Notes: A huge thank you to all the REAL World readers – your support is truly mind-blowing and greatly appreciated!

Mari and Sammy – what more can I say, ladies? You absolutely rock and I am *so* excited to see what the future brings!

And a special thank you to Esther for always bringing her invaluable "perspective" :-)

Anniversaries (A McRoll in the REAL World Story)

"So, what do you think?" Danny asked.

Steve turned his attention to his partner who was seated across from him at the table at Side Street.

"About what?"

" 'About wh–' " Danny began in obvious irritation. "What have we been talking about for the last five minutes? Are you even listening to me? Amber. Amber wants to go to dinner for our three month anniversary."

"Okay," Steve said and shrugged his confusion.

"I think I should get her something. And for some unfathomable reason, I am asking for your opinion on what that something should be."

Steve raised his beer to his mouth and before taking a drink, he said, "Then you are asking the wrong person."

"What? You and Cath don't celebrate anniversaries?"

"We're not really the type," Steve replied with a shrug.

When he saw Danny's questioning look, he sighed and leaned forward, setting his bottle on the table.

"Besides, it's complicated. I mean, when do . . . what . . ." he sighed again and rolled his eyes slightly. "What date are we supposed to use? Huh? Catherine and I have known each other a long time, Danny. A really long time. But we haven't been . . ." he ran a hand through his hair and scratched the back of his head. "We haven't been together that whole time. And before, when we were . . ." he shook his head as he exhaled.

Danny smirked. "Oh, that's right, for a while there you just had a . . . 'a thing,' wasn't it?"

Steve sighed his annoyance and repeated, "It's just . . . complicated." At Danny's skeptical look, he continued, "I mean, not anymore. But like I said, we're not really the type."

Danny held up his hands. "You're not the type. I absolutely believe that. And frankly, I can believe that Catherine's not either. But even so . . ." he trailed off.

"It's just a date, Danny. I mean, if you want to celebrate it, that's fine. That's great. I'm not saying there's anything wrong with that. I'm just saying . . . not all relationships are the same."

"I could not agree with you more."

Steve nodded and sat back, taking another drink.

"But it's not about the date," Danny continued, causing Steve to stop his movements. "It's about . . . it's about the . . ." he paused, searching for the right word. "The sentiment."

Steve narrowed his eyebrows and shifted forward slightly.

Danny elaborated, "The idea that there's something worth remembering."

Steve's eyes remained on Danny, though he stayed silent.

Danny shrugged and said, "So pick something. First date. First kiss. First Barry White moment. Something. Trust me on this," he finished, taking a drink.

Steve's gaze drifted, and he sipped his beer thoughtfully, but didn't reply.

A week later, Steve walked through CVS, shampoo bottle in hand. As he passed through the greeting card section on his way to checkout, a pink sign caught his attention and he paused to look at it.

Anniversary

The conversation with Danny at Side Street had stuck in his mind and while he didn't doubt the truth of his own words – he and Catherine really weren't the type and their relationship had been complicated – he couldn't completely dismiss what his partner had said.

He knew he could ask Catherine her opinion, but at the same time it felt strange to bring it up after so many years. He could imagine her teasing reply:

"Who are you and what have you done with Steve McGarrett?"

Nevertheless, he had nearly asked the previous night after she had received a text from her mother.

"Aww," Catherine said to herself as she reached the bottom of the stairs, looking at her phone screen and smiling.

"What?" Steve asked as he entered the living room from the kitchen.

She glanced up at him and said, "Oh, just a text from my mom." She turned the screen toward him and he peered at the image displayed. "Flowers from my dad for their anniversary."

He paused, then nodded and said, "Nice." He looked at her. "It's today, right?"

"Yeah. I talked to them earlier but she thought I needed the visual," she said and closed the screen, pocketing her phone before heading for the kitchen.

Just before she disappeared through the doorway he called out, "Hey, Cath?"

She turned back and raised her eyebrows in question.

He paused again, licking his lips.

"What do you want to do for dinner?" he asked finally. "We're a little low on groceries. Thought maybe we'd go out."

Catherine studied him momentarily, but then she smiled slowly, tilting her head in silent suggestion.

He chuckled and shook his head. "Why do I even ask? It's always sushi."

She gasped in feigned offense and said, "Not always."

Steve looked back at the cards in front of him, a slight wince on his face. There were a lot of hearts and flowers, a fair amount of glitter, and only a few that didn't have calligraphy. He moved to pick up one of the least ostentatious but stopped.

Rolling his eyes slightly at his own reluctance, he plucked the card from its slot and looked inside:

May our anniversary lead to many more glorious years of–

Steve shut the card, shaking his head as he replaced it in the display. Next to it, there was a blue and white card that looked thicker than the others and was clearly out of place as it didn't match the others in the slot. He opened the card and was startled by music and a voice singing:

"Cause you're the best thing–"

"What the–" Steve exclaimed incredulously and snapped the card shut, cutting off the song. He looked around hurriedly before shoving the card back in a slot and without another glance, turned and headed for the checkout lanes.

The following Monday, Steve woke earlier than normal. He shifted to his side and leaned up on an elbow, looking down at Catherine beside him. His movements had woken her, but though she stirred, she didn't open her eyes.

He brushed a few strands of hair from her face and kissed her head. "Gonna go for an early run," he said quietly. "Meet you to swim in an hour?"

"M'kay," she murmured without opening her eyes.

Steve kissed her bare shoulder before getting up. Opening a drawer, he took out a tank top and pulled it over his head. When he heard her inhale, he glanced back at the bed. He watched as she pulled his pillow to her and tucked it under her head and upper body, curling around it and already drifting back to sleep.

A smile grew on his face before he exited the bedroom, closing the door quietly behind him.

An hour later, Steve was waiting when Catherine came out the back door in her bathing suit with her towel slung over one arm. She stopped when she saw him standing beside the table laid with fresh fruit and a bottle of champagne.

The corner of his mouth rose in a satisfied smile as he took in her momentary confusion, but she recovered quickly. Stepping forward, she draped her towel over the back of one of the chairs. She picked up the white gardenia that rested on a plate and brought it to her nose, inhaling the scent.

"This is nice," she said and smiled at him. "What's the occasion?"

His smile grew and he said simply, "Anniversary."

She quirked her eyebrows. "Of . . . ?"

Steve shrugged and said, "Us. I guess."

Catherine paused, regarding him. She smiled. "Okay, don't get me wrong, that's really sweet, but . . . how do you figure?"

He shrugged again. "I don't know. We don't really . . . have an anniversary so I thought . . . first time I saw you. That's something worth remembering."

She inhaled and her face took on an expression that showed how touched she was at his words. Moving forward, she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. He held her waist and deepened the kiss, but she surprised him when she pulled back with a confused frown.

"But, no, we met in August," she said.

"Yeah, we did," he agreed. "But the first time I saw you was June 16th."

Steve felt her freeze in his arms as she took in his words. She blinked back tears, and shook her head slowly, amazement in her expression.

The corner of his mouth rose again, and he leaned down and kissed her.

Pulling back after a moment, she smiled and said, "I'm gonna need to hear that story, sailor."

He smiled. "Later," he said, kissing her again.

She grinned against his lips and said, "We're not going for a swim today, are we?"

He shrugged slightly. "We can if you want. Later," he repeated, brushing his lips against hers.

"And what about . . ."

Steve pulled back a hairsbreadth to shake his head. "Danny's only gonna call if it's an emergency," he assured her. His smile morphed into a smirk. "He's real big on anniversaries."

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