Nationals were over.

The Lancer University Hellcats were the winners. Even with half the squad and sort of an improvised routine, they had won.

Champagne was flowing as freely as such a sporting event allowed it and everyone was celebrating. Everyone except for Marti.

She sat on the bench in front of her locker, lazily packing up her stuff when Lewis slumped down next to her, bottle in hand. "Yo, Marti, someone wants to talk to you."

Marti rolled her eyes. "Lewis, I told you, I'm not taking his calls."

"I heard you." He put a hand on her thigh. "I don't know what's going on between you two but if he hadn't put you on the student defender list, I wouldn't be here. We wouldn't be here. So I'd say... give the guy a chance."

"No offense, Lewis, but... this is none of your business."

"If I'm the one telling him off every time he calls at Cheertown, it is my business. Besides... he's not calling. There's a little girl who wants to see you."

"What?"

Lewis pointed at the door and rose. "You might want to hear what she has to say." He winked at her and left.

Nikki came bounding towards her, a blue/yellow LU sign in hand. She cast a curious glance at her surroundings before she focused on Marti again. "Hello, Marti." She grinned from ear to ear, bouncing on her feet.

"Nikki? What are you doing here?" A little lamely she added: "Does your dad know you're here?" Marti looked worriedly at her slightly drunken teammates.

"Yeah, he took me to see you cheer." If it was humanly possible, her grin widened even more. "I think it's really cool."

Marti's jaw dropped. "He took you all the way to Florida to see me cheer?"

Nikki nodded eagerly. "When I'm in high school, I want to be a cheerleader, too."

"Really?"

"Yes, I want to fly just like you do." The little girl threw her hands up, mimicking her cheer position.

"And what does your dad say about that?"

Giggling, Nikki smiled sheepishly. "He doesn't know yet." She sat down next to Marti, feet dangling off the bench. For a long moment, she looked at her and Marti noticed she had inherited her father's curious gaze. "My dad misses you," she said in a very small voice.

Marti drew in a long breath, mostly to buy time, and nodded. "Did he send you here to say that?" When the girl didn't respond, she gently nudged her with one elbow. "It's okay, you can tell me."

Nikki shook her head, looking at her sandal-clad feet. "He didn't have to."

For a long moment, Marti looked at the girl, trying to wrap her mind around the slightly insane fact that she was here... that Julian was here. That he had come all the way to Daytona just to...

"You think I can talk to your dad for a minute?"

Nikki nodded. "He wanted to go outside to get coffee."

"Great." Marti rose. "Hey, what do you say? Do you want to learn how to fly before you get into high school?"

The girl beamed at her. "Can I?"

Marti shrugged. "We just won Nationals. If we can't make you fly, who can?" She turned around, searching the room for her base. "Hey Lewis. What do you say about showing my friend here how to be a junior Hellcat?"

###

"That's really low, you know. Sending your kid." Marti crossed her arms over her chest, trying her very best to look angry but failed. Actually seeing him there, in the flesh (and in shorts), made it all but impossible to hold a grudge. "It's kinda sweet, but still... low."

She had found Julian outside the venue next to one of those moveable coffee carts, leaning against the back of a bench that overlooked the beach.

He turned to her and for a second, a smile flickered across his features. "Where is she?" he asked with a slightest hint of panic in his voice.

"Lewis is tossing her twenty feet in the air," she replied nonchalantly, taking pride in his discomfort. "Relax. He's used to catching me, remember?"

Julian drew in a deep breath, obviously not very relaxed.

"He is the best," Marti assured him.

Uncomfortable silence fell between them before he spoke again.

"Congratulations, by the way."

"Thanks." Marti smile a forced little smile. "Seems like I get to keep my scholarship for another year."

"That's good news," he replied, shifting from one leg to the other.

"Yeah."

Another awkward beat passed between them.

"Julian, what are you doing here?" she asked when it started to become ridiculous. "You didn't come here just to see me cheer." It wasn't a question.

He heaved a sigh. "No. We do have some extended family down south we went to visit but... I need to talk to you."

The way he looked at her reminded her all too well of that morning when she had left him standing in the street. When she hadn't given him the chance to explain.

Slowly, she nodded, knowing she had to hear him out now. "Let me get some coffee first."

#

They walked down the boardwalk until they found a bench where it wasn't bustling with people.

Marti wished she had changed first. The place was crawling with cheerleaders in all shapes and sizes and while she had gotten used to all the pep over the past months, it still felt alien somehow. And right now, the uniform made her feel a little too young and a little exposed.

"I tried to apologize but you wouldn't answer my calls," he began when they sat down. If it was meant as an accusation, he didn't make it sound like one.

"Yeah... I couldn't...," Marti began lamely but he shook his head.

"I understand." He took a long sip from his coffee. "I'm sorry you had to find out like this. I meant to tell you but... it all happened so fast and... I wanted to be sure first."

"Sure about what?" Marti hated how little her voice sounded, how insecure.

He shrugged as though the answer was quite clear. "About you."

Her heart skipped a beat. "What is that supposed to mean?"

Julian remained quiet for a long time, rotating the coffee cup in his hands. When he spoke again, his voice sounded heavy and full of something she hadn't heard before. "My wife died four years ago." He looked down at his left hand, thumb brushing over a wedding band that was no longer there.

Marti stared at him in disbelieve, a quiet little "Shit." escaping her mouth.

"Nikki was three when it happened." He paused again, swallowing hard. "She knows that no one is ever going to replace her mother but... when I first started... dating again, I made it a rule that I wouldn't bring anyone home until I knew."

"Knew what?" Marti asked when he didn't continue. She wasn't sure if she wanted to hear the answer, if she was ready for it.

He shrugged with one shoulder, casting a quick sideways glance at her. "That it might last. At least for a little while. That it would be more than just another name for Nikki to learn."

Something inside her curled into a tight little ball and she had to clear her throat before she was able to speak again. "And you... meant to bring me home?"

He looked at her completely open and honest and frighteningly vulnerable. "Yes."

"And... how many were there... before me?" It was a stupid question. And unfair, too. And frankly, it was none of her business.

"One."

Marti closed her eyes against the sensation rushing over her, trying to process what his words implied. "Wow, that's..."

"I know." He smiled vaguely but he voice sounded heavy when he continued. "I won't lie to you, Marti. If this goes... somewhere... it's always going to be me and her."

She could only nod as a reply.

"I'm aware that this is not what you expected when we started this. And I understand if it's... too much. I just thought you should know. I owed you the truth. I'm sorry that I hurt you."

Marti nodded again, slower this time. He was right. It was a lot to process, maybe it was even a little too much. But knowing the whole story was better than all the theories and speculations she had come up with in the past two weeks.

What was she supposed to do now? Part of her wanted to run away again, run away from reality. A reality, she should have taken into consideration before she had showed up at his doorstep. The biggest part of her was confused as hell and didn't know what to do. And whatever was left... that part wanted to stay.

"I'm sorry I ran out on you," she said finally. "That was stupid." She pinched the bridge of her nose where a headache started to settle in. "And I'm sorry I yelled at you. I should have suspected something like this." A little laugh bubbled up her throat. "I can quote pretty much every article you ever wrote but I never bothered to properly look up your CV."

He raised his eyebrow curiously. "Because that would have been creepy. And a bit inappropriate."

"Right. It would have saved us some trouble, though."

A flicker of hurt ghosted over his face. "If you'd known... would you have..." He gestured back and forth between them.

She shrugged. "I don't know. I'd be lying if I had an answer." She paused, drawing in a long breath. "I mean... I'm half your age and your daughter is a third my age and that it some awfully sketchy math."

"I know," he replied quietly, sounding a little disappointed. "Listen, I... I can't tell you what to do but... for what it's worth, I'm not running away from this."

She looked at him and the breath hitched in her throat. He meant it.

Before she knew what she was doing, she leaned in and kissed him.

His hand went to the back of her neck and into her hair, dragging her closer but she pulled out of his grip.

She ran her tongue over her lips, savoring the taste of coffee and more. Before she spoke, she drew in a long breath. "So... what are we going to do now?"

Julian's eyes sparked with hope. "Well, I don't know about you but... Nikki and I were going to take a car back to Memphis... see the country."

Marti frowned at him. "Are you... asking me to come with?"

He grinned. "It was a vague allusion, yes."

"Well...," she cleared her throat. "The squad kind of expects me to go back with them. I guess there is some sort of welcome celebration thing at Lancer when we get back, so..."

"Right, I forgot."

"And we probably should get back. If Alice sees Lewis practicing with your daughter, she'll think she's being replaced all over again."

His grin widened. "Cheerleaders."

"Hey." She nudged him with her shoulder.

"Present ones excluded."

"Nah, it's true. Never thought I'd say this but... I'm one of them now."

His mood sobered a little. "I'm not expert but... you were great."

"Thanks."

"You're welcome."

They looked at each other for a long moment before Marti rose. "We should go."

He held her gaze for a second longer, nodding ever so slightly. "Thank you, Marti."

She frowned. "For what?"

"For hearing me out."

She shrugged with one shoulder. "Everyone deserves a second chance." Then she held out a hand to him. "Come on. Nikki is probably waiting for you."

His fingers slipped between hers as he rose. He looked down at their joined hands with the most adorable little smile she had ever seen on him.

She went on tiptoes and placed a hasty peck on his cheek. "I missed you, too."

He looked at her for a moment, taken aback. "That kid and her big mouth. I have no idea who she got that from."

Marti grinned at him as they turned to head back to the arena. "I have a few ideas."

They walked in silence for a while, hand in hand.

"If you do change your mind about the trip...," Julian said before they went back inside, "we're staying at the Plaza until tomorrow."

"Fancy." She nodded in appreciation. "Thanks to you, Bill Marsh."

"One person's loss, another person's gain."

She looked up at him for a moment. "I'll let you know."

"Good." For a moment, he looked like he wanted to kiss but he look half a step back from her. "Now you go and find my daughter before Alice gets to her."

#

In the morning, Marti was the first one up, hurriedly packing up her stuff. On her way out the door, she bumped into Lewis who looked every bit as sleep deprived as she felt.

"Hey Lewis... could you tell Vanessa that I'm not going home with the squad?"

He looked at her for a moment. "Found another ride, did you?"

She grinned a little sheepishly. "You could say that."

"Cool, I'll let her know."

"Thanks, Lewis." She gave him a quick hug, then started down the corridor.

"Hey Marti," he said and she turned. "That Nikki is a great kid."

She nodded knowingly. "She's got a great dad."

When she was already halfway down the hall to the elevators, she heard Lewis call after her. "You go get him, girl. Positive outcomes only."