AN: Aloha! I am sending you lots and lots of love, wherever you might be on this planet. In times like this we need to be particulary kind. So here is a sweet McRoll story to brighten your day..stay safe and healthy!

Ever since last years summer I have been looking for a way to include Germany's beaches into one of my stories, probably because I have spent countless summers there and they are definitely under-appreciated. Anyway, with Hawaii Five-0 and especially with Steve's background as a Navy SEAL the perfect opportunity to do just that arose. I started writing this about one or two months ago, but at some point I just got stuck and only managed to finished it today. But here we are...so I hope you like it!

Wiesbaden Army Health Clinic, Germany

June 22nd, 2005

"Steve...hey Steve." Catherine said softly and carefully caressed his arm in an attempt to wake him. Not that she would ever admit it to anyone, but she has actually been sitting at his bedside for about 15 minutes now. Just watching him sleep and seeing his chest lift and lower at a regular pattern brought an unknown comfort to her. He looked so incredible peaceful, as if nothing had ever hurt him.

"Hmm.." he hummed, as he slowly found his way back to the world of the counscious, "Cath?" he managed to press out, because he was sure that the voice he had heard belonged to Catherine.

"Yeah, it's me." she confirmed softly. He wanted to see her so badly, he wanted to be sure that it really was her, but his eyeleads felt like they were made of lead and it took him forever to open them. When he finally managed to do just that, "How..?" was all he managed to get out. She couldn't be here. She should be on the Enterprise, somewhere in the Atlantic Ocean, not here in some U.S. Army Clinic in Germany. It was in that moment that he hoped that he wasn't halluzinating because of the pain killers he had taken.

"A little birdie might have told me that you ended up here." she explained as her hand found its way to his cheek. Her hand was a bit cold, but he found that rather refreshing than annoying. Her finger tips grazed his seven-day stubble, something she found really attractive, even though she really liked it when his face was all soft and freshly shaved, too. His hand immediately came to rest on top of hers; it was like he was searching for some kind of confirmation that she was really here.

"Joe." Steve said with no doubt resonating in his voice whatsoever. Catherine nodded. His lips curled up slightly at the thought. The older man, that was almost like a father to Steve, somehow really wanted Steve and Catherine to make it work. And even though he had no idea why, he felt extremely happy that she was here.

"How are you doing?" she asked then, as her hand rose to his forehead to check if he was feverish, "The doctors told me you slept through most of last week." He had caught an almost life threatening infection, after he had been wounded whilst being on a mission.

"I am feeling good." he answered honestly and wasn't really surprised by the fact that it's already been a week, "Even better now that you are here." he gave her a smug grin and tried to sit up, but she stopped him by placing her hand on his torso.

"You stay put." she instructed and bid her upper lip to keep herself from smiling, "Flattery won't get you anywhere, Commander."

"Why, Lieutenant, it's just hard for me to believe that you flew all the way to Germany just to check on me...but I would be totally okay with that." he retorted with a self-satisfied smile and let his eyes roam over her body. She was wearing a black tank top, a white blouse on top of that and a short skirt - something he had never seen her wear before, but he definitely wasn't complaining.

"Oh my god." she replied and couldn't help but laugh at his obvious - and quite frankly a bit rocky - attempts to seduce her, "That was extremely smooth, Smooth Dog."

"Well, you don't seem to mind." he retorted in the same teasingly manner. He was refering to her rosy cheeks that told him that she didn't mind it at all. And after all, one of the things he had always found most attractive about Catherine was that she had the same humour he did.

She just chuckled. He had a point there and she knew it, "Okay, so what if tell you that I have a surprise for you?"

"Oh, you have a surprise for me..hm, and what if I don't feel fit enough for that just yet?" he asked as he tried to suppress his smile. He knew that she knew that he didn't really like surprises and if she was going to have the satisfaction of surprising him, he at least needed to have some fun teasing her first.

"Well, sailor, than I will be going by myself." she replied and took a deep breath, before adding: "And if you are not feeling fit enough..I might have to tell the doctors here that you need to stay a little bit longer. You know, um, I can be pretty convincing." She knew that he was just playing with her, because he would never deliberately stay in a hospital longer than he found he needed it. And his doctors had ensured her at least a dozen times that as long as he would be careful, he was good to go.

He carefully sat up and pulled her closer by encircling her waist, "So I have no choice, huh?" he asked and brushed his nose teasingly against hers.

"No, you don't." she replied slowly and placed a soft kiss on his lips. Even though she tried her best to ignore those thoughts, these kind of kisses had nothing to do with lust. These kind of kisses were filled with love.

"Okay." he whispered, because in that moment he couldn't imagine doing anything else with anyone else. He just wanted to be with her.

About 6 hours later, Steve was stirring again. He felt the wind blow against his face, but it actually felt really nice. It was about 95 degrees fahrenheit and even though he was used to all kind of temperatures, it was still really hot. This was one of those moments he missed his home Hawai'i, where the temperature was almost always around 86 degrees fahrenheit. He missed the life he had before his mother had died and his father had sent him away.

He shook his head, because this was the last thing he wanted to think about right now. He had no idea where Catherine was taking him and he had no idea how much time they had before they would have to return to their duties, and he would be damned spending the little time he had with her reminiscing about his old life.

He carefully straightened his position. When he turned his head to the left, he was once again taken aback by Catherine's beauty. Her dark hair was blowing in the wind and the sunglasses on her nose looked like that was where they belonged. She noticed his stare and it made her feel flustered. Normally she would have teased him about it, but she just couldn't seem to come up with anything. And though she hated that he had such a huge effect on her, she loved it when he looked at her like that.

About 5 minutes later, she pulled into a parking lot, "Where are we?" he asked, because he had absolutely no clue. A few cars were standing in the parking lot, but he couldn't spot a single person. Next to the parking lot, trees and fields of corn and rape were softly swaying in the light breeze, which made the heat bearable. When he turned his head to the left he could make out a dozen small houses - too small for his knowlegde of German houses.

"You will see." she told him and winked, knowingly testing his patience. She let the ceiling of the caprio return to its' original place, before getting two duffel bags out of the trunk, both were labeled with the U.S. Naval sign, so he concluded that one must be his. As he tried to offer his help, by reaching out to take his bag, she carefully pushed his hand away. "Sorry to hurt your pride sailor, but today I will be carrying your bag." she said and shot him a bewitching smile, before intertwining her hand with his and tagging him along. He rolled his eyes, but he also felt a hint of pride spark inside of him. She was a strong ass woman and that was probably one of the reasons he had first felt drawn to her.

Hand in hand they strolled along a small path made of wooden boards, when he spotted a blueish shimmer in the distance. "We are at the coast of the baltic sea. This place is called Priwall." she explained. She spoke with the hint of an Hawaiian accent, but it sounded pretty right the way she said it, "What?" she added, when she noted his amused and kind off turned on look.

"How do you know this place?" he said with astonishment in his eyes, because he was fairly certain that this wasn't the first time she was here.

"The Navy makes you travel the world, right?" she replied, as if it was the most natural thing on earth. He nodded, because that was definitely true. Well, you couldn't exactly call a mission a vacay, but still.

They finally arrived at the beach. A large sand dune resulted in an even larger and pretty empty beach. The broad shore offered space for many people, but there was barely anyone here. The ocean glistened in the bright sun light and he was once again reminded of Hawai'i, even though the water here was of a much darker shade of blue.

"Why is it so empty here?" he asked.

"The kids are still in school, and most people are still at work. It's probably gonna get a bit fuller in a few hours." she explained to him, as she slipped out of her shoes. He followed her example. They, or rather she, pinpointed the right place and spread a blanket for them to lay on. Within seconds, she had slipped out of her skirt and the top, revealing the red velvet bikini she was wearing underneath and had stretched herself on the blanket.

He couldn't help but stare at the beautiful and truly hot woman that he was with, "Your pair of shorts is in your duffel bag." she answered the question he would have asked already, if only she hadn't distracted him.

"This bikini absolutely suits you..you look very hot." he purred into her ear, after he had slipped into the swimming shorts and laid down next to her. She bid her upper lip to keep herself from smiling, "And you have had better days, sailor."

He scoffed and feigned hurt, but he couldn't really stop himself from grinning broadly. "Oh, you have no idea what you are talking about. I am as fit as ever. So, what do you say Rollins? Wanna race to the water?" he asked and raised his eyebrow, when she took off her sunglasses and rested her head in her hand to look at him.

"You sure you are up for that? I mean we don't wanna ruin the mood by you losing." she teased him and he jumped to his feet.

"Bring it, Rollins. We will see."

She laughed and got up too, before her features hardened a bit, "You know Steve, um, for real now, I am not sure if this is such a good idea." she said, because she suddenly remembered that he had been in the hospital until mere hours ago. It was clearly visible in her eyes that she was worried about him.

"Come on, the doctors let me go. I have been in bed for over a week. I think doing some sport is going to be good for me." he replied, even though her concern warmed his heart.

"You sure you are feeling up for this?" she asked, even though she knew it was no use. No matter what she would say to try and convince him, he wouldn't listen. After all they were of the same ilk. Both of them were stubborn and dick-headed.

"Cath, I am fine." he assured her once again and placed a soft peck on her lips.

"But," she trailed off and momentarily locked her eyes with his, before a huge grin broke on her face and she started running towards the water.

"We are playing dirty now, huh? Wait til I catch up with you." he called after her, when he started running too. Catherine was fast, he had to admit that. But he was fast too and the hot sand under his feet only quickened his steps.

"Steeeve." she squeaked, when he caught up with her and lifted her feet up from the ground, twirling her around a few times, before he threw her over his shoulder and made his way towards the ocean. She tried to break free from under his grip, but it was no use, he was too strong. However, when Steve was finally knee-deep in the water, she managed to climb onto his back and pulled him backwards into the water with her. He tried to regain his compusure, but it was no use, both of them were under water within mere seconds. The water wasn't as warm as the Pacific in Hawai'i, but it was just about the right temperature to cool down a little. When they broke the surface again, both of them were grinning from ear to ear.

"Oh Lieutenant, that was the wrong move." Steve said playfully and she just flashed him a bewitching smile, "We will see about that." she replied in the same jokingly and confidently manner.

For a while they just chased each other in the water, almost as if they were little kids playing tag. They forgot about everything and everyone else around them and without either of them even noticing the beach slowly filled up.

"Got you." she pressed out between heavy breaths, grabbing his hand. He indulged and turned around. His hands found their way to her ass, softly pressing her petite body against his own. She intertwined her legs behind his back and her hands behind his neck, a big smile on her face. Softly, he tucked a loose (and wet) strand of hair behind her ear. He let his hand linger on her cheek a little longer and started caressing her wet skin with his thumb.

He slowly lost himself in her brown eyes and he found himself wondering what it would be like to stare into the same pair of eyes - namely hers - his whole life. She blushed slightly because of the way he looked at her and flashed him a smile, before her gaze fell on his lips and she slowly leaned in. Their lips met for a soft and slow kiss, one that showed their more than obvious feelings for each other, without them having to admit anything to each other or themselves. But deep down they noticed it and they understood that they were both feeling the same.

They had spent almost the entire day at the beach. Steve had been taken aback more times than once, because Catherine had literally thought of everything. She had brought clothes including swimming shorts for him, she had prepared food and she seemed to know all the best places on the beach. Places to make out without being seeing or places to sunbath. Whatever you were looking for, she seemed to know the answer.

Now, they were at Catherine's brothers' holiday flat - a cute little house overlooking the sea. Behind the fence that limited the property was the large beach, where they had spent almost the entire day at. Catherine didn't really know why her brother had bought a holiday flat in Germany of all places, but here they were and for the very first time she was really glad that he had. They would be spending the night and the follwing two days here, before they would have to return to their duties. It was a really clear night, stars were plastered all across the night sky. It was still pretty warm and he could hear the distant crashing of the waves. They were laying on a blanket on the grass, staring at the sky, both lost in their own thoughts.

"I didn't know that you speak German..and all this." he whispered all of the sudden, breaking her train of thought. At some point during the afternoon they had bought ice cream and she had shocked him speaking a nearly flawless German.

"Well, sailor, there are a lot of things you don't know about me yet." she whispered and followed his example and turned on her side, so she was now able to look at him. Just like she had in their moment on the beach earlier, she now felt an intense flame burning inside of her just by looking at him and by being so close to him.

"I can't wait to find out about those things." he replied and a soft smile broke on his face. The sincerity in his voice, as well as in his eyes, surprised her.

"I'd really like that." she said softly and leaned in, her lips softly brushing his. It was a slow kiss and once again, it had nothing to do with lust, but was rather an admission of their admiration for one another. When they parted, both of them were smiling softly at each other. Her heart was pounding fast against her ribcage and she knew in that moment that she was totally hooked. They both were.

They turned on their backs again, silently staring at the stars. She was laying in his arms, so close that he could feel her bare skin through their thin layer of clothers, but after having spent months apart even that wasn't close enough. Their "thing" as he refered to it - opposing to his friends who were already planning a wedding - had been going on for 3 years now, but they had probably only spent about one third of that time together. Their jobs didn't really allow otherwise. And that was okay most of the time, because they both loved their jobs, but some nights he found himself laying awake wishing she would be right there in his arms. So, after the pretty shitty weeks he had had, he couldn't believe that he was here with her - at some point during his last op, he was sure he wouldn't make it out alive.

"Thank you." he mumbled into her ear.

"For what?"

"For bringing me here...for doing all this..just for me." he replied softly. He knew it hadn't been easy to convince their superior officers to just give both of them a few days off and he really appreciated her efforts. Now that he came to think of it, he couldn't remember a single person that had ever did so much just to put a smile on his face.

"Always." she whispered in response. He pressed a soft kiss on her hair, a small smile was gracing his face, before he momentarily closed his eyes and just took it all in. Her scent that was so familiar and yet so new, because he hadn't smelled it in months. Her tiny body in his arms, warming his side and bringing an unknown ease and comfort to him. The waves were crashing somewhere in the distance, but other than that it was completely quiet. He opened his eyes again. The stars were plastered all across the night sky and he couldn't believe how perfect everything felt in this moment. A feeling of immense gratitude suddenly overcame him. Somehow she was not only here, with him in a foreign country, 10,000 miles away from home, no she had somehow managed to pull of this surprise. It was one of those small moments that made life worth living. It was one of those very few moments in his life where he wouldn't change a single thing.