This one's for Sammy for all the fun we have co-writing and for never making me regret asking another author to co-write with me.

I not only don't regret it, it's made me a better writer. I hope we do many more fics together, my friend.

Hugs, Mari

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Oblivious 7 – I'll bet

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Gennaro's Restaurant

"Three of 'em, at your five o'clock." Catherine whispered to Steve as they sat drinking wine at a small table in the bar area of Gennaros's restaurant.

It had been a long couple of days and when Steve suggested Italian for dinner, before going home, Catherine readily agreed. They had little food in the house, as the case they'd just wrapped had kept them working twelve hour days and they'd slept at HQ the night before. So after showering and changing at work that evening, they'd decided to just eat at the restaurant instead of opting for takeout.

"No way." Steve told her. "They're all old timers in here." He leaned forward.

"Pfft! Like that matters." Catherine hung her light jacket over the back of the chair and looked around.

"You're wrong this time, Cath. We're the youngest people in this bar by twenty years."

"Ohhh Steve, Steve, for someone so smart … okay, I'll bet you a car wash." She playfully held her hand out across the tile-topped table.

Steve glanced around, doing visual recon of the room. "You're on." He took her hand in his. "My truck's a lot bigger to wash than your car, you sure?"

"Very sure. And I want my car taken to the good car wash that Chin's and Kono's cousin owns. The brush-less one." Catherine smiled over the top of her glass as she took a sip. "You, outside the house with a hose and a questionably clean rag from the garage doesn't count, no matter how handsome you look doing it." She tilted her glass in a toast.

Steve laughed, it had been a long week and he was clearly happy to have her to tease and unwind with. "See now, when I win, you can wash the truck at home, preferably …" An amorous glint lit his eyes, "in the cammies you cut off into shorts."

Catherine tilted her head. "You never change, Commander."

"Nope." He grinned. Having finished his wine, he grabbed her glass and took a swallow.

"Good." She winked. "I've kinda gotten used to you."

"Ummm, excuse me." The waitress looked apologetically at Catherine, then Steve. "Commander, this is for you." She indicated the drink on her tray. "Sorry, I have to tell you. You want me to tell them 'no thank you' like the other times, right?"

"What?" Steve looked up. He'd been focused on Catherine, who'd brushed her foot against his shin under the table.

"Ha! I win!" Catherine exclaimed, then laughed at Maggie's odd look.

Steve rolled his eyes, and realizing Maggie was waiting for a response said, "Sorry, Maggie. Yes, please, just send it back and say no thanks."

The young waitress smiled at Steve. "You got it. Sorry, again, but if I don't check first, I get in trouble. Your table's ready anyway. You can follow me into the dining room."

"Damn." He tossed a bill on her tray and stood, guiding Catherine with a hand on the small of her back as they walked through the bar area.

When they passed the table of three women near the corner, Catherine felt their eyes follow her and Steve and linger until they were out of sight and into the dining room.

Catherine shook her head as they sat down. She picked up her menu with a grin and peered at him over the top."Wow."

Steve smiled apologetically.

"I'm kidding. Just proves I'm with the hottest guy on Oahu." Catherine chuckled and placed her hand on top of his where it rested on the table. Order me the chicken murphy?" She stood, grabbing her purse. "I'll be right back."

"'Kay. Want to split an appetizer?" Steve scanned the specials.

"Sure, surprise me." She made her way back toward the restrooms.

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Restroom

"Excuse me, Lieutenant?"

Catherine looked up from the row of sinks to see the waitress from the bar. "Maggie? Is something wrong?"

"No. I just wanted to ask you… well, never mind. You're going to think I'm a pain, Ma'am."

Catherine smiled. "It's Catherine, and ask away, really."

"You and the Commander come in here at least a couple of times a month and well … women, they, um, hit on him. A lot." Maggie looked at the floor, clearly embarrassed but plugged on.

"I mean, those women sent him a drink tonight even though he was sitting with you and you're obviously together; it's even obvious when your whole team is here with all your friends and you eat in the bar. Even then, anyone can tell when they see how he looks at you."

Catherine smiled. "Steve turns down drinks from women all the time. All the guys do. There are Five-0 groupies. Some women are just gutsier than others. Like that group tonight."

Maggie was always extra nice when they came to Gennaro's. She'd give them a free appetizer platter, or when they had Grace with them, she'd slip her a Shirley Temple on the house. Catherine remembered Maggie telling Chin and Steve she'd gone to Kukui High, too.

"Yeah, but, doesn't it bother you? Make you angry?"

"No." Catherine ran a hand through her hair and shrugged. "Steve's a good looking guy. He's the head of the Governor's task force. He attracts attention, but he doesn't look for it, so no, I don't get angry, or bothered. How could I?"

"Doesn't look for it? He doesn't even notice it, he's kind of oblivious. He was shocked tonight. I could tell." Maggie giggled.

"Yeah. That's Steve." Catherine smiled.

"But you weren't." Maggie smiled back.

"No. That's what I meant when I said 'I won' before. I'd bet him one of the women at the corner table would hit on him even with me here. He didn't believe me."

"How can it not bother you?" Maggie shook her head. "My ex? He flirted all the time. He cheated on me, too. When I caught him, I dumped him. I was tired of worrying about it." Her soft brown eyes flashed with hurt and anger.

"Good for you." Catherine told the young woman. "You deserve better than that. Every girl does."

"That's what my mom said." Maggie looked down. "But Joe was my high school boyfriend. I just really wanted it to work out, ya know?" She picked at a cuticle and quickly stuffed her hands in her pockets.

"Sure, but you did what was best. Trust is important. That's why the attention Steve gets doesn't upset me. That's the difference, I trust him." Catherine explained. "I worry about Steve. That a bust will go bad; that he's going to get hurt; but I never, ever, worry he'll cheat. It's just not who he is. We'd spend months apart during our time in the service and while the thought of him not coming back from a mission was terrifying, I never worried about his loyalty, and I doubt he ever worried about mine."

Maggie smiled. "That's' great. You guys are so cute."

Catherine smirked. She and Steve had been called a lot of things, but cute was never one of them.

"I just wanted to ask because I want ... that, next time and … well …thanks, Lieutenant…um Catherine. I should let you go eat. Look at me bothering a customer. My dad will be pissed." They walked out together, back through the bar area.

"Your dad's the owner?" Catherine asked.

"Yeah, I don't tell everyone because it's awkward. I'm just working here until I graduate. Two semesters to go." She grinned. "Thanks again."

"Anytime." Catherine said as Maggie entered the kitchen and she headed back to Steve.

"Did you order?" She asked Steve as she got back to their table.

"I got us the shrimp salad appetizer." Steve grinned. "Don't tell Kamekona."

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After dinner

"Dessert on the house." Their waiter announced and placed two pieces of cheesecake on the table.

"We didn't order…" Steve looked up

"Complements of Maggie." He was told as the waiter walked away with a smile.

Steve took a bite and pointed his fork. "Hey, were you talking with Maggie before?"

"Yeah. She's a nice kid. Her dad's the owner, did you know that?"

"I did. He graduated a year before Chin." Steve raised his eyebrows. "You didn't tell her to bring … Cath did that beer really come from a bunch of women my mother's age or…?"

Catherine held up her hands in surrender. "Or what?" She laughed "I don't need a free car wash that bad!" "You're popular with the cougar set, too." She smirked and indicated her plate. "I can't ... want the rest?"

"No, I don't have time to run an extra five to make up for it. I have a date at the car wash tomorrow morning, remember? And I was gonna sleep in…" His eyes held hers.

"Oh, finish it." Catherine grinned and, spearing the cake with her fork, held it up to Steve's lips. "I'll help you work it off."

He grasped and held her hand and the fork; his hazel eyes darkening as he slid the cake into his mouth and chewed. "Promise?"

"Well … I was looking forward to sleeping in tomorrow, too … you could take the car later in the day." Catherine took the fork back and licked it deliberately before she placed it on the empty plate. "Maybe we could wash the truck together, tonight."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. Maybe I'll even wear the cammie cut-offs …"

Steve's grin reached his eyes as he scanned the room. "Check, please!"

/

End, thanks for reading.