Steve woke up with the beep of messages from Catherine's phone. He passed his arm over her and picked up the phone. He read the message and put the phone back in the nightstand.

"What an ugly thing! Snooping around my phone, sailor?" she said without opening her eyes.

"What? I just thought it might be something important," he replied.

"Was it?" She asked without opening her eyes.

"It was your commander giving you the day off as compensation for the good work you've done over the past few days," Steve replied.

"That's great, so I'll be able to stay in bed longer.

"You're tired, right? That happens when you don't let me sleep," Steve told her.

Catherine opened her eyes and turned to look at him. "Okay, but wasn't it the other way around?"

"Well, it was, but it's your fault. It was you who got me hooked on you," Steve kissed her and wanted to repeat some of the night before.

Some time later, Steve rolled over breathlessly to his side in bed.

"Go to work, sailor. I still have plenty of time to stay in bed just relaxing," Catherine told him.

Steve turned to look her in the eye. "Cath, I want to ask you a question."

Catherine smiled at him. "And what is it?"

"I'm going to take a fifteen-day leave of absence, can you get one, too?" Steve asked.

"I can try, but why? Are we going on a trip?" She asked.

"Yes, I wanted you to go to Hawaii with me to meet my father. I want to spend a few days with him."

"I think it's great that you want to go see your father, and I think you should go even if I can't. But I'll try," she promised.

"It'll be great if you can go," Steve told her.

"Tomorrow I'll talk to my Commander and then I'll give you an answer.

"Okay." Steve stood up quickly. "I'm going to take a shower and go to work. Somebody has to do that in this house, right?"

"Right, but I'm glad this someone isn't me," Catherine smiled at him.

Steve left and Catherine stayed in bed for a while longer. Then she got up, took a shower, got dressed, had breakfast and devoted herself a little bit to the house. She did a little cleaning and washed the dirty clothes she brought from her trip. Steve was good at keeping things organized and clean and this made her life much easier. She listened to music while doing her housework, and she was happy. She was very happy.

Three weeks later...

John came home tired and saw the house lights on. "I didn't leave the house lights on," he thought the house had been invaded by thieves or some enemy he got in his career as a police officer. He slowly approached the house with his hand in his holster, ready to react if he had to. He walked on the side of the house and spied through the kitchen door. He was very surprised to see Steve cooking.

"Steve?"

"Hi, Dad," Steve answered.

"What are you doing here?" John asked.

"I'm here to spend a few days at home with you. I came in because you didn't change the locks and I still have the keys."

"Good to see you, son. Can I give you a hug?" John asked.

Steve put out the fire and let his father hug him. "Good to see you too, Dad. I brought someone with me and I hope you don't mind."

"Of course not. If he's your friend, he's welcome."

Catherine walked into the kitchen and John was surprised that Steve had brought a girl home.

"Dad, this is Catherine," Steve told John.

John approached and held Catherine's hand. "Hi. Welcome, Catherine."

"Thank you, Mr. McGarrett. Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you, too. Make yourself at home," John told her.

"Thank you. Actually, I've been feeling at home since I got here. I've even dived into the sea. Your home is fantastic," Catherine told him.

John smiled. "Thank you, Catherine. And I can also see that you've already put my boy in the kitchen."

"Oh, he likes that," Catherine answered.

"You see how exploited I am, Dad?" Steve said to John.

"Have you accommodated her yet, Steve? The guest room hasn't been cleaned in a while."

"Yeah, I realize that, but we've already cleaned the first floor room. We'll sleep there," Steve answered Dad. "You don't mind, do you? Me and her sleeping together."

Catherine blushed at Steve's question to John.

"No, of course not. Make yourselves comfortable," John answered and climbed up to his room.

"You look beautiful with those rosy cheeks. You laughed at me when your parents caught me in your house, and now you're ashamed?" Steve told her.

"It's true. Was he happy to see you?" Catherine asked Steve.

"Yes, I think so," Steve answered.

A few minutes later, John returned for dinner with Steve and Catherine. "Is the food good?" Steve asked his father.

"Yes, it is. Where did you learn to cook?" John asked.

"Well, since Catherine and I are practically living together when we're not on some mission out of the country, I've been venturing into the kitchen."

John looked at Catherine. "I didn't even know I had a daughter-in-law. But I'm glad Steve found someone like you."

"Thank you, Mr. McGarrett," Catherine replied. She was happy that John approved her relationship with Steve. She could also see that Steve was happy to be there next to his father again even if he didn't show it clearly. Steve was human, and everyone needs attention and affection, after all this is part of human existence and is fundamental in order to live happily.

Thank you for your review. Thank you for reading.