Sammy & Ilna - love you guys! REAL McRollers & Readers, we love you!
Spotlight
The banquet hall was buzzing with conversation as guests mingled at the charity fundraiser for unhoused people in Hawaii. The room was filled with social climbers, politicians and local business owners, all in formalwear. When she stepped off the podium, having given a few welcome remarks before introducing Lea, Catherine joined Steve, who passed her one of the two drinks he'd gotten from a waiter with a silver tray.
"Who are they?" Sylvie MacKenna, a commodities trader who flew in from the mainland to attend, asked one of the local partners in her firm while indicating Steve and Catherine.
"Commander Steve McGarrett and Lieutenant Catherine Rollins," he responded, and followed with a brief explanation of their jobs. "If they wanted to, they could be a power couple, but they keep a fairly low profile."
"They're stunning," Sylvie said with a smile. "And he never took his eyes off her for a second when she was speaking. Reminds me of my Harry when we were young." She glanced around. "Speaking of which," she nodded towards the man coming their way with a smile. "Here he is now. Honey, please meet Roberto from our Maui office…" she said with a last glance towards the beautiful chief of staff and her handsome husband.
"Commander, Lieutenant, this way, please," several reporters said, not for the first time that evening, and with a glance at each other Steve and Catherine obliged. Camera flashes from the press went off, hoping to capture the perfect shot for the online and TV news. Steve in his dark suit beside Catherine, who was in a blue cocktail dress. After a minute, she politely thanked the press and they slipped back into the crowd. "I'm going to the restroom," she said and he nodded.
"Danny's at the shrimp station," he indicated his partner who was clearly attempting to end a conversation with a too thin, over styled woman with talon-like nails. "I'll meet you there."
He navigated through the crowd to where his best friend was standing with a plate of shrimp cocktail. "At least the food's good," the detective said with a grin, "and Gabby got a chance to talk with Susan Holcomb." He pointed with his cocktail fork to where she was chatting with a woman about their age. "She's looking to donate some of her grandfather's Hawaiian artifact collection and the museum director would kill to have it."
"Who was that?" Steve tilted his chin at the retreating form of the woman Danny had been talking to. "You looked about as comfortable as a suspect in interrogation." He grabbed a plate and helped himself to a few shrimp.
"That was Kris - with a 'K', which she pointed out immediately." Danny smirked. "To whom I may have had to mention you're married. Very, very married, to quote my niece. Dragon lady wouldn't stop staring at you like she wanted to devour you."
"You're exaggerating."
"Am I, Steven? Really, after all these years?"
"Hmpf," Steve made a scoffing noise just as Lou Grover walked up. "Hey Lou."
"Hey," the SWAT commander said while tugging at his suit collar. "Dodging Kris Notaire? She trapped us and just about introduced herself before asking about Steve." He popped a shrimp in his mouth with a grin as his wife came up.
"I need to steal him, guys, sorry. Lou, come meet Jared and Matthew Okalani, their father's from Chicago and they want to say hi," she said as she looped his arm and led him across the room.
Lou chuckled and grinned at Steve over his shoulder. "And there goes one of your wife's admirers." He pointed to a smarmy looking man in his fifties who everyone at the palace knew had a thing for Catherine. "I'll be back, save me some shrimp."
"Reginald Cuthbert the third," Danny grimaced. "Pompous putz. First time we met he had the balls to ask me if Catherine was single, even though he'd seen you together off duty half a dozen times."
One of the older HPD brass who'd known John McGarrett back in his patrol days had come up and overheard the comment. "You're not even a little bit jealous, either you or Catherine. Always admired that about you two, from day one."
"Catherine has never given me a reason to be. I trust my wife. Since long before she was my wife," Steve replied, his smile softening as he glanced at Catherine, who was having a conversation with Lea. "Like I told Chin once a long time ago, I have a lot of things I can worry about, Catherine's fidelity has never been one of them and she knows I have zero interest in anyone else, ever."
Nearby, Chin observed the exchange with a knowing look as he stood with Leilani, Kono and Adam, sipping his drink with a smile. The admiration in the room was palpable as guests whispered about his friends, yet as usual, they had no interest in the chatter.
Meanwhile, Kono shared a laugh with Leilani, who said, "Looks like they're the prom king and queen again."
Kono chuckled, "The most unwilling ones to be in the spotlight ever."
As a live band played some guests danced while others continued to mingle. Conversations moved from politics to the latest island gossip, but one topic seemed to pop up quite often – the relationship between Commander Steve McGarrett and Lieutenant Catherine Rollins.
A group of ladies dressed in couture dresses huddled together near a dessert table, stealing glances at Steve and Catherine as they danced. One of them, a local socialite known for her sharp tongue, leaned in to her friend, "Do you think that's just for show? They can't really be that close after what … twenty five years together?"
Her friend shook her head, "Oh, honey, definitely the real deal, look at the way he looks at her. Like she's the only woman in the room."
Another guest, a curious journalist hoping for a scoop, sidled up to the group, pretending to fix her earring while discreetly listening in on the conversation. The camera in her hand gave away her true intentions as she angled herself for a better candid shot of Steve and Catherine.
At a nearby table, Cody, with an air of quiet confidence, engaged in a conversation with a VIP donor. His gaze momentarily drifted to where Steve and Catherine stood, talking to Jess.
"You know, Cody, you're a lucky man to work with and be ohana to such esteemed individuals like Commander McGarrett and Lieutenant Rollins," the donor remarked, sipping his champagne.
Cody nodded, a look of pride in his family on his face. "I'm very lucky. They've taught me more than I could ever explain."
Steve and Catherine circled the room as she greeted guests and thanked donors for their contributions to the cause.
In a quieter corner, Danny stood with Kono and Lou. "He cleans up good, I gotta say," Lou chuckled. "Considering he jumped out a second floor window this morning to grab a runner."
Their conversation was interrupted by the sound of a familiar voice. Chin approached with a warm smile, his calm demeanor a contrast to the somewhat kinetic atmosphere of the room. "Hey, almost ready to leave?" he asked his cousin.
"Definitely," Kono said with a smile. "I'll go round up Adam. Where's Leilani?"
"She's talking to a doctor from her clinic. As soon as she's back we're going to go. Are you staying?" he asked.
Danny nodded, "For a little bit. You guys go, we'll wait a few minutes."
Chin nodded. "Okay, see you tomorrow."
As the evening drew to a close, Steve found Catherine outside on a balcony, away from the bustle of the fundraiser. "Long day," she said as she ended the call. "That was Mom. Kids are asleep."
Steve wrapped an arm around her, "Ready to go?"
"So ready." She grinned.
He gave her a smile he only smiled for her, "Long day but I got to dance with my wife."
"True, but I know you'd rather be dancing in the living room." She reached up and pecked his cheek.
"Than being paraded around in a suit? Absolutely," he chuckled, "but it's for a good cause."
"Definitely." She nodded. "Let's say our goodbyes and get home. Everyone's gone except security."
"And Cody and Jess." He grinned. "He said he was waiting for you to wrap so you're not the only member of the Governor's staff left."
She smiled softly, meeting his eyes. "So much like someone I know. Seeing Cody excel in his job, it's just more proof of the impact you've had."
"A lot of that is from working with you, you know."
The balcony door opened and the head of security addressed Catherine. "We're ready to wrap, Lieutenant. Governor Kekoa's back at her residence, and we're all secured."
"Thanks, Keona," Catherine smiled, then turned to Steve. "Ready to go home?"
He grinned and quoted their daughter. "Very, very ready."
# End thanks for reading!
Find all our stories (in chronological order!) on our website: marirealmcroll dot wixsite dot com backslash real-mcroll
Or in the McRoll in the REAL World community here on fanfiction dot net Find us on Tumblr: mcrollintherealworld dot tumblr dot com
You can join our mailing list by emailing us realmcroll at yahoo dot com with: Add me, please! in the subject line. Or just drop us a line to say hi! We love hearing from our readers.