Or Fill The Room With Laughter Like You Used To

"That doesn't look like a dress, Princess."

I finished pushing in the last bobby pin in to keep my hair up in a French Twist. I had pulled out a couple of strategic chunks to curl, but the updo had taken longer than I thought it would. But no matter how long it took, my hair and makeup were done and I had my cosmetics packed to do touch ups once I was out at the Wahiawa Reservation because I knew I wouldn't just be there as a guest.

I double checked that all my hair was in place before I turned around and answered, "My... You are an observant one, Prince Charming."

He gave me an unimpressed look, but opted not to say anything. I knew he wasn't a fan of my sarcasm, but it was my go-to, so he had learned to live with it. Well, I guess he was going to have to relearn how to live with it now.

"And you aren't wrong, Grumpy," I added in a more earnest tone. "I figured that I won't just be there as 'Sister of the Groom' and will be helping with set up and all that because I own the company that's catering. Plus, when he... uh... that is to say... When Opie and Donna got married, I was running around heling with so much shit that I ruined my dress, so mine's safe in a garment bag because Lyla isn't short enough for me to hide my dress behind in the wedding photos."

"Oh... Princess, I'm..."

"Shh..." I interrupted before he could finish that thought as I pressed two fingers against his lips. I pressed a ghost of a kiss across his lips so that I wouldn't transfer my wine-red lipstick to his lips. "It's fine. But... thinking of his last wedding has dredged up a few things I should warn you about."

"Warn me? It's a party, not a wake, right?"

I bit my lip so that I wouldn't laugh as I rocked my head from side to side. "It should just be a party, but that doesn't really happen if you're the sister of the groom and... well... I like you so I wanted to prepare you..."

"Prepare me for what?"

"Well... last time... after everyone had a few too many drinks, they wouldn't stop pestering me about when I was finally going to get hitched. Back then I was heading back to school, so it was easy for me to dodge their questions..."

"Oh... I think I get the picture." I bit my lip again causing him to cringe while he asked, "What am I missing?"

"No one has ever known about the guy I'm seeing... like ever. This will be the first time that I'll be at a club party with everyone knowing the identity of the guy I'm dating... and him being there..."

"Okay..."

Great! I have to fucking spell it out. "Well... it's going... It might be even harder to dodge the marriage question. And given our ages, everyone will probably be harping on the topic of when we're going to start having kids..."

"KIDS?!"

"HAPPY! HAP! Shh... Shh... I'm not saying I want that. God, we're still relearning about each other and aren't at the point of talking about any of that yet. I'm just saying that OTHER people will have expectations and if you don't want to deal with that shit, I'm okay with fielding those questions by myself, that's all."

"It's none of their fucking business."

"I know, but..."

"No," he cut in. "That's what we tell them. Our relationship is none of their fucking business."

"I agree, but... you can get away with saying shit like that, but I can't, Grumpy."

"Sure, you can," he replied as he pulled on his cut. "Just tell them you're my Princess then give them the cold shoulder like the Ice Queen we all know you can be."

"HAPPY!" I cried out as he claimed my garment bag from e so that he could pulled me against him and give him a deep kiss. When he leaned back, I noticed the red lipstick that had smeared across his face. That made me sound a lot less severe when I reached out to swipe my thumb over the wayward lipstick. "Happy..."

"I know you aren't an Ice Queen. I'm just saying you COULD play that up. But we should decide on a line to give everyone."

"It's none of their fucking business."

He gave me a sourpuss look replying, "I know, but..."

"No, that's our united front. Tonight, is about Opie and Lyle declaring their love with a side of celebrating you guys getting out of prison. That's it and if anyone wants to make anything more out of it..."

"They can go fuck themselves."

I smile and tried not to laugh as I replied, "Exactly."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Just as I had predicted, I had some running around to do was I got out the Reservation. Cody accused me of being too much of a perfectionist... Okay, he called me a controlling, psycho bitch, but this was the first party the Buffalo Bar & Grill was catering so I wanted everything to be perfect. Plus, it was my brother's wedding. That added some pressure too. (Elliott pulled out of the fundraising gala after the fiasco with Jacob supposedly saving Tara and himself from Salazar, so this really was Cody's premiere as a party planner.)

Once I was assured everything was in place and, more importantly, that Cody had everything well in hand, I finally changed into my dress. Cody even helped me to tighten the corset styled bodice my cocktail length dress so that I could head to the receiving line sooner. The skirt of the dress was a flowing ruby red that almost matched the red streaks in my hair. The bodice was a corset style that was predominantly the same red as the skirt with ink black laces along with black and ivory accents. Cody made sure to tighten it 'just so' in order to accentuate my 'feminine assets'. (His words not mine.) I was smart enough to bring a pair of cute flats with me this time around so I could move more easily, especially since we were out in the woods.

The flats plus the cocktail length of my dress made it much easier to sprint to Opie's side to greet everyone as they arrived. Somehow, I managed to make it there just as the first guests were arriving, so I didn't look too neglectful.

Marcus Alvarez from the Mayans' MC reached the receiving line first. He picked up my hand and kissed the knuckles of my right hand saying, "I was wondering when the best-looking Winston would make an appearance."

And THAT was why you will NEVER see me put on blush. As my cheeks heated up under a dark blush, I replied, "Sorry to keep you waiting. I had to make sure they only packed the good tequila for the festivities."

He smiled and winked replying, "You're a good woman, Andie."

After he and his Brothers were through, I rushed over to Dad's side and kissed his cheek. When I noticed the red lip marks I left behind, I quickly apologized and used my thumb to try to erase it. Of course, that coincided with Putlova and his crew approaching, I quietly apologized again and moved to his side to greet the newcomers.

Much like Marcus Alvarez, Viktor Putlova pulled my right hand to his lips to kiss the back of it. "Your brother is very lucky to have a loving family to support him today."

After he released my hand, I wrapped my arm around my dad's waist to tuck myself into his side. "There's no other place we'd rather be. Thank you for joining us tonight."

Dad's arm tightened to an almost uncomfortable degree around my waist so, I left my comments to that short, polite greeting. I had heard about the Russians role int trying to help Jimmy O escape to Canada and how the pass off to SAMCRO turned into Jax being shived in Stockton. Of course, I had to infer a lot of information because Opie didn't want to fully come clean with me for fear that it would upset the balance Dad and I had achieved.

What can I say? A lot can change in almost a year and a half. One of those changes, thankfully, was my dad getting over his old prejudices. Since I was living in Happy's house and still tried to give whatever time I could to TM to help out while the guys were in Stockton, he finally realized that I was being completely honest about becoming a more active figure in the club, especially as an Old Lady.

But the real story of how we got back to me hugging him and sticking by his side until he walked the bride down the aisle at my twin brother's wedding can wait. Today was Opie's day and I wanted to make sure it went off without a hitch.

After all of the guests had made it through the entrance, I fell into step between Dad and Opie. I can't tell you how amazing it felt to be walking with their arms around me, especially today. There had been some concerns about me not being in the weeding party, but I tried to squash them as quickly as possible. Jax was Opie's best friend, he was like a brother to us, so it made sense for him to be at Opie's side. At first my twin wanted me to stand beside Lyla, but that didn't feel right to me. Don't get me wrong, I like Lyla. She's a great Mom but we just... we haven't really bonded. I don't know what happened while the guys were in Ireland, but it caused some serious boding between her and Tara. So, I told Opie that they should limit their wedding party to his best friend and his Old Lady. He tried to argue but it didn't take much to get him to concede to his big sister's logic. One of these days it wouldn't take me that much effort to get him to believe me.

Opie and I broke away from Dad so that he could make his way to Lyla's 'staging area'. I kept an arm around Opie's waist as long as I could, but our height difference and the uneven terrain made that more than difficult. Fuck, it made it almost impossible, so we separated.

One we detached, he moved towards Jax and a visiting group of Sons. I, in turn, moved towards Happy and the mass of SAMCRO members milling about.

After placing a kiss deep enough on Happy's lips to transfer nearly all of my lipstick onto his mouth and face, I released Happy's lips and just smiled. That almost turned into an all-out laugh when I watched him rub his right forearm over his lower face to remove the traces of my embrace.

The first voice I hear to tease him was Juice's. I feel like a dick now because I don't even remember what he said exactly. But I DO know I turned with a hand on my hip and retorted, "And you're one to talk? Fuck, if I didn't grow my hair out, WE'D have the same haircut. So, what do you have to say about THAT Juicy?"

"That you look radiant tonight in that dress AND your new hair color is absolutely stunning."

I glared at him then took the ten steps I needed to be at his side. As I made my way towards him, I wasn't sure if I was going to punch, kiss or hug him. Lucky for him, I went for the hug.

As I held him, I quietly said into his ear, "Thank you for not having a stupid haircut for my brother's wedding pictures."

He let out a cross between a gasp of surprise and a noise of aggravation as he squeezed his arms around my waist to lift me off the ground. Before he could utter a retort, I called out over my shoulder with a playful shriek, "HAPPY!"

He appeared behind me and leveled Juice with a deathly glare. "You should put her down."

Once I was back on my feet, Juice started muttering out some apologies, so I grabbed his arm to stop him before he tripped over his own feet. Once he was upright, I kissed his knuckles while Happy pulled me into his side.

Happy kissed my temple then looked over at Juice saying, "You're right, Princess. That WAS a lot of fun."

I leaned up to kiss him. (Fuck it. By now I would only be putting on lipstick when we did the wedding photos.) "I told you so, Grumpy."

I then left him to bullshit with the guys from SAMCRO while I went to check on the kids. Ellie and I had been talking to each other on a daily basis, either on the phone or in person, because she was at that strange stage in lie where she would be rebelling against the rules that her mother had put in place. Except Donna wasn't alive to be the object of her ire. I could relate to that because my own mother had pulled away from Opie and I when he had started to dive deeper into the club when we were in high school. She had though (for some insane reason) that it meant that I too was getting more intimately involved in SAMCRO's affairs. She had no idea that I would use her disinterest and Dad's aloofness to try to make my escape from Charming.

But in that same vein, I'm not sure that she knows that I eventually fell back into the 'Charmin Vortex'. No matter how hard you think you're fighting it, you always end up back here.

"Hey Sweets," I greeted Ellie as I hugged her. "How are you holding up?"

She hugged me back replying, "Pretty good. Dad said that we get to have champagne during the toasts!"

"He did, did he?" I replied as I stepped back to look her in the eye.

She had the same tells as her dad, so all I had to do was watch her when she spoke to look for them. When she reached out to pull her brother into the conversation, I really started to worry. If they both worked at giving me 'puppy dog' dyes, they could tell me anything, like Oprah was our sitting President, and I would believe them.

"Tell her Kenny," Ellie instructed her brother.

As he looked between her and I, his eyes went wide. I almost gave him an out before he asked, "Tell her what?"

"Tell her what Dad and Lyla said to us yesterday."

"You mean that stuff about us having some champagne with the toasts?"

Ellie didn't reply to her brother. Instead, she turned her attention to me and raised a defiant eyebrow. Holy shit! That was MY move. Fuck! Had she learned that from me? Or was it genetic? If I was a biologist, I would have loved to investigate that further. But I wasn't, so fuck it. The little shit had learned how to be petulant... Woo hoo... She was officially a Winston.

"Alright, I believe you. But not too much. I'm not holding anyone's hair back if they have to visit the throne and pray to the porcelain gods."

Kenny and Ellie both gave me a truly confused look to which I barked out a laugh. No, it was more than one laugh that came out before I added, "If you drink too much alcohol and you aren't used to it, it can make you sick to your stomach. If you end up barfing in the toilet all night, you are on your own."

"EW!" They replied in unison as they shared a disgusted look. Ellie then turned to me and said, "It'll be apple cider for us."

Before I could tease them more, we heard the music for the wedding procession start. The kids quickly found their seats while I rushed across the aisle to the one that I had saved at Gemma's right side. Normally, I would have sat beside Dad, but this way I could be closer to Happy. Granted I wasn't sure exactly where our relationship was headed or how I felt beyond feeling comfortable with a roof over my head with a man that could satisfy my needs (if you know what I mean). But it still felt right to be closer to him.

The ceremony was beyond beautiful. It even included a Wahiawa blessing that brought me to tears. It truly was that profound. But before I could fall into an overly introspective, melancholy mood, I heard every member of every chapter of SOA call out: I VOW TO TREAT YOU AS GOOD AS MY LEATHER AND RIDE YOU AS MUCH AS MY HARLEY. That's when I felt Happy squeeze one of my shoulders in what I would describe as a reassuring gesture.

I place my hand over her thinking, Maybe he DOES want something more than some really great sex after leaving prison.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Once the band was in full swing, Dad made his way over to the table where Happy and I were seated. Happy had made sure to get us a plate of food and was currently trying to pressure me into eating. I had been so nervous and busy at his house that I had skipped breakfast and most of my lunch. He kept pointing out that I would be driving home three precious souls and therefore should be as alert as possible for that drive.

Fucker. He knew what buttons to push. That's why I was glaring at him while I bit my finger sandwich in half. That was also when Dad lumbered up to my side.

"Short Stack?" He questioned cautiously.

I quickly chewed and swallowed the food in my mouth before I answered, "Yes Daddy?"

He held out a hand then said, "May I have this dance?"

"Daddy?" I replied with a confused scowl on my face. "This song really isn't one we can dance to."

"True," he agreed as he picked up my right hand. "But the next song will be more to your liking..." I narrowed my eyes at him causing him to laugh. "Come on, Short Stack. They learned it just for us."

That's when I heard the chords of Dolly Parton's 'I will always love you' being played. I stared at my dad for a couple of blinks before I stood up.

He then wrapped his right arm around my left elbow to lead me to the dance floor. After we started swaying together to the music, I quietly said, "I thought the Father/Daughter dance was for the bride and her dad."

"That's true," he replied with a tight squeeze. "So? How long until that happens for us?"

"How long...? What are you talking about?"

"Don't deflect, Short Stack. How long until I walk you down the aisle?"

"Daddy..." After a quick hug, I pushed back so that I could look him in the eye. "Daddy, we need a bit of time to fall in love first."

"To fall... but you live together."

"No," I gently corrected. "Up until today, I was living in his house."

"But you... you've..."

"Yes, I have. I mean, I've done what I can to make it my home... So... now we need time to make it OUR home."

"I can understand that."

I then placed my head against Dad's shoulder as we continued to dance. Would we ever have the spotlight on us while I wore a wedding dress and we danced to a song like this? That honestly was a question that I wasn't ready to answer. That was mostly because I wasn't sure that Dad or Opie were ready to hear and understand the response I knew that I would give them.

Tonight, I instead just said, "I love you, Daddy."