REALMcRollers, Readers, Guests:
Thank you all for the continued love for the Oblivious series. It will always continue because it's very special to me. Thank you, too for the incredible support of the REAL World! We send you Nonna Hugs

Sammy & Ilna,
If not for this series I'd never have become friends with you ladies, and I honestly cannot imagine my life without you in it. I am so awed by the strength you've both shown in these past weeks and by the depths of our connection. xoxox Much love to you both my friends, Mari

Oblivious: Photo Op

Joint Base Pearl Harbor–Hickam

Catherine and Steve were weaving through a throng of tourists as they left Pearl Harbor after a retirement ceremony and luncheon for Lieutenant Michael Buchannan, who'd served with Steve on several missions. The day was what Danny would call 'hotter than the hinges of hell' and Steve in his dress blues and Catherine in an emerald green crepe dress were very much aware of the sweltering heat.

"It was a great afternoon and Michael and Eileen look terrific," Catherine said as she clasped Steve's fingers and smiled up at him. "A little warm for an outside lunch at two o'clock, though, huh?"

"Unless it's lunch on the beach? Yeah, little bit." Steve squeezed her fingers gently. "We've got the rest of the day. How about we take Cammie for a swim the second we get home?" Steve was never one to complain about weather conditions, but any time he could spend in the water made him that much happier.

They were nearly to the exit area where a group of twenty-somethings were taking photos of the base and each other. Catherine saw two of the girls snap photos of her and Steve, or more accurately, Steve in uniform, when the braver of the two approached and said "Hi!"

Catherine smiled at Steve's look. He'd been focused on her telling him about Cammie's latest adventure on their run that morning, and seemed unaware of the girl's greeting. "Um, Steve." She nodded and he followed her eyes.

Seeing the blond, smiling tourist Steve glanced to Catherine and back. "Can I help you?"

She nodded, her teeth worrying her lower lip. "You're like, an officer, right?" She pointed a bright pink fingernail at Steve's insignia.

"Yes," Steve looked around for signs of trouble, "can I help you?"

"I was … we were wondering if ..." She gestured over her shoulder, "would you take a picture with me?"

Steve looked nothing short of horrified. "What?"

"A picture, Silly! A photo op." She looked at Catherine. "Maybe you could …?"

Steve was staring at her, astonished. "No! I … ah, sorry, no. No pictures."

"Awww. Then could I borrow your hat and wear it for a selfie?"

"Look, I'm … it's a cover, but, no. Civilians aren't permitted to wear uniform components and I'd be out of uniform if I took it off. I'm … we need to …" He motioned to the parking lot and tugged on Catherine's hand.

The girl shrugged. "'kay. That's too bad, 'cause you're a hottie, everyone back home would be jealous." She spotted a group of sailors in their twenties and aimed her camera at them as Steve led Catherine along to the exit.

"What the hell was that?" He only stopped when they reached the truck.

Catherine was full-on laughing. "That, once again, was McGarrettitis. It goes into overdrive when you're in uniform."

"Catherine …" He shook his head. "Asking a stranger for a picture, what was she thinking?"

"Seriously?" She patted his cheek, "Oh my God, your face when she asked about the cover for a selfie."

He said, "Not funny, Cath …" but his smirk gave him away.

"C'mon I saw you scope the perimeter. You thought the photo was for some kind of enemy surveillance."

He furrowed his brow. "Maybe."

Catherine climbed into the truck and smoothed the bottom of her dress before buckling in. "Maybe?"

Steve got into the driver's seat and started the engine. He handed his cover to Catherine, who placed it in the back seat with her purse, then sighed as the blast of cool air from the air condition filled the cab. She adjusted the vents toward her and Steve and sat back.

Steve was quiet for a moment and Catherine could see him contemplating. When he glanced at her, he said, in complete seriousness, "What was with her wanting to wear the cover?"

"Really?" Catherine smiled.

"Cath…"

"Not just a cover, your cover." Her loving smile morphed into a grin, "To risk inflating your ego …" She truly was teasing him, because while Steve's ego incorporated a lot of things, his physical appearance wasn't one of them. It never had been.

Steve being unaware of exactly how handsome he was had always been something Catherine loved about him. "She wanted a photo op in your cover because of how you look in it. Now, if this was the eighties I'd say it was from …"

"That ridiculous movie." Steve scoffed and rolled his eyes.

"An Officer and a Gentleman." Catherine knew exactly what he was talking about. "Agreed. I'm actually amazed when girls that age have heard of it."

"Because you were in preschool when it came out?"

Catherine laughed. "Yeah, and I never saw it, but my parents tell the story of how I saw the trailer on TV and announced that Richard Gere was wearing his cover inside in the final scene and that when the girl had his cover on her head he was in violation."

Steve barked a laugh. "Of course you did. Did you actually say 'in violation'?"

"According to Dad I did. I …" She looked amused, remembering how proud Joseph was when he'd asked her to repeat it. "I kinda quoted the regs. There's a home video of me repeating to dad on camera that 'no headgear of any kind is allowed while indoors with the exception of uniformed personnel under arms.' Dad definitely fed me the last part."

"Okay, next visit to your parents' house, I'm gonna need a copy of that." Steve smirked.

"I'm sure my mom would be happy to comply. There may even be one of me dressed as a recruit when I was about three …"

Steve smiled. "Started that early, did you?"

She nodded. "We had a recital at dancing school l and I refused to take the little sailor costume off. Mom says she would have to wash it every night and I'd 'put on my uniform, just like daddy' every morning that summer."

"Bet Joseph loved that." Steve knew exactly how proud Catherine's father had been when she'd chosen to follow in his footsteps.

"He was deployed." She glanced at Steve's profile as he drove.

His hand left the wheel and found hers. "I'm sorry, Cath."

"No. No, it's fine." She ran her thumb across his knuckles. "Mom sent him dozens of pictures. And we made audio tape recordings for him. When Dad got home after that deployment, he brought me two little uniforms. He even got me a little garrison cap and a cammo BDU cap. I was over the moon. It's actually one of my earliest memories."

Just then, Catherine's phone chirped. "It's my mom." She looked at Steve with wide eyes and swiped to answer. Elizabeth rarely called mid-day. "Mom?"

"Catherine? Nothing's wrong."

Steve saw her let out a breath and relax her shoulders.

"What's up, Mom?"

"Do you have a minute? If you're working …"

"No, actually Steve and I just left a retirement lunch at Pearl."

"Well, then, I need some help with a computer issue, Sweetheart. My laptop may be dead and there are exam grades on it that I need to upload onto the university's server ..."

"Okay, we're actually just getting home. Can you boot up at all? Because I can take over remotely …"

Steve grinned and grabbed their things from the back seat as they got out of the truck and entered the house. Cammie came bounding up, and after he greeted her looked lovingly at Catherine.

"Mom? Say hi to Steve, I just have to hug Cammie so she doesn't feel bad …" Catherine handed the phone over and knelt as Elizabeth's chuckle came over the line.

"Hi Elizabeth." Steve said into the phone, before adding, "Cath, go grab your laptop, I'll talk to your mom a second and take Cammie out." His attention was back on the cell as he continued, "So, I heard there was a video of a recital …"

Two hours later Steve entered the living room after a swim with Cammie. He was holding a plate of fruit and went to join Catherine on the sofa just as she was closing the laptop. "All good?"

She nodded. "Mom's all set." She nodded at the plate. "That to share?"

He offered her the dish. "Of course."

"Hmmm. Thanks," She popped a piece of mango into her mouth. "I'm gonna go change." She was still in her dress from the luncheon, although she'd kicked off her shoes and had her feet tucked under her.

"I can help with that …" Steve bent to kiss her.

"Mm, that's the best offer I've had since … she kissed him back and stood "oh-six-hundred. I just need a minute to …" Catherine started as Steve's phone dinged the arrival of a text.

He checked the phone and the smile that crossed his face lit his features. He sent a quick text and continued to grin.

"What?" Catherine's head tilted in question.

"Speaking of photo ops …" Steve showed her the screen and Catherine's hand flew to cover her mouth as she snorted a laugh. "I took a shot she'd have a copy."

"This is my mother; of course she had a copy."

Side by side on Steve's phone were two photos of four year old Catherine.

One in a tiny uniform and garrison cap, standing at attention and saluting next to a uniformed and very proud looking Lieutenant Joseph Rollins; the other showed a hugely smiling Catherine on a beach, wearing a purple and pink two piece bathing suit, open cammo shirt, and a tiny cammo BDU cap.

He pointed to the screen. "Now that's a photo op. I'm framing that for my desk."

"Steve! You are not."

"Okay, okay … then we'll frame this one …" He pointed to the first image.

Catherine looked at herself and her dad with a smile. "Okay. Deal. As long as the other one isn't on display at work." She laughed.

"I don't know, Lieutenant, what's to stop me from putting your bikini and cammo photo on my desk at HQ?" He teased.

Catherine stood and stared for the stairs. "If you promise not to, maybe I'll …" She was halfway up when the rest of her words had Steve bolting off the sofa to follow her "reenact it …"

End. Thanks for reading.

Oblivious will return.

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