Notes: TPTB missed out on some golden comedic opportunities with the Jerry/Cath/Steve dynamic. Hopefully we can make up for that here in the REAL World.
Continued thanks for all the incredible support we've received – it is truly overwhelming!
Sammy and Mari, you ladies rock in so many ways I have lost count. Thank you for the support, the encouragement, and the ridiculous amounts of fun.
Ground Rules (A McRoll in the REAL World Story)
Steve unlocked the front door and allowed Jerry to enter the house ahead of him, suitcase in hand. Jerry stopped, eyes opening wide at the sight of Catherine walking through the back door clad in a bathing suit, fresh from a swim. His suitcase dropped to the ground with a clatter as Steve came to stand beside him.
Catherine approached and stopped in front of them, her hands going to her hips. "Hi, Jerry." She aimed a welcoming smile in his direction before turning a questioning glance to Steve, her eyes moving quickly to the suitcase and back to him.
"Jerry would like to stay here for a bit," Steve announced.
Catherine raised her eyebrows in response.
"He's a little concerned about uh . . . retaliation," he explained, rubbing his chin.
She shook her head slightly in confusion.
"Since he stunned Zi Chen."
"Ah," she said and nodded her understanding though she kept her face impassive as she glanced between the two men.
"Just till the uh . . . till the heat's off," Steve continued, trying to stop the corner of his mouth from twitching up in a smile.
Catherine licked her lips and nodded slowly. "Okay," she agreed, also having a hard time containing a smile.
"I was about to set up some ground rules."
She smirked and said, "You boys do that. I'm gonna grab a shower." She motioned back over her shoulder. "There's chicken ready to grill in the fridge."
Steve nodded, brushing a hand lightly against her hip as she walked between them. Jerry, still silent and wide-eyed, swallowed hard and couldn't help but follow her progress up the stairs.
Steve's gaze, too, stayed on Catherine momentarily before he turned back to Jerry, head moving in a double take when he realized the other man was still frozen in his spot.
"Jerry," he said, but received no response. "Jerry," he repeated, louder this time.
Trance broken, Jerry looked surprised at being addressed. "Huh?"
Steve raised his eyebrows and Jerry's eyes widened.
"Sorry," he apologized hurriedly.
"I think we just established rule number one."
"No staring at Catherine. Got it."
Steve sighed and rubbed his head. "At least don't be so obvious about it, man," he said, turning toward the stairs.
"Right. Got it, roomie."
Steve stopped and pointed. "Absolutely not. That's rule number two." He sighed again. "Come on, I'll show you the guest room."
Jerry picked up his suitcase and followed Steve up the stairs. Crossing the landing, they passed the master bedroom and could hear the shower running within.
"Do we need, like, a code?" Jerry asked.
"A code?"
"For . . . privacy. You know. Sock on the doorknob or something?"
Steve paused outside the guest room. He pointed back toward the master bedroom and said firmly, "That bedroom door is closed, it stays closed. Understood?"
"Right. Yes." Jerry was quick to agree. "Simple is probably best in this case."
"Yeah." Steve held his gaze for a moment before motioning to the guest room. "Here you go. Sheets are clean. Bathroom is there. It's all yours, obviously we've got our own. Towels are in the closet."
"Oh, and I brought some detergent from my mom's house. I'll do my own laundry."
Steve narrowed his eyebrows. "How long do you think you're gonna be staying, Jerry?"
"Like you said, till the heat's off."
Steve paused, regarding him. "Right," he said finally. "Okay, well, I think you're all set here. I'm gonna go change and get dinner started," he said and moved to walk away.
"Thanks a lot, roo-" he stopped abruptly at Steve's warning look. "Steve. I really appreciate you letting me stay."
"Don't mention it."
Steve walked to the master bedroom but stopped with his hand on the doorknob. He glanced back to see Jerry still standing in the guest room doorway. He raised his eyebrows in question.
Jerry started and said, "Right." He ducked his head and entered his room.
Steve sighed, opening the door and stepping inside. He closed the door behind him as Catherine exited the bathroom wrapped in a towel.
"Hey," he said as he bent and kissed her. "I'm sorry about this."
"It's fine," she assured him.
"I didn't get a chance to warn you. He was waiting outside the house."
She put a hand to his chest to stop him, chuckling. "Steve, it's fine. Really. If it makes him feel safer for a couple of days, it's fine." She kissed him once more before walking to her bedside table for her lotion.
He moved to the other side of the room to stow his badge and weapon.
Catherine lowered her voice, asking quietly, "Drop go okay?"
Steve nodded, unbuttoning his shirt, his voice also low. "Yeah. And Chen bought the story that the intel on the hard drive was destroyed."
She nodded and raised a leg to the bed, smoothing lotion into her skin. He shrugged out of his button-down and pulled a t-shirt on in its place, then exchanged his pants for a more comfortable pair of sweats.
Both stopped moving at the knock on the door.
"Hey, how secure is your network here?" Jerry's voice came through the door.
Steve looked at Catherine, incredulous. She shook her head in response, fighting a smile.
"It's secure," Steve called back, his tone clipped.
"I'm gonna need the password."
Steve sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Can we do that after dinner, Jerry?"
"Yeah, yeah. Of course. Right. Sorry. After dinner is fine. Sorry," he repeated. After a moment they heard his steps as he retreated across the hall.
Steve glanced at Catherine and said, "I'm gonna regret this, aren't I?"
She chuckled. "Go get the grill started. I'm hungry," she said before she walked back into the bathroom.
He watched her disappear, rubbing the back of his neck. "I notice you didn't disagree with me."
After dinner, Steve and Catherine relaxed in the living room, his arm draped over the back of the couch behind her. They looked up as Jerry exited the kitchen.
"Thanks for doing the dishes, man," Steve said.
"It's the least I could do." He shrugged. "I kinda like washing dishes, actually."
Catherine smiled at him. "Have a seat, Jerry," she nodded toward the chair. "We're about to watch a movie."
"Yeah, you can help me outvote her so I don't have to watch Nebraska," Steve said, distaste evident in his tone.
"I told you, it's not a romance," she said.
"Okay, fine. But it is in black and white," he complained.
Catherine rolled her eyes, shaking her head with an exasperated sigh.
"What do you say?" Steve asked Jerry.
"Oh no, thanks," he said. "I think I'm gonna turn in. It's been a long day."
"Okay, well, Catherine and I get up pretty early to swim. You may hear us moving around in the morning."
"You're welcome to join us," she offered.
Jerry scratched the back of his head, wincing. "Ah, I'm not really much of a swimmer," he admitted.
"Well, at least join us for breakfast after," she said with a smile.
His face lit up. "Hey, I could cook. I make a mean omelet."
Steve nodded his approval. "Excellent."
"Okay, well, thanks again for letting me stay, you guys. I feel a lot better."
Catherine smiled and Steve nodded.
"Good night," Jerry said before heading up the stairs.
"Night," she replied for both of them.
Waiting until he heard Jerry close the door of his room upstairs, Steve looked down at Catherine and asked quietly, "You sure it's okay? I'm sorry I didn't get a chance to check with you first."
She waved off his apology. "Of course, it's fine."
"Just a couple of days," he promised. "Put his mind at ease."
"He really thinks there would be retaliation?" she asked skeptically.
"Clearly you have no idea how this works, Catherine," he smirked, paraphrasing Jerry's earlier comment to him outside. Leaning down, he pressed his lips to hers.
She indulged him for a moment, enjoying the kiss, but when he shifted to move her beneath him she pushed him back. "Nice try, but clearly you have no idea how this works. Put Nebraska on," she said and motioned at the television.
He sighed heavily and rested his head against the back of the couch with a groan.
"Yeah, I think you remember our ground rules, sailor," she said, poking him in the side.
"I believe one of them was that I reserve the right to extract compensation for agreeing to your movie choices," he griped as he leaned forward to grab the remote and start the movie.
"I don't think your tab's quite paid off yet, Commander."
He glanced over his shoulder at her. "Gonna dine out on that one for a while, aren't you?"
"You better believe it."
He chuckled and relaxed back into the couch, wrapping an arm around her as she curled into his side and snaked an arm across his midsection. Sliding down so he could lean his head against hers, he glanced toward the stairs in sudden realization.
"God, I hope he doesn't snore."
Catherine covered her mouth as her laughter echoed through the house. Steve stifled his own laughter but grinned down at her before pulling her closer and settling in for the movie.
Note: Stay tuned for a couple follow-up fics written by the incomparable Mari!
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