Title: Tucker James

Author: SneetchesToo

Pairing: Owen/Michelle

Rating: General

Summary: Day 7: Free Choice – Seventeen years after Michelle's dad died she finally pays him a visit.

Author's Note: #MichelleBlakeWeek2020. This is Jamie's fault! But I love it (and her) all the same.

—

Michelle still couldn't believe that Owen had convinced her to come here.

She hadn't been here since the first year after the funeral.

She hadn't been able to bear it.

Knowing that she was walking around with such an important part of her life suddenly missing.

Her father had been the only person who had ever gotten her.

The only person who had ever had her side and stood up for her.

He had been her best-friend and his death had devastated her.

Sure her mom had been upset, losing her husband of twenty-five years hadn't been easy on her.

But she had bounced back much quicker than Michelle thought was appropriate.

And then there had been Iris.

She had only been fifteen when he had died and while she hadn't started showing too many signs of the schizophrenia, her aloofness to the man's death should have been clear warning sign that something was going on with her.

"You okay?" Owen's voice broke her from her thoughts and she sighed as she nodded her head.

"Yeah, it's just…" She turned her head to look out the passenger side window, her eyes catching sight of the Mountain Laurel tree under which her father was buried. "I haven't been here in a while."

"I know." He reached across the space between them and squeezed her hand. "That's why I think you should do this."

She nodded her head again before undoing her seat belt and opening the door.

She took a deep breath as she stepped down onto the pavement, her eyes closing for a moment as she tried to gather the strength to walk across the small road and into the grass.

"Do you want me to come with you?" Suddenly Owen appeared beside her and she turned to look at him with a smile.

"If you don't, he'll likely strike you down with lightning." Owen returned her smile as he reached down and once again entwined their fingers.

She reached behind her and grabbed the bag of flowers off the floor board of the Jeep and then shut the door with one last deep breath.

She could do this.

She had to do this.

It was only right.

She lead Owen through the rows of headstones, her eyes focused straight ahead on her destination.

She couldn't believe that she still remembered exactly where to go, even after all this time.

Stopping in front of the marble marker that she was looking for she let out a soft sigh.

William Tucker Blake

Born - July 1, 1955

Death – June 27, 2005

Loving husband, father, and brother.

"Hi daddy." She whispered the sentiment as she knelt down in front of the headstone, her eyes watering at the simple fact that she was 'speaking' to him again. "I've missed you."

She felt Owen squeeze her shoulder as he stood in place behind her and she swallowed down the lump in her throat.

This was a lot harder than she had expected.

Owen must have sensed her uneasiness because he squeezed her shoulder once more before whispering 'take your time', and then she felt him stepping back a bit, giving her a little space.

She was thankful for it, but she also missed him being right behind her.

"I'm sorry it's been so long since I've been here." She hated herself for not having come to see him before this, but her heart had never been strong enough.

But now, now it definitely was.

And she had important business to take care of too.

"I wanted to let you know that I'm doing okay." She blinked back her tears as she removed the bouquet of flowers from the bag and placed them on the ground by his name. "Things are going really well and I'm happy, I'm actually happy daddy."

She took a deep breath as she closed her eyes and bowed her head for a few minutes.

She had a silent conversation in her head with the man before she pushed herself to stand up, reaching behind her for Owen.

She knew he was still there without even having to look.

He was good for her that way.

"Daddy, I wanted to introduce you to someone." She turned and Owen and smiled, taking the small bundle out of his arms and turning back toward the stone. "This is your grandson, Tucker James."

She couldn't help the smile that came over her face as she looked down at the baby boy in her arms.

He was her little miracle and she just wished that her father could be here to meet his namesake.

"He's only a few weeks old, but I didn't want to wait any longer to introduce you to him." She watched as the baby in her arms made what looked like a smile and she watched as Owen stepped forward. "And this, is his father, Owen. We're getting married daddy. This summer."

Owen leaned in and kissed her head as Tucker made a cooing sound and she felt the tears rolling down her cheeks once more.

"I wish you could be there to give me away." Instead she had asked Judd to do the honors, and after the man had stopped crying, he had finally agreed. "Judd's gonna do it though. Can you imagine that? Judson Ryder all dressed up, giving your little girl away?"

The chuckle that left Owen made her smile and she knew that her daddy was probably laughing his ass off.

He had always had a soft spot for Judd, and only Judd.

The other Ryder boys were trouble in his eyes.

Little did he know…

"I love you daddy." She closed her eyes once more as she snuggled her baby boy close, relishing in his 'newborn' smell. "We all do."

Owen wrapped an arm around her and held her close, pressing another kiss to her head before she finally straightened herself up.

And then she said a silent 'goodbye' and another 'I love you' before turning back toward the road.

They walked to the car quietly, Tucker slowly nodding off in her arms and she couldn't help but smile as they stopped beside Owen's Jeep.

"Thank you for bringing me here today." She looked up at her soon to be husband and he smiled back at her. "It means a lot."

"Anything for you." He leaned in and gave her a quick kiss before opening her door for her and reaching out for the sleeping baby.

She handed Tucker over with a kiss and climbed into her seat, letting Owen buckle the infant into his seat before climbing in beside her.

He reached over and squeezed her hand and she couldn't help but smile.

"Bye daddy." She whispered softly, her eyes filling with tears once more as a ray of sunshine peaked through the clouds, illuminating the space around the man's grave.

She knew it might sound crazy, but she knew it was a dad up there, saying goodbye to her and his future son-in-law.

Oh, and his grandson too.