"You're home," Provenza said, barging through the door and heading for the kitchen.

Andy stood in his boxers and t-shirt, hair mussed in every direction, not quite awake enough to see the ball of energy who was his partner. It took him a few moments to collect his senses and close the front door. "What the hell are you doing here at this time of day?" he demanded as he marched towards the kitchen.

"I figured you wouldn't have breakfast yet."

"Breakfast? Listen old man, I didn't even get to sleep until five hours ago. I was planning on sleeping in. What the hell is this?"

"It's morning."

"Yeah, the morning after the night of my daughter's wedding. Didn't you think I might be here sleeping?"

"I thought about it," Provenza shrugged, banging through pots and pans until he found the skillet he was looking for.

Andy sat down at the counter and grabbed the large cup of coffee Provenza brought with him. "You needed to think longer."

"You can sleep when you're dead. I want to hear all about it."

"All about what?"

"Your date. The wedding. All of it. Spill."

"It wasn't a date. She's married, remember?"

"We'd all like to forget. Fine, call it what you want, just tell me how did it go? What did Sylvia do when you showed up with the Captain on your arm?"

Andy started to chuckle, which caused Provenza to join him, "That good?"

Rubbing his face, Andy laughed, "She thought Sharon was a high priced call girl."

"What?" Provenza choked on his coffee, making Andy laugh even harder.

"Yup, she took exception to the fact that Sharon was seated in the front pews and called the usher to remove her. Then she asked me what I was paying for Sharon's services."

"That bitch!"

"You can say that again."

"So what did you say?"

"I told her she couldn't afford Sharon if she tried."

Provenza kept chuckling, "I bet that went over well."

Andy shrugged, "Eh... it got the point across."

"And what was our esteemed leader's response?"

"Ah, you know her, she rolled her eyes and turned her head to pretend she wasn't laughing. But she couldn't hide that smirk. She had to bite the inside of her mouth pretty hard, I'm guessing. Sylvie was just about to blow a gasket until I told her Sharon had a gun and knew how to use it."

"You said what?" Provenza's jaw dropped open.

"Yup," Andy took a sip of his coffee and smiled at the memory. "You should have seen Sharon's face after that. I don't think she'll ever say it out loud, but she was glad I fought for her honour. She just rolled her lips like she does, and her eyes started to twinkle. I went back to be with Nicole after that, but from what Sharon told me, Sylvia didn't say another word."

"Good thing. Our Captain wouldn't have hesitated to put her in her place otherwise."

"Nah... she's not like that. To tell you the truth, she was the perfect date, or buffer, or whatever she wants to call it. I was just really glad to have her."

"Sounds like a good time."

"You know, it really was. Nicole was all over me about who the gorgeous brunette was in the lavender dress. She seemed to approve. She called me 'Daddy' for the first time in a lot of years, and gave me a big hug. I can't believe I almost missed that just for my ego."

"She set you up, you know."

"She who?"

"The Captain, she forced you to get your head on straight and go."

"You're crazy, she didn't force anything."

"Wanna bet."

"I went to her office. I asked her, remember?"

"You sure about that?"

"I..." Andy had to think for a moment. Didn't he ask her?

"Uh-huh," Provenza nodded, turning back to the now-heated skilled to crack the eggs.

"Nah," Andy waved him off.

"She said she was getting you to that wedding, she even asked me to take Rusty for burgers."

"She said you volunteered."

"Volun-told, my friend, volun-told. She kept you with her all day yesterday so you could see how much that father was hurting, and so you would regret not being there. She knew with the right touch she'd get you to change your mind."

"Huh..." Andy had to think about it.

"Forget it. So what happened after you got the Captain settled in the front seat?"

Andy leaned back a little in his chair and smiled, "It was nice. Nick told Russell she wanted both of us walking her down the aisle, but when the march started, she put her arm on mine. My girl knows her real dad. Anyway, I just ignored the bastard and walked. She squeezed my arm to her a little, and smiled at me a few times, but then she was all about her new husband. I gotta tell you, I choked up when I had to let her go so she could stand with Michael. The asshole had to try to make it about him, so he cleared his throat to get everyone's attention. I could of decked him then and there, but I couldn't do that to Sharon."

"Sharon? You mean Nicole, don't you?"

"Yeah...well... both. Nicole would have been hurt, but Sharon made that effort to be around strangers just to support me. I couldn't let her down. Anyway, when the priest asked who gave her away, I pretended it was only me, and I answered. Old Russell had to be louder, but I leaned over and kissed her forehead when I said my peace. Nick smiled at me, so I know she got the message. I don't care who her mother marries, he's never going to be her father."

"See that you remember that. I take it you just went quietly after that, or am I just being foolish."

"I didn't make a scene, if that's what you're thinking. Not much of one, anyway," Andy smiled into his coffee.

"Okay, Flynn, what did you do?"

"Me? I just rubbed Sylvie's face in the fact that my date was a million times better looking than hers."

"I've seen Russell, that wouldn't have been hard. Details... I want the details."

Andy chuckled. "Details. Well first I gotta tell you that the Captain is game, she's really game. She played her part like we'd been friends for a long time. I was getting a little fidgety, so she put her hand on mine, and leaned into me a little more. I put my arm around her and she slid right in beside me. Then she did that hum thing of hers, and Sylvia had to turn to see what was going on. Even old Russell couldn't take his eyes off of Sharon's legs."

Provenza was chuckling as he flipped the eggs and put the soya bacon on to heat. "I guess it's safe to say the Captain shares our opinion of darling Sylvia."

"Yeah, I'd say so. She even pulled my hand closer to her and squeezed it a few times. It wasn't all for show, though. Nah... she knew this was harder on me than I thought it would be. I asked her later and she said she was imagining what I was going through and thinking about her own kids. She was great. She was the right amount of support and the right amount of sticking it to my ex."

"That's always a fun time. So did Sylvia say anything more to the Captain afterwards?"

"Nah, she was obviously pretty pissed that we rode in the carriage with them out to get pictures and they didn't like it when Nick insisted Sharon be in them, too."

"The Captain was in Nicole's wedding pictures?" Provenza put the spatula down and stared at Andy. "How'd that happen."

Andy smiled to himself and took another drink of his coffee, remembering the afternoon before. "My daughter... I don't know where Nick comes from some times. She's certainly a lot smarter about people than her old man. Sharon was wanting to stay back and wait for the reception, but Nick made sure she came with us to get our pictures. She pulled Sharon aside and the next thing I know, Sharon was agreeing to everything."

"What did she say?"

"They wouldn't tell me, neither of them, so I asked Michael later. He told me that Nick knew Sharon was the reason I was there looking relaxed and happy, and she wanted to capture her dad looking like that, and that was only going to happen with Sharon in the pictures. She told Sharon she wasn't taking no for an answer, and you know the Captain, she's not going to say no if it matters so much. The pictures should be good too. The colour of Sharon's dress was the exact colour of some of the flowers Nick held, so it's like they planned it."

"That's nice."

"Yeah, it was. Sharon insisted we get some of just me and the kids, so there are a lot more pictures with me in than old Russell."

"I take it there's some with only the three of you and some with Sharon too?"

"Yeah... and she's in the parents picture."

"Interesting. Speaking of parents, what do you think of Michael's father and mother?"

Andy crossed his arms. "Nick did good, I gotta say. It's the first time meeting them and it was like we knew them forever."

"We?"

"Yeah, Michael's mom, Anna, and Sharon spent the evening talking about the places they had travelled and the skiing they did. Designers they liked. I shouldn't have enjoyed it that much, but I really got a kick out of the fact that Sharon and Anna kept talking and Sylvia couldn't keep up. They tried to bring her into the conversation, but Syl just wouldn't budge. The two of them sat like bumps on a log, so the rest of us just enjoyed ourselves."

"Nice. So what does his father do?"

"Dave? You know DVP Security?"

"Yeah, there's one of the better ones out there."

"That's his."

"Really?"

"Yuh, we talked about business a little, then we listened to Sharon and Anna talking about resorts for a bit. I tell you, she's one travelled woman."

"Sharon?"

"Yeah. They were even laughing about ski instructors. The two of them are getting together for lunch next week."

"Well, that's a surprise. I guess your high-priced call girl knows her way around elite circles."

Andy chuckled, "You can say that again."

"I'm glad to hear you had such a great time. And Nicole was happy? Everything go okay?"

"Yeah, she was really happy. And I gotta say, she impressed the hell out of me. The father-daughter dance was something I was dreading, but when it came time to do it, Nick announced to the crowd that she was blessed with lots of parents in her life, and she was going to dance with all of her fathers in the order she met them. Then she came over and held her hand out to me. I gotta tell you, it was just like watching the nurse put her in my arms the first time. I held my baby girl close and it was just the two of us, just like the first night she arrived. We were both crying when we were done. Then she danced with the asshole for a bit, and he was pretty pompous about the whole deal. But the thing that really got me, is she turned away from him and finished the dance with Michael's dad. No matter how you cut it, I started that dance and Dave finished it. The guy in the middle didn't count for nothing."

Provenza nodded thoughtfully, "You've got a great girl there, Flynn."

"Do I ever. I got back to the table, and Sharon gave me a small hug. She got it. She knew what that meant to me. She was totally bowled over when Michael did the same thing."

"Same thing?"

"Yeah, he danced with Anna first, then Syl, and then he came to get Sharon. She protested but Anna told her to go. Those two kids made Sharon feel like she was there for real, ya know, not just some decoration."

"That was nice. She wasn't expecting that. I have it on good authority that the Captain was attending to give you support, and that's it. She wanted to stay out of the way the rest of the time."

"Yeah, well the kids were having none of that. Nick had her brother and Michael had his oldest sister give the speeches, so that was no problem. And then the dance, and that was it."

While Flynn spoke, Provenza had served the food and was half finished his plate. Andy had yet to begin. "So did she dance?"

"Who? Sharon?"

"Of course Sharon. Did she dance?"

"Did she dance...? You know how you said her daughter studied ballet?"

"Yeah..."

"Yeah, well she got her talent from her mother, is all I'm saying. Sharon can Mambo, Waltz, Foxtrot, Jitterbug and Tango."

"Tango?" Provenza's eyebrows went into his hairline as he asked the question.

"Tango! The older guys in the room were lining up to get a chance. She hardly sat down all night. Even the younger guys couldn't keep up. I'm going to be lighting candles for Arthur Murray for the rest of my life, I can tell you that. I haven't danced, I mean really proper dancing, for more years than I can count. And Sharon was looking like all she ever did was dance. She complained about being rusty, but I gotta tell you, there was nothing rusty. She owned that dance floor. Nick asked her if she would teach her how to do that. Sharon was pretty flattered."

Provenza shook his head and chuckled, "Will wonders never cease? I wouldn't have imagined that in a million years."

"Me neither, but I was there. I was dreading the whole wedding something awful, but between Sharon and Nicole, it was one of the best nights of my life. And you know the best part, Sylvie and Russell made themselves miserable being jealous of Sharon, so we had the kids all to ourselves. They didn't dance, they didn't mingle, then didn't do nothing."

"Well, sounds like it was perfect," Provenza nodded, satisfied that his friend had such a great time. "I'm going to clear this up and you go get dressed. I want to get some good seats before the game starts."

"You still want to go to the game?" Andy looked incredulous.

"You're joking, right?"

"Fine... fine..." Andy got up from his seat and was back in twenty minutes, showered and dressed for the day. He grabbed a ball cap on the way out and locked the door behind them.

"Hey Flynn, what's that you're humming?"

"Humming? Nothing..."