From that point on, everyone had a lot of adjusting to do. Dan apologized to Eddie for accusing him of having an affair with Sally, saying that he understood now why he couldn't be upfront about his reason for seeing her just yet, and Laurie soon began to probe Sally for information about her relationship with Hollis. When Laurie found out that Walter had known about it for a while, she teased him, asking him what it was like to know that she was basically her father-in-law, and he blushed and stammered before Eddie came to his rescue.

But even as they took the time to really talk things over, the wedding date was growing closer, and Sally and Laurie were soon busy with planning. Before they knew it, the rehearsal dinner was upon them and they all went to the club to prepare for the next day, let in by a blonde man Eddie had heard about a lot, but never actually met in person.

He always said to himself that, should he ever meet Mr. Veidt, he'd either punch him for the stupid club name or ask him when the paychecks started, or both, but he didn't, much too occupied with his daughter's wedding. In fact, he barely paid attention to the man, who insisted everyone could call him Adrian, because that afternoon, he would actually get to see what it would be like to give her away.

He wasn't really giving her away just yet, but even so, just practicing it felt real and it was enough to make him get just a little choked up, though he didn't let anyone notice that. Sally looked a little emotional herself as they ran through the motions, and Eddie would have said something to her if he weren't so busy trying not to let on that he was close to tears himself.

The whole afternoon was an emotional event, even though they were only figuring out how timing would work and where everyone would stand. Dan looked at Laurie with so much love that Eddie was reminded of the way he used to look at her when she wasn't looking, back before she'd ever considered dating him. They'd come a long way, and no matter how much his fatherly instinct told him not to let any man near her, Eddie was still just as convinced that Dan was her best prospect.

After he walked her down the aisle, he had to go stand with the rest of the groom's men, taking his place next to Walter. He'd been properly introduced to Sally when they'd arrived, and she'd made a few remarks about how he'd tied Eddie down and that if Eddie gave him any trouble, she'd set him straight, and Walter, despite looking incredibly uncomfortable, made it through the introduction alright.

When they'd run through things enough, they were all ready to go out to lunch together, but before they left, Dan said, "Hey, you know, since we're here and all...how about you do one of your routines, Eddie?"

"Huh?" He chuckled. "And why do ya think I should do that?"

"Well," replied Dan, "Me and Laurie and Walter have heard you, but nobody else has. Before we leave, you should at least give them a sample."

"I have been pretty curious," added Adrian. "You're one of the most popular acts here, and you aren't even one of the ones I hired myself."

"Well, maybe you just don't know what the people want," he said with a smirk.

The other man flinched. "Well, why don't you show me, then?"

He didn't have any new material prepared, and it felt weird performing during the day, without the lighting of the stage and with a small group of people, but as he ran through the last routine he'd done, he fell into the easy rhythm of it. Stage fright would never be something that would come easy to him, and even though Dan and Laurie and Walter had heard it before, they all seemed to find it just as funny as before. Lately, Laurie hadn't been forcing herself not to laugh at his jokes, and though that was a very small difference, it meant the world to him.

By the time he was done, he had managed to make nearly everyone in the small group laugh, and had even seen Adrian give into it a few time. Hopping off the stage, he was approached by the man once more.

"I'll admit, that was better than I expected from an amateur." The urge to punch him returned in full force, but Eddie managed to maintain his self-control. "Maybe when this wedding business is over, you and I can discuss a real contract."

So, after all this time, he really might start to get paid for the nights he spent entertaining the patrons of Shots and Giggles. He grinned and replied, "Sounds good, but ya gotta make sure I still get Thursdays, alright?"

"I think that can be arranged."

~X~

That night, Eddie had trouble sleeping. The next day would be hectic, and it would be one of the happiest days of his daughter's life, and he would really get to be a part of it, as her father and not as an outsider. She would never be comfortable with him like she would have been had he been able to raise her, but that was okay. What they had now was more than enough for him, and he was just happy to be able to be a part of things.

But that was not the only thing on his mind that night. At some point during the day, his thoughts about the wedding and about how great it was that Dan and Laurie were getting married had shifted, and he'd begun to reevaluate his own love life, and he wondered why he hadn't considered marriage for himself yet. He didn't know what Walter would even say if he brought it up, but he suddenly wanted to ask very much.

It would have to wait, both until the excitement from this marriage had worn off and until Eddie had a good plan for asking, and during that time he could give it some serious thought. He doubted he would find any reason not to want to, but he also knew that it wasn't something that could be done on impulse and he had to make sure that it was not something that would make Walter uncomfortable. It wouldn't change much, considering they already lived together, but it was the meaning behind it that he wanted; saying that this was permanent to him, and that he wanted everyone to know that it was permanent.

He hoped that, someday soon, he'd be able to propose to Walter.