So I is back to terrorize you all – cue evil laughter -. Anyhow here is the tenth chapter. The idea for this came from gypsyeyes91 who wanted to see some father-Tess interaction. Hope this suffices. Really sorry if the chapter is not what you expected. I'm a little rusty, not having written for a while.

Also many thanks to suburbs, for really polishing up my chapter and offering excellent advice. She's the bestest beta ever. :)

Playlist :- Daft Punk – One more time, Around the world.

Jason stared askance at the man standing in front of him. He and Tess were in middle of overseeing the packing of furniture to the new house and out of nowhere a man with long flowing hair and a cheerful grin, dressed like a hippie and carrying a duffel bag was now standing at their doorstep asking for Tess.

"And who are you?" Jason asked the man doubtfully. For the life of him he couldn't remember if Tess knew any hippies.

"You must be Jason right? Tess told me all about you man." The man said grinning from ear to ear.

A high pitched squeal then broke the awkward silence that had settled between the hippie man and Jason.

"Daddy!!" Tess screamed as she barreled past Jason to jump into the arms of the stranger, who Jason suddenly realized was her father. Tess's father was a hippie? Something didn't feel right there.

Meanwhile Tess was enthusiastically hugging her father and talking nineteen to the dozen all the while. Jason smiled, this was one of the few times he had seen Tess so excited. It suited her, making her face glow and wreathing her face with smiles.

"Let me look at you, pumpkin." Tess's father said as Tess brought him inside the house. Tess stood back a little.

"The last time I saw you, you were an upcoming recording artist and now you are gonna be a mother. My baby who's going to be having a baby sure is growing up." Tess's father said as he surveyed Tess critically. The bump was noticeable now, but it wasn't that prominent. If anyone looked at her they wouldn't have guessed that she was pregnant; they would have only noticed that she had put on a little more weight.

Tess giggled as she made her father sit down and brought Jason next to her, who up until now had been standing in the corner feeling a little confused.

"Daddy, this is Jason Black. And Jason this is my father, Wilfred Tyler." Tess said introducing them excitedly. She then proceeded to sit down next to her father while pulling Jason down next to her.

"So, you're the boy who knocked up my daughter, eh?" Wilfred said as eyed Jason.

"Er…yes that would be me sir." Jason said as he blushed and fidgeted a bit under his would-be father – in –law's gaze. When put like that it felt like some sort of criminal deed.

"Dad…please…" Tess said rolling her eyes. But her tone was still playful all the same.

"What? I didn't get to kick his butt when he started dating you. Can't I at least make him uncomfortable now? It's my job y'know, being a dad and all." Wilfred said in a mournful voice.

Tess giggled some more and swatted her father on the arm while Jason squirmed a little more. Meeting one's future in-laws was always terrifying but not knowing how to respond to their pseudo – he hoped for his sake – jokes was even worse.

Wilfred however caught the worried look on Jason's face and grinned. He had done that to all of Tess's boyfriends but poor Jason here looked downright worried.

"Jason my man, don't worry, I'm all about peace, love and non-violence." Wilfred said laughing.

The relief on Jason's face was so evident that once again Tess and Wilfred burst into laughter. Looking at Tess laughing, Jason began smiling too. She was happy and that made him happy.

Wilfred looked at the two youngsters sitting next to him. The last time he had seen Tess, she had been stressed and there had been none of her bubbly contagious laughter that he was usually responsible for. But seeing her now laughing with Jason looking at her adoringly, made his heart well up with joy. His little girl was happy. And that was all any parent ever wanted - for their child to be happy.

-

Jason and Wilfred sat at the bar counter mulling over their drinks. The past few days had been fun until Tess had kicked them out tonight insisting that they have some male bonding time.

Reluctantly Jason and Wilfred had made their way out of the house. Wilfred did mutter something about ungrateful and bi-polar daughters but that had only earned him a smack upside the head from Tess and a snicker from Jason. They had come to bar and settled into an awkward silence occasionally punctuated with small talk

"Wilfred," Jason said suddenly looking up from his drink, "Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure man, go ahead."

"How did you and TJ Tyler…you know end up together?" Jason said a tad nervously, afraid he was infringing on personal territory here.

Wilfred smiled. That was a question he had often asked himself too. He and TJ had been total opposites, yet they had gotten married and had a daughter. They had even lived a semblance of a happy life before everything eventually started to go downhill.

"Once upon a time TJ was different. She wasn't always like she is now and I really was in love with her. We were radically different because I was chill and laidback and she was ambitious and career oriented. But somehow love overrode all of that. I think we balanced each other out. Otherwise I don't think I would have married, let alone been with someone who was convinced that the whole idea of the man trying to keep us down was utter nonsense." Wilfred swished his drink around in his glass and took a sip. Jason stared at him surprised. He had never really known much about Tess's family life simply because that was one subject Tess rarely talked about. It pained her to talk about it and Jason let it be, knowing that someday she would open up to him about it.

"Then what happened?" Jason asked quietly as he signaled the bartender for a refill.

"Then our differences…they came in the way. I don't think both of us were willing to accommodate each other's differences any longer." Wilfred said smiling.

Jason looked surprised at this admission. He had somehow thought that TJ had been the instigator. He didn't expect Wilfred to have done anything at all. As if reading his mind, Wilfred made his next admission.

"Jason my man, if a relationship ends, one person is never solely to blame. A relationship is all about two people and if it breaks both are responsible. So yeah, I was at fault too. We were too selfish to think of anyone but ourselves. And I think that fact really did screw up Tess. I should have stayed, but I left and that's when TJ went really overboard with Tess. You know before Tess went to Camp Rock, she wasn't all that, for a lack of a better word – bitchy. She was the sweetest and the bubbliest kid I ever knew. She used to laugh all the time. But then I left and the smiles left Tess's face." Wilfred said sadly.

Jason took another sip of his drink, absorbing all of this information. He could see where Tess got her qualities. She got her ambition and her drive to succeed from her mother but she got her playfulness and cheerfulness – albeit often hidden – from her father. Her parents had given her something but they had also taken away her childhhod from her. Stories she told him about her childhood sometimes horrified him. And this revelation shook him because he didn't expect it from Tess's father.

"I don't think that was right on your part, Wilfred. TJ really did destroy Tess you know. Because of her, Tess ended up having a breakdown and anorexia. It took her a few years to get out of that rut. I didn't know her that well a few years ago but I did see her break down. It was horrible..." Jason said in a quiet voice that belied some of the anger he was feeling.

He could see TJ destroying Tess but he hadn't expected Wilfred have a hand in Tess's misery too. Granted it had been unintentional on his part but he could have done something to prevent it. After all he did love her didn't he?

"Yeah, it's not easy living with that guilt. I basically went against my principals and abandoned Tess. I could have done something but I chose the cowardly path and didn't do anything at all. I don't blame you for hating me." Wilfred said with a bitter laugh.

"Okay, I don't exactly hate you but I don't feel that inclined towards being nice to you, thanks to that bomb you just dropped. But still I don't hate you." Jason said thoughtfully. Jason couldn't hate people but he could definitely dislike them and right now he was not sure what exactly he thought about Tess's dad. On one hand he disliked him and on the other hand he knew that the abandonment wasn't intentional so he couldn't berate him that much.

"But you know Jason; the smiles have come back to my daughter's face. These past few days whenever I see her I feel so happy, simply because she looks so contented and happy."

At this statement, Jason smiled too. Tess had been more than happy these past few days, she was bordering on ecstatic. Case in point, the day before he had come home without picking up her all important planner which she had left at the office. Any other day she would have bitten his head off, but that day she had waved off his profuse apologies and instead peppered his face with kisses. Jason had been bemused at the change in Tess's behavior. It was not that Tess was always in a bad temper, but since the morning sickness had stopped, the heartburn had begun and Tess felt like she was in a constant state of unease. And that made her a little snappy.

"I think it's because you are here too you know." Jason said as he trailed his finger around the rim of his glass.

"Well that maybe but before I came here she was still happy. And you my man are the cause of that." Wilfred said smiling at Jason before downing his glass. Jason smiled back. He was glad to know he was the cause of Tess's happiness. But it was even nicer hearing that from her father who obviously did love Tess very much.

His phone beeped and he took it out. It was a message from Tess telling him to pick up some beef jerky on the way back home. She had been attacked by a sudden craving for some.

"Hey Wilfred, we've got to go. Tess wants some beef jerky and I need stock up on some strawberry gummy worms." Jason said as he got up and took out his wallet to pay for the drinks.

"If we are going to the supermarket can we also make a small pit stop at a drug den and pick up some weed. I'm running a little low." Wilfred said as he got up and got out his wallet too.

"Allow m- what?" Jason was in the process of taking out his money when he stopped abruptly. Did he just hear Wilfred say that he wanted to buy weed?

"The look on your face was funny man. Relax, I don't smoke up. I'm a hippie who likes to keep it clean" Wilfred said laughing. Successfully having diverted Jason's attention he paid the bill for the drinks and winked at Jason before walking to the exit.

Jason shook his head in amusement and followed Wilfred. Tess's father like the rest of her family too, was one of a kind. He didn't see himself loving him just yet but he could definitely see himself liking him and maybe one day coming around to loving him.

-

On the way back, they stopped at the supermarket and picked up the all important jerky and gummy worms along with a few other things.

When they got home, Jason noticed that Tess was outside, sitting on the porch and waiting for them. It was ten at night and he ran up to her worried that something was wrong. He hoped fervently that she and the baby were alright.

"What's wrong Tess, why are you sitting outside at this time of the night?" he asked as soon as he reached her. Tess stood up and threw her arms around him. He instantly caught her and hugged her tightly to him.

"Everything's wrong Jason. She's here." Tess said looking harassed and annoyed at the same time.

By this time Wilfred had also reached the front porch and he also looked worried.

"Who's here?" he asked.

Tess led both of them to the door.

There sitting inside was a woman with blonde hair similar to Tess.

"Mom."

"Tess…what are you – Wilfred?" Tess's mother said moving from her place near the window and facing her ex-husband for the first time in years, with a shocked look on her face.

" TJ." Wilfred simply stated looking not very happy at this turn of events.

"Oh my god Jason, the two of them together in the same room is like a ticking time bomb. We so don't need this drama now." Tess whispered to Jason as she clutched onto his hand tightly. Jason wound an arm around her in support.

Judging from the tension in the air, he knew that Tess was speaking the truth. And from her tired voice, he could make out, that Tess could certainly do without all of this impending drama.

But Tess didn't look she had a choice. The drama was here to stay.

Damn.

Reviews and suggestions are welcomed with open arms. :)