The rain that poured outside was an indicator of the mood inside the Havoc residence. Vanessa's birthday was coming up in a few short weeks, and Becky had just discovered she was pregnant again. It was a difficult time for the family, he wanted so badly to tell their daughter that she would get her brother or sister like she had always wanted, but he couldn't. Not until they saw, until they knew for a fact that it was a reality.

Becky had gone off to her room to write in her journal, leaving Nessa in the living room with her father. He was reading the paper while Nessa played with her dolls, twirling them around on the floor like they were in some kind of masquerade ball. He peered over the paper, watching the eloquence she held, the way she carried herself in her fluid movements, impressed by her ability to keep time with the song she was humming. Though he didn't show his smile, the pride was written in his sky blue eyes.

It was then that the man noticed his young daughter leaning against his knees, the top of her head sticking up over the paper. "Daddy,"

He leaned in a bit closer, folding the pages so he could see her smiling face. "Yes, Vanessa Mae?"

"Dance with me, Daddy." She held her arms out, palms up, as if asking him to go on the dancefloor with him. "Please?"

How many times had he promised to dance with her mother and never got around to it? He folded the paper up and set it off to the side, leaning on his knees to stare at his daughter. "And what if I say no?"

"I'll cry."

"Of course you will." He sighed and took her hand in his, surprised by her strength when she pulled him out into the middle of the living room. He nudged the coffee table closer to the couch before dropping a needle in a groove and playing an upbeat and swingy jazz song. Taking his daughter's hands, he told her to stand on his feet. "Alright, your lead or mine?"

"Umm…" Nessa paused and tapped her lip. "Hmm. Mine."

"Yours, oh no…" She didn't put her feet on his. Instead, she wiggled her butt and flailed her hands around, an image much like his own when he was a kid. Nessa danced like he did, before Becky taught him how to do it right. "You have some, uh...unique moves there, Vanessa. Can I show you some of mine?"

Nessa reluctantly stopped, her hands still twitching at her sides, moving in time with the music. He swept her up into his arms with a lighthearted chuckle, holding her balanced precariously on his hip. He tangled one hand with her tiny one, swaying and moving with the music. She laughed at his actions, but hummed to the song. "You're a good dancer, daddy."

"I learned from mama. See, a long time ago, she used to go to these really formal parties, and she'd drag me with her. And to save her from dancing with strangers, she'd dance with me." He kissed his daughter's nose and smiled. "Though I don't dance with mama much these days."

"Does mama not like dancing anymore?"

"No," Becky smiled and watched them, her hip leaning against the door, her arms across her chest. "It's just that mama and daddy are so busy anymore, they forget sometimes why they fell in love."

Nessa's little blue eyes widened in fascination as she turned to her father. "How did you and mama fall in love?"

Becky grinned at the expression on his face. "Yeah, Jean, how did we fall in love?"

"It was, umm...well, see, mama and I…" He sighed and closed his eyes a moment, pausing to look at his wife with a look of pure betrayal. "Mama and I were in the military together, I'm sure you remember. After my accident, I was forced to leave, and mama was sent to help me recover from it. Mama and I met a lot of times before then, even shared some nights together when we had sleepovers. But I didn't really fall for her until I literally fell for her. She walked into the room I was in for therapy and I saw her, and I fell on my feet trying not to watch her."

"He had an impressive bruise on his jaw for the longest time after that," Becky snickered and moved over to look at him. "He told everyone he got it in a bar fight defending my honor."

He nodded. "Except I couldn't walk, so no one believed me. It was still worth a shot. I found out later that week just how much I loved the smell of gunpowder and lavender, but that's a story for adults." He chuckled and ruffled his daughter's hair. "I bet mama's story for how we fell in love is very different than mine."

Becky merely grinned, moving passed them to sit on the couch and put her feet up on the coffee table. "You bet your sweet butt it is."

"This ought to be interesting." Shifting Nessa to his other arm, he looked to his wife. "Alright, now you have me curious. When did you fall in love with me?"