Title: Echoes of the Past

by Dee Creamer

e-mail: creamer@concentric.net

Summary: Jesse's new girlfriend causes conflict between Jesse and Steve

All Disclaimers Apply

Jesse paced nervously, as Steve, Amanda and Mark tried to avoid bumping into

him while they set the dishes and food on the table. Finally, fed up, Steve

took hold of Jesse's arm, forcing him to come to a stop.

"Jess, take it easy. You told her 7:00 right? It's only just 7:00 now.

She'll be here any minute."

"I know, I know. I guess I'm just worried that you guys won't like her,

or she won't like you guys. Cat's the best thing that's ever happened to me and

I don't want anything to go wrong. It's almost too good to be true, you

know?"

Mark came over and put his hand on Jesse's shoulder. "Jesse, everything

will be fine. I'm sure we'll like her and I'm sure she'll like us. After all,

what's not to like?" Mark grinned and gave Jesse's shoulder a light

squeeze.

At that moment, the doorbell rang and Jesse jumped as if he'd been stung. He

rushed to the front door. As he ushered Cat in, he gave her a quick peck on

the cheek. "Hey, I thought for a minute that you were going to stand me

up."

"What, and miss a chance to meet the people you spend all your time

talking about?" Cat smiled at him.

Jesse led her to the kitchen, where Mark, Amanda, and Steve were busy looking

like they weren't eavesdropping. "Cat, this is Mark, this is Amanda, and

that's Steve. Guys, this is Cat."

"It's actually Kathryn, but I go by Cat." Cat smiled as she shook

hands all around.

As Steve shook Cat's hand, he had the odd feeling that they'd met before, even

though he knew that wasn't true.

Mark spoke first, "Cat, why don't you let Jesse show you around the place,

while I get you something to drink. What would you like?"

"Do you have any white wine?"

"Certainly."

"That would be fine then, thank you."

As Mark went to the kitchen to get Cat's wine and Jesse took Cat for the grand

tour, Amanda and Steve looked at each other.

"Amanda, have you ever met Cat before?"

"No, have you?"

"No, but I have the weirdest feeling that I've seen her before."

"Did you arrest her mother, maybe?" Amanda smiled.

Steve gave her a scowl, but then turned thoughtful.

"Steve, I was just kidding."

"I know, but you may be onto something there. I think when I get to work

tomorrow, I'm going to spend some time looking at mugshots."

"Oh, come on, Steve. You can't honestly believe that can you?"

Steve just shrugged and continued to look thoughtful as Jesse, Cat and Mark

returned.

*****

The next day at work, Steve spent some time looking at mugshots of women he had

arrested, going back as far as his rookie days, but he didn't find anybody

resembling Cat. The feeling continued to nag at him for a few days, but the

more he saw of Jesse and Cat, the more he came to like Cat. She was a lot

better for Jesse than Susan had been. Although Steve would never admit it to

Jesse, he'd never much cared for Susan. He was glad when she'd decided to dump

Jesse, and Jesse seemed to be quite happy with Cat.

As the weeks passed, Steve developed the same easy kind of friendship with Cat

that he had with Jesse. He even helped Jesse arrange a surprise party for her

27th birthday. So when Jesse mentioned that Cat's mother was going to be in

town (she lived in Seattle), Steve offered the beachhouse for a get-acquainted

dinner.

*****

Amanda had a sense of deja-vu as she watched Jesse pacing back and forth in the

beachhouse living room.

"Jesse, sit!" she finally commanded. "Jesse, I know you're

nervous meeting Cat's mother for the first time... By the way, where's her

father?"

"He died before Cat was born."

"Oh. Well, anyway, I'm sure Cat's mother will love you...and if she

doesn't, Mark, Steve, and I will act as a buffer between the two of you."

Amanda grinned. "Just try to relax and be yourself."

Just then the doorbell rang and Jesse jumped. "Oh, God."

"Jesse, RELAX" Amanda repeated as Jesse went to the front door.

"Yeah, right."

Jesse opened the door to Cat and a woman who looked a great deal like Cat.

"Hello, Mrs. Collins. I'm Jesse Travis."

"Please, call me Jenny." Cat's mother smiled at him.

*Wow, this might not be so bad after all,* Jesse thought as he ushered Jenny

and Cat into the beachhouse.

Hearing voices, Mark and Steve walked out of the kitchen.

"Jenny, this is Mark Sloan, and this is his son Steve..." Jesse

didn't get a chance to finish the introductions, though. Jenny's face had

transformed into a mask of anger. A look of surprise and delight had come over

Steve's face.

"Jen, is it really you?" Steve stepped forward and hugged Jenny,

oblivious of her anger. As he stepped away from her, he apologized, "I'm

sorry, maybe I shouldn't have done that, but it's so good to see you again after

all these years. It's been over 20 years." Steve's happiness was a stark

contrast to Jenny's cold fury.

"Twenty seven years to be exact," Jenny cast a meaningful glance at

Cat.

Steve caught the glance and stared at Cat as the significance of the statement

hit him. "You mean...Cat?"

"Kathryn." Jenny corrected.

"Kathryn. Kathryn?" Steve's brain reeled as he realized the

implication of the name.

"I remembered how you always talked about your mother. She seemed like a

remarkable woman." Jenny softened a bit. "Besides, I've always liked

the name Kathryn."

At that, the conversation halted as each member of the dinner party tried to

cope with these revelations. Cat was processing the fact that, not only was her

father not dead, but Steve was her father. Jesse was coping with the horror of

the realization that Steve was the father of his girlfriend. Steve's brain

almost shorted out as he tried to deal with the fact that he was the father of a

27 year old woman. Mark was only slightly less dazed with the presentation of a

27 year old granddaughter named after his own beloved Kathryn.

Amanda, perhaps the least effected by these events, decided to try to salvage

something of the dinner party for Jesse's sake. "I know that this has been

a shock for all of us and there's a lot to think about," Amanda stated, in

a soothing voice. "Why don't we all agree to put this whole thing on the

shelf for tonight to give everybody time to think about it. Why don't we just

try to continue with this dinner that we arranged so that Jenny can get to know

Jesse and Jesse's friends?" Amanda suggested. Jesse, Mark and Cat nodded

numbly. Steve was still too dazed to process what Amanda had said.

"I think that's an excellent suggestion Amanda," Jenny agreed.

"I'm sorry. I didn't intend to disrupt things like that."

"Jesse, why don't you show Jenny around?" Amanda suggested, trying to

get the dinner party back on track.

Mark, somewhat shaking off his shock, resumed his duties as host, "Jenny,

can I get you anything?"

"Some white wine would be nice," Jenny answered and gave Mark a

tentative smile.

*****

As Jesse drove home, he reviewed the evening, trying to decide whether it was a

total disaster or just somewhat of a disaster. To give her credit, Jenny had

done her best to make the evening a success. She had asked Jesse all about

himself and had talked a great deal with Mark and Amanda about a variety of

topics. Steve had been mute through the whole evening, alternately staring at

Jenny and Cat. Jesse had to admit, though, that Steve had the most reason to be

shocked, finding out he had a daughter he never knew about. *And why the heck

was that?* Jesse wondered. He'd never thought of Steve as the love 'em and

leave 'em type. They'd all agreed to table the subject for the evening, but

tomorrow, Steve was going to be in for one heck of a grilling.

At the beachhouse, Steve was sitting on the sofa. staring at nothing, when Mark

came over and put his hand on Steve's shoulder. "Would you like to talk

about it?" Mark asked quietly.

Steve looked up at his father, "Dad, I wouldn't even know where to

begin."

Mark sat next to his son and asked, "Why not begin at the beginning? How,

and when, did you and Jenny first meet?"

Steve sighed and started, "It was in 1971. I was in the Army, but I

hadn't yet gotten orders for Vietnam. I met Jenny at a club and we started

talking. We hit it off right away. There was something about her that...I

don't know, she just really got to me. I wanted to spend all my time with her,

and when I wasn't with her, she was all I could think about, you know?"

Steve looked inquiringly at his father.

"I definitely know that feeling," Mark smiled, wistfully. He reached

his arm over and rubbed Steve's back, "I felt that way about your mother

the first time we met."

Steve gave a small smile in return and continued, "I never told her I was

in the Army. You remember what it was like, Dad. Anti-war sentiment was so

strong. God, I'll never forget the first time I wore my uniform in public. I

was so proud, and then a complete stranger came up to me and spat on me and

started calling me names... Anyway, I just couldn't stand for Jenny to hate me

just because I was in the Army, so I didn't tell her. We, uh... spent a lot of

time together. Then one night, in the middle of the night, my whole platoon was

packed up and shipped out to Vietnam."

"I remember that. Your mother and I were frantic because we didn't know

where you were."

"I know. For security reasons they wouldn't let us call or write to

anybody that we'd been shipped out. And of course, once I got over there, I had

a whole lot of other things on my mind." Mark nodded sympathetically.

"Then when I got back... Well, you remember that."

"Yes, I do remember that." Mark gently squeezed Steve's shoulder.

"You were having some problems... although not as bad as some of the people

who came back."

"No, not as bad as some, but between not being able to sleep because of

the nightmares and the drinking to try to forget some of the worst memories, I

just wasn't in any shape to be thinking of taking up where I left off with

Jenny." Both men sat quietly for a moment, absorbed in thoughts of bad

times past.

"Anyway, Dad, that's ancient history. When I saw Jenny standing there, I

knew I wanted her back in my life again. I need to talk to her tomorrow and try

to convince her to give me a second chance."

"Well, if you're going to have to be convincing, you'd better get some

sleep. You've had quite a day." Mark smiled as he gave Steve's shoulder

one more rub and then stood up.

Steve gave a short laugh as he stood up. "Yeah, I guess you could say

that. Good night, Dad."

"Good night, son."

*****

Jenny sat at the table eating a muffin and drinking strong, black coffee. She

hadn't slept well last night. She'd kept reviewing the evening. After Steve

had disappeared and left her 27 years ago, she had built up an image of him in

her mind, an image of a self centered, eternal adolescent who was only

interested in one thing from a woman. But that man would have reacted to the

news that he was a father with anger and denial, not the surprised delight

and...pride?...that Steve had shown last night. Could she have been wrong about

him? Then why had he disappeared like that?

The telephone rang as she was pouring her third cup of coffee.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Jenny, this is Steve. Um, I was wondering if it would be possible

for us to get together today. We really need to talk."

Jenny hesitated, but decided she really did need to find out if she'd been

wrong about Steve all these years. "Alright. When?"

"How about noon? We can have a picnic on the beach and talk. As I

recall, you always liked picnics."

"I used to. Where?"

"How about here at the beachhouse? That way we can always move inside if

the weather gets bad, or if it's too windy."

"Alright. I'll be there at noon."

"Great! I'll see you then."

"Good-bye."

"Bye."

*****

It was late evening, and Steve sat on the sofa in his living room, with Jenny

leaning against him, her head resting against his chest. For the moment, they

were wrapped in a companionable silence, each one digesting everything they'd

talked about for the past several hours. After Steve had explained his

"disappearance" and his reason for not telling Jenny he was in the

Army, Jenny had admitted he was probably right about how she would have reacted.

The person she was at that time probably wouldn't have wanted to have anything

to do with him. From there, the conversation had been kept fairly light while

they had their picnic. Jenny had delighted Steve with stories of Kathryn as a

child, and Steve had talked about some of the weird and stupid criminals he'd

had to deal with and some of the worst assignments he'd had.

After the picnic, when they had moved inside and settled on the sofa, though,

the conversation had turned deep. Steve had wanted to know what it was like for

Jenny raising Kathryn on her own. He found out, among other things, that Jenny

had stayed with her parents for a while but had then built up her own business.

It had been a struggle at first, but the business had taken off, and now was

doing quite well.

Jenny had asked about Steve's experiences in Vietnam, probably prompted by his

earlier remark about the problems he'd had when he'd gotten back. Steve didn't

like talking about Vietnam, hadn't ever really talked about the worst stuff to

anybody before. He'd had the feeling, though, that if he really wanted Jenny

back in his life, he had to open up to her, so he had. One particular

experience always brought tears to Steve's eyes, one reason he never talked

about it to anyone, but Jenny had gently brushed away the tears and told him

that tears were okay - they just showed that he was human and that he cared.

Now, sitting there together, Steve wished that it could continue like that

forever. Then Jenny stirred and turned toward Steve.

"Steve, much as I'd hate to break this up, I really should be going. I've

got to catch an early flight to Seattle and I still have to pack.'

Seattle. The word hit Steve like a slap in the face. These past hours had

been so good that he'd managed to forget that Jenny now lived two states and

over a thousand miles away. "Do you really have to go? You own the

company, can't you just delay your return?"

"No, Steve, I really can't. My assistant is expecting me back tomorrow

and it's too late to change plans now... That doesn't mean I can't come back,

though," Jenny smiled with a hint of promise.

"Soon?"

"Real soon. I'll give Martha, my assistant, a more in-depth briefing so

she'll be better prepared to handle things for a while, then we'll be able to

spend more time together."

"Well, okay, if that's the best you can do," Steve said in a

mock-pouting tone as he rose from the sofa.

"I tell you what, I'll give you something to remember me by," Jenny

said as she stepped close to Steve and then kissed him, slowly and thoroughly.

"Mmmmmmmm... I really didn't need that to remember you by, you know,"

Steve gave Jenny a playful smile. "But I will definitely be looking

forward to your next trip. Soon?"

"Real soon," Jenny agreed.

On that note, Steve walked Jenny to her car, his arm entwined with hers.

*****

"Cat, he's driving me crazy!" Jesse whispered to Cat across a table

at BBQ Bob's, and darted a quick look at Steve who was taking someone's money at

the cash register. It was just about closing time and Jesse really needed a

break, after the busy night they'd had.

"Come on, Jess, it's only been a few weeks since he found out he was my

father. Once the novelty wears off, things will get back to normal."

"What about for you? Has the novelty worn off yet?"

"Not yet, and I don't think it will. I liked him when he was your friend

and he's really sweet as a dad. We spent a whole day just talking about my

childhood and my life now. He acts like he feels kind of...I don't

know...*deprived* that he didn't get a chance to take part in my growing up, so

he's trying to make up for it now."

"Maybe, but in the meantime, he keeps grilling me about where we went and

what we did, and am I treating you right. He seems obsessed about making sure I

don't cancel too many dates with you because something comes up at the hospital.

I haven't, have I?"

"Well, not *too* many," Cat smiled, but Jesse looked stricken.

"Does it bother you that I sometimes have to handle an emergency and have

to cancel a date? You know I only do it if there's absolutely no way out of

it."

Jesse's hurt-puppy look melted Cat's heart. "Jesse, I know that you're a

very dedicated doctor and that you really care about your patients. That's one

of the reasons I love you. I also know that you try very hard not to break a

date, but that sometimes things come up that you have no control over. I know

that and I accept that as part of the whole package." Cat squeezed Jesse's

hand to reinforce her words.

Jesse happened to glance over at Steve at that moment and caught the dark scowl

that Steve was directing at him. "That's the other thing, every time you

touch me or I touch you, Steve looks like he'd like to kill me."

"Maybe you should talk to him about it."

"Why don't YOU talk to him about it? He won't hurt you."

Cat laughed. "Come on, Jesse, if we're going to keep going out, you're

going to have to stand up to him some time. Besides, he won't hurt you *too*

badly, he can't run this place without you."

"Ha, ha. That's a big comfort. Uh oh, here he comes," Jesse

commented as Steve started toward them.

Cat stood and gave Jesse a quick kiss. "Listen, I'm going to go. The

last customer has left. Why don't the two of you have a cup of coffee and talk

things out?" Cat suggested, then turned and walked away. "Bye,

Dad," Cat gave an impish grin at Steve as she went past him.

Steve stopped momentarily, still not quite used to being called

"Dad". "G'night Kathryn," he managed to call out before she

was out the door.

As Steve approached the table, Jesse decided that the best defense was a good

offense, "So, Steve, I hear you and Jenny spent quite a bit of time

together when Jenny came back to visit. Is it getting serious between you

two?"

"Uh, yeah, I think so. Before she left, Jenny was talking about looking

into moving her office down here."

Seeing that he had temporarily derailed Steve train of thought about him and

Cat, Jesse pressed on, "That does sound serious. What about you, how do

you feel about that?"

"I think that would be great." Steve sat down and leaned toward

Jesse, the look on his face softened by thoughts of Jenny. "Being with

Jenny again is...wonderful...fantastic." Steve hunted for just the right

word, but every word seemed to fall short. "I keep wondering if the reason

none of my other relationships with women went anywhere is because Jenny is the

woman I was meant to be with."

"Do you think she'll be able to handle your being a cop, you know, the

long hours, the breaking dates because you have to go out on a call?"

Steve stiffened and narrowed his eyes at Jesse. "Nice try, Jesse, but at

least I have my priorities straight. Jenny is the most important thing in my

life now. You, on the other hand, are just like my father. Your job and your

patients are your number one priority."

"Hey, I don't know what you mean about your father, but Cat IS the most

important thing in MY life."

"Yeah, right. Listen, while I was growing up I saw what it was like for

my mother to be married to a doctor - the number of times my father wasn't

around for birthdays and anniversaries. The number of times he promised to be

somewhere and never showed up." Steve stood up, his body tense.

"Well I'm not going to let that happen to Kathryn. I'm not going to let

you hurt her like that."

Jesse stood, angry at the unwarranted attack. "Is that what this is

about, your childhood? I am NOT your father, and I am NOT going to hurt

Kathryn. We've been friends for a few years now and I would have thought you'd

give me the benefit of a doubt. That's what friends do, you know." By

this time, Jesse was practically shaking with anger.

Mark walked in the door of BBQ Bob's, expecting to pick up a quick bite to eat.

He was shocked at the sight before him, of Jesse and Steve looking as if they

were about to come to blows. "Um, if I'm interrupting something, I can

come back later. I'd hate to get in the middle of a boxing match."

The tension lasted a moment or two more, then Steve relaxed a bit. "No,

that's okay Dad. Jesse was just reminding me that we've been friends for a long

time and that friends give friends the benefit of a doubt." Steve gave

Jesse a tentative smile, "Right?"

Jesse relaxed and smiled back, "That's right." As they started to

walk away, Jesse spoke quietly, seriously, to Steve, "I meant what I said,

Steve. I won't hurt her." Steve nodded with understanding.

*****

Jesse sat fidgeting at the restaurant table as he waited for Cat. A couple of

months had passed since his "discussion" with Steve about priorities,

and Jesse had made good on his word to put Cat ahead of his job and his

patients. He never shirked his duties, but he didn't put in the kind of extra

hours and shifts he had been putting in before he met Cat. As the days and

weeks had passed, he realized that he didn't want to ever be without her.

Jesse stood quickly when Cat entered the restaurant. As she came to the table,

he gave her a quick peck on the cheek and moved her chair out for her.

"You're looking particularly gorgeous tonight."

"Well it's not every night we go to a REAL restaurant," Cat smiled.

"Hey, is that a dig at Bob's?" Jesse smiled back as he sat down.

After they were both seated and had given the waiter their order, Jesse asked

Cat about her day, but wasn't really listening when she answered. His thoughts

were elsewhere, thinking about how much Cat had come to mean to him, drinking in

the sight of her and all the things he loved about her. It took him a moment to

realize that Cat had asked him a question. "What?"

"Jesse, did you hear anything I said? Is something wrong?" Cat spoke

with concern.

"Um, no...uh...nothing's wrong. I was just..." Jesse took a deep

breath and let it out quickly. "Cat, the reason I wanted to have dinner

here tonight, instead of at Bob's, is because I wanted to ask you something and

I didn't want to be interrupted by business. Or Steve." Jesse gave an

involuntary shudder.

"What is it?"

Jesse reached into his jacket pocket and brought out a ring. He took Cat's

hand, "Kathryn Ann Collins, will you marry me?" His nervousness made

his voice crack.

Cat looked at Jesse with astonishment, then leaned over and kissed him gently.

"Is that a yes, or is that just a kiss-off?" Jesse half-joked, afraid

of the answer she might give.

"Of course it's a yes, silly."

Jesse grinned at her, then the grin froze on his face, "I wonder what

Steve's going to say?"

"Why don't we tell him tonight and find out?"

"I don't know, maybe I ought to update my life insurance first,"

Jesse quipped.

*****

In a different restaurant, Jenny sat at a table waiting for Steve. He had said

he had some paperwork to finish up, but that he would be there. Jenny was

thinking about some of the things that Amanda and Jesse had told her about the

long hours Steve put in and the number of times he got called out on a case.

Jenny hadn't seen any of that since they'd been going out together, though. He

didn't put in much overtime and he didn't go out on a case unless he was on

call, which Jenny understood was part of the job.

When Steve walked in the door of the restaurant, Jenny couldn't help smiling at

the fact that he'd taken the time to go home and change into something more

appropriate for this restaurant. Then as Steve walked toward her, she was again

struck by the grace and power in that incredible body. Jenny sighed. Sex wasn't

everything, though. There had to be more between two people in order for a

relationship to survive.

Steve gave Jenny a quick kiss as he sat down. "You know, the way you were

looking at me, it looked like you had already decided what you want for

dessert," Steve gave a mischievous grin.

"Mmmmmm, definitely," Jenny smiled back.

After the waiter had taken their order, Steve took Jenny's hand. "You

said there was something important you wanted to ask me?" Steve asked,

somewhat apprehensively.

"Yes, but why don't we wait till after dinner?"

"Uh, sure. That's fine." *Waiting till after dinner could only mean

bad news,* Steve thought. *She's waiting so that she won't spoil the dinner.*

It couldn't be a kiss-off, though, Steve thought desperately. They'd been

getting along so well. After that, Steve wasn't able to enjoy the dinner at

all. He wasn't sure what he ate or if, in fact, he ate at all. When they'd

finished and the waiter had cleared the table, Jenny took Steve's hand and

looked solemnly into his eyes. Steve braced himself, *Okay, here comes the bad

news.*

"Steve, we've been going together for a while now. It's been great, but

I've decided that it's really not enough for me."

Steve cringed, "Jenny..."

"Steve, wait. I need to say this," Jenny gave Steve's hand a slight

squeeze. "Steve, will you marry me?"

Steve sat, stunned, unable to form coherent thoughts.

"Uh, is that a no?" Jenny asked tentatively.

Steve shook out of his daze, leaned across to Jenny and kissed her, then said,

"Jenny, you've made me the happiest man on earth. Of course I'll marry

you." Then he gave a sadistic grin and added, "I wonder what Jesse

will think of this?"

*****

When they left the restaurant, Jenny and Steve decided to ride over to the

beachhouse to tell Mark the news. Steve was somewhat surprised and displeased

to see Jesse's car in front of the house. "What's *he* doing here?"

Steve wondered aloud.

"Well, he has to find out sooner or later, Steve. It might just as well

be now," Jenny took Steve's hand and started toward the beachhouse.

As they entered the house, they saw Mark, Kathryn and Jesse standing there.

Jesse looked pale and nervous. Mark had a hand on Jesse's shoulder and had a

strange grin on his face.

"Jesse, Kathryn, what are you guys doing here?" Steve asked.

"Uh...Steve...uh...there's something I need to tell you," Jesse

stammered, then hurried on before he lost his nerve, "Cat and I are

engaged." Jesse took a quick step backward, and slightly behind Mark. He

was puzzled by Steve's reaction and the evil grin that came over Steve's face.

"Well, Jesse, maybe we can make it a double wedding, then."

When the import of Steve's statement sunk in, Mark and Cat began a confused

congratulations of Steve and Jenny, with kisses, backslapping and hugs being

given and returned. Jesse just stood there in shock.

Cat stood back and remarked with a smile, "Well, I guess after 27 years

it's about time my parents got married."

Steve ruffled her hair and remarked with mock sternness, "You know, young

lady, I don't know where you get that smart-ass attitude from." Jenny and

Mark exchanged knowing smiles.

Jesse finally threw off his shock to ask Steve, hopefully, "Does that mean

that we have your blessing?"

Steve released his arm from Jenny's and took Jesse by the elbow. "Jesse,

come walk with me on the beach." He started to steer Jesse to the door.

Jesse looked back helplessly at Cat, Jenny, and Mark, "If we're not back

in an hour, call 911!"

Cat called after them, "Dad, don't kill him. I love him." Steve

didn't comment.

When Steve reached the water's edge, he stopped and turned toward Jesse.

"Jesse, I've never said this to you before, but I love you like a brother.

When Susan broke it off with you, I know how badly it hurt you, and when Kathryn

came into your life, I was really happy for you. I really do wish that I could

be happy about this..."

"But?"

"I don't know, Jess, maybe it's the age-old father thing where nobody is

good enough for my daughter, or maybe it's that I just can't get past what it

was like for me as a kid. I don't know..." Steve stopped, not knowing what

else to say.

Jesse could feel the anger rising in him. "Well thanks for nothing,

'Brother'," Jesse turned and started to stalk off.

"Jesse, wait," Steve started after Jesse and, when he reached him,

held onto Jesse's arm to stop him. "Jesse, come on. Listen, you and

Kathryn don't need my blessing. That's an antiquated custom anyway. Nowadays,

if two adults want to get married, they just do it."

"Yeah, well, it may be antiquated, but I know it would mean a lot to

Cat...," Jesse hesitated, "and to me."

"Won't it be enough for Kathryn that you're returning alive?" Steve

asked, with a smile, in a desperate attempt to end their talk on a light note.

Jesse just glared and started toward the house again.

Steve followed after him. "Look, Jess, there's no reason why Kathryn has

to know about this. When you and I return to the house, if we both have smiles

on our faces, she'll just assume that everything's fine. Come on, Jess, for

Kathryn's sake can we at least pretend that everything is alright?" Steve

pleaded.

"Fine." Jesse continued toward the beachhouse.

*****

When Mark went to the kitchen for a late-night snack, he was surprised to see

Steve standing out on the deck looking out at the ocean. Mark had assumed that

Steve and Jenny would be together, celebrating their engagement. He walked out

on the deck and put his hand on Steve's shoulder. "Did Jenny go

home?"

"No, she's sleeping."

"And you're not. What's wrong? Having second thoughts?"

"No, never...not about me and Jenny anyway," Steve turned around and

leaned against the railing. "No, I was thinking about Jesse and Kathryn.

You know, I really wish I could be happy for them."

"So why aren't you?"

Steve sighed. He didn't want to get into his reasons with his father, but

maybe that was the only way to settle this. "Dad, I can't help but

remember what it was like when I was growing up. All the time you spent away

from me and Mom. All the times you made plans to go somewhere with Mom and then

had to cancel because something came up at work. I don't want my daughter to

have to go through that."

"Steve, your mother understood about that."

"Did she, Dad? Did she really?" Steve couldn't quite keep the pain

of the memories from his voice.

"Yes she did. Steve, you saw things through the eyes of a child. You

couldn't see the deep love your mother and I had for each other. Your mother

understood me. She knew what my job meant to me. I may not have been the best

husband, but your mother loved me and she made our marriage work. She was a

very special person... Is your daughter any less special?" Mark asked,

putting Steve on the spot.

Startled by the question, Steve looked at his father for a moment before

answering. "My daughter is an exceptionally special person," Steve

smiled.

"So, this exceptionally special woman is marrying a really nice guy, so

what are you concerned about?" Mark smiled gently.

"Dad, do you really think everything will be okay?"

"I am certain of it," Mark said with conviction.

"Well they say age brings wisdom, and you certainly have plenty of

age," Steve said with an impish grin.

Mark put on his old man persona, "Why you young whippersnapper. What are

you still doing up? Isn't it past your bedtime?"

"Yes it is. Way past," Steve agreed, still smiling. He went

downstairs, but didn't return to bed right away. He had a call he needed to

make first.

Jesse stood looking out the window of his apartment. His talk with Steve had

put a definite damper on the evening for Jesse. He knew that Steve would, and

had in fact, trusted Jesse with his life, so why couldn't he trust Jesse with

his daughter?

Cat came up behind Jesse and put her hand on his shoulder. "What's the

matter, can't sleep?"

Jesse turned and wrapped Cat in a hug. "Yeah, something like that."

"Jesse, what's wrong? You've been kind of down ever since your talk with

Steve. He didn't hurt you did he?" Cat teased.

"Cat..." Jesse started, but was interrupted by the phone ringing.

"Who could be calling at this hour?"

"The hospital?"

"No, they'd beep me if they needed me. Besides, I'm not on call

tonight." Jesse went and picked up the phone, "Hello?"

"Hey, Jess, it's Steve."

"Steve, it's one o'clock in the morning. What couldn't wait till

tomorrow?"

Steve could hear the anger in Jesse's voice, and hurried on, "Jess, I just

wanted to tell you that I've thought about things a bit and I had a talk with

Dad, and, if it still matters to you, you and Kathryn have my blessing."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Dad helped me see things from a different perspective. I'm sorry

to wake you up, but I felt I had to call you."

"No, that's alright. I couldn't sleep anyway. I'm glad you didn't wait

till tomorrow to tell me." Jesse could feel the anger draining from him, to

be replaced by a sense of elation.

"Well, uh, I guess I'll let you go. Goodnight, Jess."

"'Night Steve, and thanks for calling," Jesse tried to put as much

gratitude as he could in his voice. He hung up and turned to Cat. "You

know, the reason I was down just disappeared and I'm suddenly feeling really

tired," the broad grin on his face belying his words, as he took Cat's hand

and headed for the bedroom.

*****

Mark was sitting in the doctors' lounge at Community General, staring at

nothing and smiling, when Amanda entered the room. "Hi, Mark. What's up?

It must be good news, from that smile on your face."

"Amanda, have I got news for you," Mark grinned.