Author's Note: Thanks once again to Pat, who helped provide me w/ inspiration to get past a bit of writers' block! :)

David had enjoyed his time in Seattle. His parents had made him feel so much better about his situation. He was still nervous, of course, but he knew now that he couldn't miss this chance. His father had made that perfectly clear. When they went to the opera together, his father had told him even more stories about those years when his mother had no clue how her boss' brother felt. David didn't want to spend seven years wondering 'what if?' like his father had.

As soon as David was back at school, he knew he needed to make his move fast. It was another thing he'd learned from his father. His parents would have gotten together a lot sooner if his father hadn't allowed himself to overthink so much. He began to think of ways he could ask Emily on a date, without it seeming too much like a date. The thought of asking her out scared him to death, but he took a deep breath. Suddenly, an idea hit him, and it seemed like the most obvious thing in the world. A movie! It was perfect. All he had to do was call and ask her.

First, he looked up movies online and found a couple possibilities. Movies that were romantic, but not too romantic. Then, he looked at the phone, trying to work up the courage to dial. His father's advice played in his mind, but still his nerves would not allow him to pick up the phone. Suddenly, another voice came into his head. His grandfather's. David could recall hearing the story of how his grandfather went to work on his police beat one day, only to end up in a robbery that cost him both his police career and his independence all at once. Things could happen in an instant. What that thought firmly in his head, he finally picked up the phone.

The next several days were a blur. It was hard to concentrate in his classes, because thoughts of Emily and their impending date kept interrupting. It was a symptom of love, one which his father had warned him about. This is what Dad must have felt...how did he manage for seven years?!

Fortunately, David was a hardworking kid, not unlike his father when it came to school. His habit of daydreaming made studying a bit more difficult, but he managed to not allow it to compromise his grades. The day of their date arrived, and David found that there were suddenly butterflies in his stomach. His hands were sweaty. Was he getting sick, now?! A thermometer told him that there was no fever. But still, could he go on his date feeling this way?

There was only one solution David could think of. He picked up the phone and dialed a familiar number. "Dad?"

"Your mother and I have been thinking about you all week. But we decided not to bother you too much. How are things going?"

"Well, your advice worked. Emily and I are going to a movie in a couple of hours. But my hands are sweating so bad, Dad. And I'm shaking like crazy, too. What am I supposed to do?!"

"Calm down, David. Believe it or not, what you're feeling now is completely normal. The first time I tried to ask your mother on a date, I nearly fainted. I couldn't even do it right. But your mother, being the saint she is, came over anyway. We ended up having a lovely time that night. I've always considered it our first 'date' even though it was several years before we officially got together."

"So, you're telling me to just relax, and these feelings will just go away?" David asked, incredulous.

"Yes. I promise. You and Emily are friends, right? That's just how your mother and I were that night. Once I reminded myself of that, it was a piece of cake. Trust me. Once she sees how charming you are, everything will be fine."

"How can you be so sure?"

"You're a Crane; that's how," Niles said. "Good luck, son. I love you."

David could tell this was his father's way of saying goodbye. He would gladly have stayed on the phone for hours, hearing every detail of his parents' courtship. But David knew his father was a busy man. "Thanks, Dad. For everything. I love you, too."

As David hung up the phone, his nerves felt much better. His father had managed to win over the only woman he'd ever truly loved. That had to count for something. Someday, maybe this would be the story he would be sharing with his own son.

The End