He met her gaze, pursing his lips as he listened, rolling his eyes when she mentioned him screwing her. Like that was going to go in his favor. "Screwing his little girl. Thanks for reminding me. Should I tell him how it was you who pursued me, or would that not surprise him?"

"I'm my father's daughter," was all she said in answer to that, hoping it was warning enough. The taxi had come to a stop, the driver waiting patiently for her to lean forward and pay him before opening a door to slide out. "Come on, love. The sooner we go in, the sooner we can escape."

"Vicki..." He reached for her hand to detain her just a moment. "You realize that if you want him to walk you down the aisle, we either have to have the wedding here or you have to 'fess up." He wasn't that crazy about lying to the man, though he understand her reasons for doing so.

"Jon." She turned, closing her other hand over his where he held onto her. "I told you, I will tell him. I'll tell him as soon as we have a minute together and he's calm and serious, or he'll never believe me. Just ....trust me and go along with it for now, okay' I promise, things will be fine."

He nodded his head, wondering how much she'd told her father about him, wondering if the man knew more about his own past than he did himself. Nevertheless, he wanted to do this, was even looking forward to it. "I'm just having a little case of stage fright, I guess. Butterflies in my stomach." He smiled faintly. Hell, after everything he'd been through in the last few months, this should be a piece of cake. Why was he so nervous"

"He's going to love you," she assured him, rising onto her toes to press her lips to his in a slow, fond kiss. "Just, you know, not the way I love you. You have to tell me if he tries to seduce you, though." For a moment, it seemed as though she might actually be serious, too.

He let her kiss him, his mouth dropping open a little, followed by a smirk when she warned him about her father. He thought he remembered her mentioning that the man had a girlfriend or was he mistaken. "You aren't serious. Your father isn't....you know..." His face paled a shade. He thought he was past all that.

She let him squirm for a moment before laughing aloud. "Oh, Jon, you're so easy to tease!" A gentle squeeze of his hand, and she turned to pull him in through the little gate and up toward the old English country cottage.

He trudged along behind her hand in hand, a duffel slung across one shoulder, looking the place over as they strode toward the cottage. It looked homey enough, quaint even. "Is this where you grew up?" he asked, suddenly curious.

She smiled, holding back on getting her key out to let Jon admire the pretty cottage for himself. "Yes," she admitted softly. "Seems a bit big for just a man and his daughter, doesn't it' But I have a lot of happy memories tied up with this cottage." She squeezed Jon's hand, looking back at him. "Are you okay?"

He smiled warmly over at her. "You forget who you're talking to. I grew up at Maple Grove, remember?" Talk about big. Not that he remembered growing up there, but it was home. And it was another subject he needed to discuss with her sometime soon. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just a little nervous." He looked back at the cottage, which was not nearly as imposing as he'd imagined. "Think he'll dig out the baby pics?" He smirked, blue eyes twinkling once again.

She groaned, rolling her eyes. "Knowing him, he'll have an OHP or a Powerpoint presentation set up to take you through my entire childhood and adolescence. Oh, if he mentions David, ignore him; he'll only be fishing to see if he can make you get surly." David being the ex she had mentioned perhaps once and never again - a perfect indication of how little she thought of him. Her key jangled on her fingertips as she inserted it into the lock, pulling Jon behind her and into the house. "Dad? We're here!"

"David, right. Got it." No getting flustered when Dad mentions the dreaded ex. Jon committed that to memory. His stomach muscles tightened nervously when she called out, announcing their arrival and he blew out a slow breath as they stepped inside. There was no turning back now.

Chris smiled as he turned to look at Jon, the expression startlingly similar to the playful quirk of lips that rested so often on his daughter's face. "Oh, I used to teach psychology at A-level," he told the man, noting how Jon hadn't let go of Vicki's hand yet. "I practise now, of course. Not private, I'm attached to the NHS." He cleared his throat. "Tiger, clear off while I interrogate your fella, why don't you? Go and put the bags in your room or something similar. Fifteen minutes do you for this chat, Jon?"

Vicki rolled her eyes, shaking her head in amusement. "God, Dad, you could be a little more subtle, couldn't you?" she laughed, looking to Jon. "You okay with me disappearing for a bit' I won't be far - one yelp, and I'll be back."

Psychology. Wonderful. Jon thought he'd probably want to poke at his brain to see if he was sane enough to be dating his daughter. Despite these thoughts, Jon smiled and gave Vicki's hand a reassuring squeeze. "I'll be fine, Vicki. I don't scare that easily." The last was said both for her and her father's sake, subtly telling the man his intentions for his daughter were long-term.

Jon got a sudden understanding of what any suitors of Lena might feel like when meeting Jon for the first time, though he thought he was not all that intimidating a figure himself.

The father smiled beatifically, dismissing his daughter with a wave of his hand. "There, you see" He's a big brave boy, now push off."

Chuckling again, Vicki grinned, leaning close to brush a reassuring kiss to Jon's lips before she rose and slipped from the kitchen. A moment later, they heard her boots thumping against the stairs as she headed for the next level of the little house.

Chris turned, pouring boiling water into his teapot as he spoke. "She really loves you, you know," he said quietly, bringing the teapot, mugs, sugar, and a jug of milk to the table to sit down with Jon. "If you break with her, it'll tear her to pieces."

Jon smiled into the kiss and watched while she flounced away, her kiss reassuring and encouraging. If the father was anything like the daughter, they were going to get along swimmingly. He turned back around, folding his hands on the table in front of him, as Chris poured water for tea and joined him. He straightened just at little at the implied warning, a serious look on his face. "I've no intentions of breaking with her, sir. If you don't mind my bluntness, I've come here to ask your permission to have her hand in marriage."

They both knew Jon didn't have to do this. Vicki had already said yes and probably intended to marry Jon no matter what her father said, but he'd rather have her father's approval than not.

The older man had an unsettling way of holding a person's gaze without blinking, studying the reactions of the man who had just asked to marry his little girl in silence. When the moments had stretched into minutes without a word being spoken, finally he opened his mouth.

"Are you ready to be married, Jon?" he asked carefully. "Really, truly ready to be the center of her world, to look after her not only physically, but mentally, spiritually, emotionally' To support her in her choices and allow her to support you in yours" It is a big step, inviting someone to be such an integral part of your life until death do you part."

Jon waited in silence while the man seemed to consider his words. He knew he had jumped past all the man's questions regarding himself straight to the heart of the matter, but he had thrown down the gauntlet first and Jon had just chosen to skip past all the crap and get to the gist of it. "I think I am, sir. I know we haven't been together very long, but I love her, and I can no longer imagine my life without her. I've....been through a lot this past year and..." He paused a moment before continuing. "I don't think I would have come through it without her."

Chris snorted lightly, a wry smile touching his face as he looped his hands together on the table between them. "Jonathan, trust me when I say that the amount of time you have been together means absolutely nothing to me," he said calmly. "I knew Vicki's mother for two weeks before I asked her to marry me, one month after that she was my wife. And we were very happy together. But she died when Vicki was just a small child, and I'm responsible for our little girl. I didn't ask you to make you feel awkward or guilty, or trick the so-called 'right' answer from you. I just want to know. You have a reputation that is less than savoury, but if you can look me in the eye right now, in my own home, and tell me truthfully that all that nonsense is behind you, then that will be the end of it."

Jon frowned a little, visibly tensing beneath the man's scrutiny, his past coming back to haunt him again. It didn't seem fair to him to be judged by lies written in the press and a past he didn't remember, but he knew the man was only thinking of Vicki, that he loved her and cared for her just as much as Jon did, if not more. He met the man's gaze steadily, not offering a hasty reply, but taking a moment to gather his words and state his case. "Believe me when I say I'm not the same man I was even a year ago. I've changed, and much of that change is because of your daughter. I would sooner die than hurt her. You have my solemn word that I will do my best to take care of her, to love her, to treat her with respect so long as I live."

Chris leaned forward, his expression severe but for the barest hint of amusement deep in the blue eyes that matched those of his daughter. "And do you promise to rodger her silly whenever she needs it, regardless of time, place, weather, or her personal preferences?"

"Of us?" Jon looked aghast. "Of course not! If they want to see me in bed with someone, they can watch Crowes. By the way, Lelah owes me one. Again. That's twice now she's gotten an Oscar nomination, while I've been overlooked." It didn't really bother him that much, except that he'd put in the performance of a lifetime and was once again overlooked by Hollywood.

"We're done!" Jon called over his shoulder to Vicki's father. "You are in so much trouble later," he whispered to Vicki with a grin. He hoped the bed didn't squeak, but maybe she would.

"Looking forward to it," she grinned back, nipping the tip of Jon's nose affectionately as her father came back into the kitchen. "What's the matter, Dad, isn't Marie letting you get your end away this month?"

Chris gave his daughter what could only be described as an old-fashioned look and sat back down at the table with an armful of photo albums. "You're not so big I can't turn you over my knee and give you a good spanking, Tiger," he pointed out, and instantly burst out laughing as she looked pointedly toward Jon. "No, I suppose your manly man there has the sort of hands that make you moan and squeal all the time. Is that so, Jon?"

"I do my best," Jon replied, with a grin. "I'd offer to spank her for you, but I think she might enjoy it too much." He took another sip of his tea and glanced toward the pile of photo albums her father had managed to dig up at a moment's notice, envying the relationship the pair had with each other. Jon got the feeling that there was no lack of love in Vicki's house growing up, even if there was only one parent to lavish it upon her. "Has she always been this lively?"

"Don't answer that," was Vicki's demand just as her father laughed and said, "Define lively."

"Oh, I think you know what I mean." Jon turned to look at Vicki, affectionately. "Vibrant, full of life. Mischievous, happy. I have a feeling she was a handful growing up."

"Well, I'm not sure -"

"Dad, don't you dare."

It would appear that there was something coming that Vicki was all too ready to veto being said aloud, her cheeks bright red before anything was even said. "I'd gag her if you want to hear this, Jon," Chris laughed at his daughter's objections.

Jon was looking between them again, wondering what could possibly be so embarrassing that Vicki wouldn't want her father to share it, especially with him. As far as Jon was concerned, there was nothing anyone could tell him that would make him love her less. "It's okay," he relented, not wanting to upset her, despite his desire to tease her and hear what her father had to say. "It's not a big deal."

Chris blinked, looking impressed. He turned his eyes onto his daughter, who was pressing her hands to her burning cheeks in relief. "Hold onto this one, girl," he told her, before adding to Jon, "You're the first boyfriend not to have insisted on knowing what it is I was teasing her with."

Vicki groaned again, leaning close to Jon. "Thank you," she murmured to her fiance before lifting her voice to her father. "Just show him the bloody pictures and get it over with, would you?"

Chris snorted with laughter. "My, my, so impatient for humiliation, Tiger."

Jon chuckled at the two of them. Baby pictures were baby pictures. Everyone had them. He knew it was only a matter of time before Humphrey dug out his own, if Lena didn't beat him to it. "Stop worrying so much, Vic. Nothing in those pictures or stories will make me love you less." Just the opposite, in fact, more than likely. "How'd she get the nickname?" He changed the subject to a different question, not really sure what questions might turn embarrassing for her and which were safe ground.

"Oh, she spent a solid year when she was three just growling at everyone after her mother took her to the zoo," Chris got his answer in before Vicki could prevent it, both of them sharing a warm grin before Vicki dissolved into embarrassed giggles, pressing her face against Jon's shoulder. "Not a single word for a whole year, just growling in various tones of agreement or disapproval."

Jon laughed, trying to imagine Vicki as a child pretending to be a tiger. "She still growls from time to time, but for different reasons." He smirked, teasing her innocently. He slid an affectionate arm around her shoulders and pulled her close. She was a tiger in bed, anyway, but he wasn't going to mention that in front of her father. Maybe later, when they were alone.

"Yeah, he doesn't need to know that, darling," Vicki laughed, squeezing Jon's thigh under the table. It was an interesting warning; if he said too many things like that, she was utterly unafraid to grope him in front of her father.

"It's always good to know my daughter gets a good servicing on a regular basis," was Chris' response as he chuckled, shaking his head. He opened the first album, flipping to the middle and pointing to a picture of a toddler with bright red pigtails, baring her teeth in a wide grin at the camera. "See if you can imagine that growling at you everyday."

Jon smirked, getting the hint from Vicki that he shouldn't share too many secrets, and yet, she was squeezing his thigh beneath the table. He didn't find that to be much of a threat. He cleared his throat at the way her father put it, like he was a gas station attendant filling Vicki's tank on a regular basis. In a way, that analogy sort of fit, but he kept that thought to himself. Instead he looked to the photo albums being opened up in front of him. "Oh, look at those pigtails. She's adorable."

"We could use a good night's sleep," Jon explained further, sensing her father would understand. He pushed away from the table and moved to his feet to offer the man another handshake, smiling warmly. "It was a pleasure and honor to meet you, Chris. I hope I passed the audition."

"Would you like my consent in writing, or are you going to seal the deal on my kitchen table with the girl in question?" Chris chuckled, shaking Jon's hand firmly. "You two have a good night. Don't wait up for me."

This last was said directly to his daughter, who slipped from the counter to hug him and kiss his cheek before he left them in the kitchen. A moment or two later, the front door closed behind him, and Jon was left alone in his prospective father-in-law's kitchen with Vicki. She smiled brightly. "See" He didn't bite."

Jon let out a relieved sigh, his shoulders visibly relaxing. "No, but apparently you did. Tiger." He smirked over at her, eyes dancing with mischief now that they were alone.

She stuck her tongue out at him, snorting with laughter as she pushed away from the counter again to loop her arms about his waist. "I still feel bad about that one," she admitted ruefully. "He always brings it up to people I bring home, whether they're lovers or just friends. He seems to like shocking people with how appallingly I behaved when I was tiny."

He feigned a look of shock, still teasing. "You mean you don't behave like that anymore?" Snickering with mischief, he looped his arms around her waist. "What do you say we go test out the bed before he gets home to hear us?"

She laughed at his teasing mischief, pleased that his first encounter with her father hadn't left Jon with terrifying mental scars. "You're not hungry?" she asked curiously, tilting her head with cheeky sweetness. "I'm sure I can find something to eat here that even I couldn't destroy."

"Maybe I'm hungry for you," he teased again, leaning in to kiss her neck, growling a low warning what he was hungry for. Food could wait. There was a different kind of hunger on his mind.

A low purring laugh drew from her throat as she arched against him, curling her arms around his neck as her lips brushed his ear. "Well, then, Mr Granger," she murmured wickedly. "Why don't we adjourn upstairs and christen my first bed with my fiance's spunk?"

He grinned at her reply. "What if we break it?" Hey, it was a very real possibility considering the way they tended to go at it. "Sex first, food later. I have my priorities."

"Mmm, and I love your priorities," she laughed, nipping at his lips playfully for a moment. Her hand slid into his and she stepped away, ducking out through the kitchen door to run, giggling up the stairs with Jon in tow.

He echoed her laughter and followed her up the stairs, taking them two at a time. It was just as well Christopher Marshall had left for the evening - the little cottage where Vicki had grown up was about to ring with the sound of her thoroughly enjoying the touch of her fiance. Another happy memory for the house where she was born.

((Many thanks to Jon's player for this scene!))