. "My buddy bailed and I'm stuck here until he gets back. But I'll buy you a new drink if it makes you feel better. Won't even touch the glass. Just put it on my tab."

The woman smiled. "How about two."

"Two?" Steve mirrored.

"Two drinks," she repeated to get it through his rather daft brain. "One for you, one for me. After all, you're stuck here. Might as well have a good time."

Steve thought for a minute and then made his way to the bar. She had a point. He was about to be in close quarters with unbathed, brutish men for the next twenty-four weeks. Might as well spend the next few minutes having a drink with a pretty girl. He ordered another beer for himself and asked the bartender for whatever concoction she had previously ordered. The woman kept her eyes on him as he walked back to her booth with the drinks. Steve handed her the glass and then slid in beside her. "To, uhhhh…" He started trying to come up with a quippy toast, but couldn't quite formulate one in his brain.

The woman raised her glass and tipped the edge against his, "To sharing a booth."

"To sharing a booth." He repeated before taking a sip.

"So, lady who so graciously allowed me to sit at her table," he began. "Do I get a name?"

"Catherine." She said before taking a sip of her drink.

"Catherine…" He echoed, thinking the name over, "I like that."

She smiled. "You?"

"Steve."

"So, Steve who steals tables," she jested, "Are you from around here?"

He shook his head. "No, just, uh, just passin' through on my way to California. You?"

Catherine shook her head too. "No. I'm in the Naval Academy."

Steve chuckled. "Explains the bun," he said, pointing to her hair.

Catherine laughed and nodded, "That obvious?"

Steve nodded in agreement, "Yeah. But the fresh-faced cadet thing will wear off after a while."

She smiled and then realized what he had implied. "You sure know a lot about the Navy for someone who's just passing through on their way to California."

"Ensign Steve McGarrett at your service, ma'am. Class of 1999," he said with a smirk before taking a long drink.

The color drained out of her face. She had just attempted to kick a superior officer out of her booth and then accused him of drugging her drink. "Oh my god. I'm so sorry—I should have never spoken to you that way, I just—"

Steve chuckled quietly and shook his head. "Don't worry about it. We're not on a ship right now," he winked.

"So, California…." She started, trying to break the awkwardness. "You wouldn't happen to be going to Coronado, are you?"

Steve nodded. "Yes, ma'am. BUD/s starts on Monday," he said as he stared into the empty beer bottle. "Me and my buddy are flying out tomorrow."

"So you're going to be a SEAL," She said matter-of-factly.

"We'll see. That's the plan at least." He shrugged and added, "The odds aren't great when it comes to, uh, to actually surviving BUD/s and SQT."

Catherine smiled. Maybe it was the hunk sitting across from her, maybe it was just the fact that she hadn't gotten laid in quite a while, but she was feeling flirtatious. "Alright, Mr. Navy SEAL. Let's see what you got," she challenged.

"Excuse me?"

Catherine put her elbow on the table and held her palm up. Steve slid the glasses away and put his hand in hers, resting his elbow on the table. Her hand was small and warm. Her skin was soft and as he scooted closer, he caught the fainest whiff of coconut.

"This is hardly a fair fight," he joked.

"You're right. I'm gonna crush you," she grinned.

Steve had to admit, he was quite taken with her confidence.

"Three, two, one." Catherine counted down. The arm wrestle began, and to his surprise, she was a formidable opponent. After a minute of struggle he felt his muscles trembling. Catherine smacked his hand down on the table and threw her hands up in victory.

'How the hell?" He laughed out in shock.

"Secrets, secrets!" She sing-songed back with a smile.

Steve was just about to ask her for round two when Freddie walked back through the bar door. Catherine followed his gaze, "Your buddy's back sooner than you thought."

"Yeah, I should probably close out my tab and go get some shut eye."

"I might be in San Diego for some training after graduation," She blurted out. Catherine wasn't completely sure why that had slipped out of her mouth, but the words kept tumbling coming without regard for her dignity. "If you're still out there then, you should look me up."

Steve smiled—genuinely. He had met a lot of women in the military, but this one was in a league of her own. "I just might." His voice faded. "If I knew who to look for."

"Rollins," she said.

"Rollins…" Steve repeated. "Catherine Rollins."

AUTHOR'S NOTE

Twitter did this. You know who you are. (Apparently I can be coerced.)

WELL HELLO THERE!

This "story" is going to be a little different. As I wrote Mumbai, Throwing Darts, and Pehea, I had a lot of fun dreaming up all the possibly first meetings of Steve and Cath. Each chapter will be a different scenario. I won't be uploading on a regular schedule, so be sure to follow and fave this story and me as an author to get email notifications!

Leave a review and tell me what you think!

If you're new to my stories, WELCOME! We're so glad you're here! My name is Maggie—I started writing FanFiction after H50 ended and it turned into me writing books! (Yep! Like, legit you-can-hold-in-your-hand books!) If you want to read my non-Fanfiction books, you can find them on Amazon (eBook + paperback) and on Kindle Unlimited!

The Stars Above Us: A Contemporary Military Romance by Maggie C. Gates
Poker Face: A Small Town Romance by Maggie C. Gates

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