The time has come, the countdown has reached zero, and as much as she had dreaded it time could not be stopped. That's the reason why she was standing in the foyer of a typical suburban house in the southwest of Virginia, instead of having her usual Christmas dinner with Allison in their apartment. That, and the puppy dog eyes her girlfriend used to get her to come. Dam those eyes.

Sandra Bell had never reached the meet the parents moment, her relationships didn't last enough to even get to know the names of the parents. So, saying that she was nervous would be the understatement of the year. Only the hand of Kate on her arm kept her from running away as fast and as far as possible. She could do this, she stood in front of a judge for a living defending the indefensible, and she was very good at it, having small talk with the father of the person she loves couldn't be that hard, could it?

-Don't worry, dad will love you- the doorbell rang and before she knew it a very tall, very strong, very handsome man stood before them with a very serious expression. At least she now knew where Kate got her looks.

-You must be my daughter's girlfriend, welcome- the greeting sent shivers down her spine, how could you make such a standard phrase sound so scary?

-Come on daddy, drop the act you are as terrifying as a teddy bear- her jaw almost reached the floor hearing Kate talk so offhandedly, she had only heard her talk like that when they were alone and even then, those moments where rare. Now she was eager to get to know this more relaxed version of her US Attorney.

-Oh, Kitty Kat let me play a little, you know I always do this

-Yes, and then they think I come from a lunatic family.

-She was an idiot and you know it.

-Whatever- mm, this is a story she will have to ask for later- Dad, this is Sandra Bell my girlfriend. San this is Mark, my father.

-Nice to meet you sir.

-Nice to meet you, and its Admiral Marcus Littlejohn for you, young lady- it is safe to say her swallow was heard from China.

-Really daddy? Really?

-Okay, okay, Admiral will be fine- if looks could kill this man would be five feet under from the glare Kate was giving him, a glare that made the bravest of public defendants run for the hills and all this man did was laugh so hard he had tears in his eyes.

-Fine, nice to meet you Ms. Bell, I'm Mark

-That's better- before she could register what was happening, the Admiral had Kate on his shoulder like a potato sack and was spinning making her daughter laugh while trying without much success to make his father stop and put her back on the floor. Mental note, try not to blink.

After the commotion from the presentations, Mark let them both to get settled in Kate's old room. A room you could only describe as Kate's. It was well organized and decorated with her favorite colors, while the walls were painted a light yellow, the comforter, desk and closet were white.

-You never told me you father was in the army.

-He is not in the army- confusion clouded Sandra's expression.

-But he told me to call him admiral- it could have been a trick of the man but somehow, she doubted it.

-And he is an Admiral.

-So how comes he is not in the army, is he retired or something?

-You are not well versed on the Armed Forces, are you? - at Sandra's glare, she hurried to explain- Admiral, or more specifically Rear Admiral is a rank used in the Navy which is a completely separated Armed Force from the army. My father attended the Naval Academy, and was in the path to become a Vice Admiral, many said he was the next Chief of Naval Operations which is the highest current rank, when my mother left and he had to take a position that did not require deployment in order to take care of me, but without deployment or transfers, the possibilities to get promoted are significantly reduced.

-You know I never cared about rank, not enough to leave you- a deep voice startled them. Mark was leaning on the doorway, his shirt was neatly pressed and tucked into his trousers, the perfectly polished shoes and army haircut completed the outfit. She was starting to understand where Kate got her own predilection for proper behavior and clothes.

-That's what you say Dad, but the truth is you are lowest ranking officer in the family when you could have been the highest. Uncle Tom always says that had it not been for me you would have achieved all your dreams and become the pride and joy of grandpa- the look of outer guilt in Kate's face was breaking Sandra's heart, she knew that this was a father-daughter moment but she couldn't take it any longer, so she approached her girlfriend and embraced her from the back as a way to tell her that she was here, that she loves her and was the most special thing in her life.

-Uncle Tom doesn't know a shit about me, you are my pride and joy and all my dreams come true. Kitty Kat, I would never trade a single moment I spent with you for a grand mission overseas or a fancy office.

-Mom did.

-And for that she is the most stupid person to ever set foot on Earth. Regina doesn't deserve you, much less any of your tears.- the Admiral gave her daughter a hug, one where Kate was completely engulfed in his body, even after all this years she still could disappear to a world where she was safe and loved even if it was for a few moments. But this time, there was another person involved, one particular public defendant whose hugs gave the same kind of warmth and safety, and for that she was grateful.

Hope you enjoyed this little chapter, I may turn it into a multichapter so stay tuned. Reviews are welcome as well as constructive criticism. Sorry for any mistakes, English is not my first language.

Thanks for reading, Nim