AN: Only one more after this ladies... thanks so much for all your support ladies! Thanks to fluer for the Beta!

Tim came home to find Julie, Jemma, Jade and Jaci watching The Prince & Me.

"Hello Ladies," He was met with a chorus of "Hi Daddy." He took of his coat then offered Julie the roses.

"I'm sorry I was out of line I wasn't thinking when I said that."

"Its okay I overreacted." She kissed him and Tim fought a smile as Jaci wrinkled her nose. Julie got up to put the flowers in a cut-glass vase. Tim shifted Jade so he could sit down. She rested her head in his lap.

"Did I miss my favorite part yet?" he asked.

"No they're just meeting her parents. It's not to the lawnmower race yet." Jemma said.

"Daddy you missed Iron Chef it was kinda boring, Battle Corn." Jaci said.

"Dad you can't really race lawn mowers can you?" Jade asked.

"Technically I suppose you could. Not sure legal it is though," he answered as Julie returned to the couch.

Around thirty minutes later.

"Daddy!" Jenny screamed as she stomped in. "I cannot believe you went over there!You made me look like some little baby and then…" she laughed sardonically. "You threatened him…like a true redneck. What you gonna do Daddy bore him to death with useless foootball facts. Seriously Daddy."

She was out the door again before he could formulate a response.

Julie laughed.

"It's not funny Julie."

She laughed harder. "Oh but baby it is." She tried to catch her breath.

"How is any of this is funny?"

"Because… she's me… and you… you're totally my dad…"

"What?"

"Don't you remember Anton?"

"The greasy lifeguard you were moony over?"

"I wasn't moony but yes anyway…my parents flipped out over it and I remember thinking all my dad would ever do to a guy would be squint him into submission and possibly pull out his own hair…You gotta remember she doesn't know the pre-us verison of you she only knows her daddy and when it comes to your girls you're a softy. So she wasn't expecting…what I assume was a strongly worded visit with Bo. Just go talk to her. Seriously go. Jamie has Lola… and she's not above hot wiring your truck and you know it."

In the eighteen years since Jensen Faith Riggins had been born, so many things had changed. He stood on the porch of his a work-in-progress house, reflecting. He had watched her become his Jenny. She was straddling the tire swing tied to the old oak tree, skipping stones in the pond next to it.

He stepped off the porch and walked toward her.

"I'm not speaking to you."

"Yes, you are."

"You embarrassed me."

He pushed the tire swing gently. "That was never my intention but protecting you it's a parental compulsion I have."

"Why? I don't need protecting I'm not a baby… I don't need protecting from him."

"I'm overprotective I'm over everything…because I had no one do it for me and I want…need to get this parent thing right… still after eighteen years I'm scared I'll screw all of you up and well Bo he's ten years older than you Jenny… it worries us…and you snuck around on us I don't like that…'

"You slept with his Mom! Dad should you really throw stones…."

"I've been there and its one of those things I am not proud of…it won't ever stop biting me and that's fine… it's the price I pay but guess what it means yes I can throw all the stones I like… and don't cut your eyes at me either…"

"I'm eighteen you can't stop me."

"I've decided not too… but let me tell you something that feeling that shiny new heart-racy drunk feeling it wears off Jen… Bo? He's a good man but that's just it, Bean he's a man. You're still growing changing becoming the woman your supposed to be. When it falls apart you'll be hurt."

"My choice…"

"It is. I just want to understand it. You look at things from all angles Jenny…it's the Julie in you…" Tim smiled. "And then you make the smartest best choice… this makes no sense…I thought you were head over heels for Noah."

"I don't want…" she gestured around her. "This! For my life I don't want to live in Dillon take some stupid job and pop out my high school sweetheart's babies…I just I don't….You mean to tell me if I hadn't been born that you'd still be here in Dillon with your land and the pond and the house and Mom and the six of us?"

"Yes, I would…"

"You really like teaching history to kids who text their friends during your class…and coach football in Podunk when you could of gone pro? You really still would have married Mama? You honestly don't regret me?"


He jerked the tire around so she was facing him. "I have…" he swallowed around the lump in his throat. "Never had a single regret… not a shade of doubt… not one single second thought where you or any of my children are concerned. If you even for one minute thought that your mother and I thought of you as a mistake it means we went wrong somewhere…"

"Why? Why is it enough? Why no regrets and all that?" she asked, wrinkling her nose as she tried to understand.

"Because all I ever wanted was everything I have. Some of it I didn't know I wanted til it landed in my lap. You want more? Then go out and get it, baby, but you won't find whatever you are looking for in someone else. You can only find true happiness in yourself. That whole you have to love yourself first bullshit turns out its not all bullshit took me a long time to understand that Jensen. You're mother she accepted me flaws and all and waited for me to find the rest. We'll all do the same for you."

"Okay."

"Okay. Want some dinner?"

"No I had a hot dog at the bonfire… I caught Joey kissing Dante tonight."

"He's a senior."

"Dad ,you're borrowing trouble as Grammie says. Jo is scared people are going to give them a hard time."

"Well racists are stupid. Your sisters are smart and tough they'll figure it out."

--//--

Julie and Tami took Jenny on her college visit to Princeton. Jenny was sitting in on one of the classes while Tami and Julie walked around the campus.

"She'll fit in here…as much as Jenny fits anywhere anyway…" Julie said

"Whe's always been her own person Jules…that means you did good…"

"Did I? I worry sometimes that we're too hard on her or not hard enough… that we coddled her and she'll be lost here."

"She's independent, smart, has a voice and knows how to use it. She's tough… she's you and Tim all rolled into one person… don't underestimate it."

"So I'm supposed to just let go…"

"Yes, Sweetheart."

"Tim's having a harder time with the whole Bo and going off to college thing than I am."

"I know, I've been woken from the late night ping pong therapy," said Tami with a smile.

--//--