The reception following the ceremony included all the usual traditions. After the elegant meal Steve and Jennifer took to the dance floor. He held her close feeling this would be the last time he would hold his little girl. The song, ‘Daddy’s Little Girl’ began and the pair danced gracefully across the floor, occasionally sharing a few words. By the end Jennifer was crying and Steve was struggling to hold back his tears while wiping hers from her cheeks with his thumbs. He kissed her forehead before handing her over to her husband.

Steve walked to the bar to nurse a drink while watching the newlyweds step in time together. Seeing his slumped shoulders Oscar and Rudy flanked him and attempted to lighten his mood, “Hey pal, I didn’t know you could dance that well.” Steve just smirked and downed his drink. “Oscar there are a lot things you don’t know I’m good at.” He shot a devilish wink at Rudy who laughed.

There was a collective sigh from the three friends watching the beautiful bride looking like a princess and Oscar put their shared thoughts into words, “Well our little girl is all grown up.” Steve cocked and eyebrow at him. “‘Our’ little girl?”

Oscar looked at Steve and said confidently, “Yes, ‘our’ little girl.”

Rudy couldn’t help but laugh as Steve continued, “I don’t recall you being there when she only slept two hours a night for the first 4 months, or when she was screaming 24 hours a day because she was teething, or for the thousands of dirty diapers and temper tantrums,” He paused for a breath, “or for the really tough situations like where does a father take his 6-year-old daughter when she has to use a public restroom?” Oscar looked at him with an exaggerated hurt expression “AND,” Steve chuckled as he took a sip of his drink, “I certainly don’t recall you being there when she was conceived.” The father shot a lopsided grin and a wink at the doctor who was unable to catch his breath from laughing so hard.

“Well, we were there for other parts, right Rudy?” Rudy nodded in agreement.

”Yeah, all the fun parts.” Steve huffed and winked at his boss expressing his understanding. “Well Jennifer may have had to grow up without a mother but she at least had three fathers.” Steve commented.

“Here, Here.” The men toasted as the three glasses clinked.

The trio gazed casually across the room watching all the guests socializing when Steve’s face abruptly fell. His friends instantly realized he was no longer hearing their conversation, as his body went rigid with a white-knuckled grip on his drinking glass, just staring across the room without blinking, his face slowly draining of all its color.

“Steve what’s wrong?” The concerned doctor asked thinking he was having a heart attack by the look on his face. “Steve? Steve!” He placed a hand on his arm, seeing a light sheen of perspiration cover his face.

“It’s him.” Steve said in a choked whisper.

“Who”? Oscar inquired looking in the direction of Steve’s stare. “Him.” Steve tilted his head in the direction of his interest not wanting to point. He suddenly turned toward the bar trying to calm himself. Oscar and Rudy shared concerned looks at Steve’s unusual behavior. Their friend who was always calm, cool and collected was, for want of a better word, panicked. With all the stress of the wedding Steve had forgotten about the celebrity guest.

Before they could decipher his problem Jennifer suddenly appeared and wrapped her arm across Steve’s broad shoulders. Kissing him excitedly on the cheek she asked with a giggle, “Are you ready Colonel Austin?”

Leaning on the bar with his elbows Steve could swear his bionic legs were shaking even though he was sure they couldn’t be. “I’m not sure Jen…I mean…maybe we should wait…”

“Oh come on! He’s been asking about you.” She grabbed his hand before he could protest and dragged him across the room. Oscar and Rudy watched with curiosity to see what would unfold.

She led her father to the very fit and mentally sharp 80-year-old man, who could easily be mistaken for a man in his early sixties, sitting with Scott’s parents. Steve’s eyes were as wide as saucers as he realized a lifelong dream was coming true. There before him was the one and only General Chuck Yeager.

“Grandpa?” Jen greeted, “I’d like you to meet my father, Colonel Steve Austin.” Steve was star-struck as he shook the hand offered to him. He did his best to prevent his voice from stammering, “General, it’s a pleasure to meet you sir.” He said with an uncharacteristic silly grin.

“Same here Colonel. I’m glad to finally meet you. I’ve followed your impressive career…that is until the M3F5 crash in 1971. Where did you disappear to anyway?”

Jennifer quietly retreated as her excited father politely accepted the seat offered at the table. She wondered, as she left the two former military men, how her father would explain his sudden absence from the test-flying arena in 1971 but was sure he was used to coming up with creative explanations.

Upon her return to the bar a confused Oscar and Rudy asked what was going on. Jennifer giggled and explained her father’s longtime dream of meeting his idol, Chuck Yeager. “He’s Scott’s grandfather.” Her infectious giggling continued as she affectionately watched Steve, “My dad looks like a child on Christmas morning. I was relieved when he finally sat down, I thought he was going to faint at the sight of him.” The two men joined her in her laughter while watching the two seasoned pilots obviously engrossed in aviation talk, their hands and arms moving gracefully in front of them gesturing the maneuvers of the aircrafts they flew.

“You mean they never met before?” Oscar asked in a surprised tone.

“No, Chuck was the Commander of the new USAF Aerospace Research Pilot School in the early 1960’s and heard of my Dad when he went there for astronaut training. Then apparently Dad went to Edwards AFB to be a test pilot in the late 1960’s but Chuck took a position in Korea. And then in the 1970’s Chuck came back to work at Edwards and well; you both know where my Dad was at the point. It’s funny, my humble father doesn’t believe me but Chuck was just as excited to meet him as my dad was to meet Chuck. Well,” She let out with a heavy sigh, “I guess we won’t have to worry about him not having a good time tonight.” She said as she winked playfully and excused herself to go throw her bouquet.

Steve and Chuck were immensely enjoying their time together drinking and talking about their own versions of the ‘good old days’ of flying. The pair amble up to the bar for more drinks and ran into Rudy and Oscar who could tell the two flyboys were a little tipsy, noticing Chuck’s arm over Steve’s shoulder was more then a paternal gesture, it was also to steady himself.

Steve introduced Chuck to his longtime friends and stated they were the primary reason he had to retire from test flying. This didn’t set well with the elder pilot who strongly chastised them for pulling such a brilliant and extraordinarily skillful pilot from the air. After Chuck excused himself to the men’s room Steve leaned unsteadily into Oscar and Rudy, “Did you hear that ‘brilliant and extraordinarily skillful’. I never got compliments like that from you Oscar.” Steve said in an annoyed tone but a huge grin covered his face from the compliment bestowed on him from his hero.

Near the end of the night guests were thinning out and those who were left were in various states of intoxication and still raring to go. Chuck returned to the bar, ordered more drinks and joked with Steve for awhile, both laughing until their eyes watered and their sides hurt. Jennifer and her groom were making their rounds, visiting and accepting best wishes as each guest took their leave. The newlyweds, after leaving the ballroom for photographs, returned stunned to find the father of the bride and the grandfather of the groom on stage with the band, singing and laughing. Both men had discarded their suit coats and ties, the collars of their shirts opened and Steve even had his sleeves rolled to his mid-forearms. The band, seeing how the father of the bride was paying them a handsome fee, was more than happy to allow them to participate, especially when the crowd cheered them on so wholeheartedly.

The 40 or so remaining guests were happily entertained by the pair of singing airman who carried a tune quite well. The enthusiastic crowd even kept time with the music as they clapped their hands and danced around to ‘Run around Sue’, ‘Hang on Sloopy’ and ‘Long Cool Woman in a Black Dress’. The bride and groom couldn’t believe the sight and neither could Oscar and Rudy as they watched the impromptu show with dazed expressions from their position at the bar. The boys requested and received the assistance of two willing females to be backup singers on a melodic rendition of ‘California Dreamin’ by the Mamas and Papas. During the instrumental interlude between verses Steve grabbed the leggy blonde while a grinning Chuck slid his arms around the waist of the gorgeous red-head, dancing and twirling them across the stage.

Oscar’s comment to Rudy about never seeing Steve act so uninhibited was overheard by Steve’s longtime friend and air force buddy Harry at the bar who laughed out loud getting the two men’s attention. “I have news for you boys, that man up there IS the real Steve Austin, fun and crazy. That’s the Steve I remember. Ever since he went to work for you and the OSI he got wound too tight. It’s like you brainwashed him or something.” He finished his drink and walked away without another word.

“Is that true Rudy?” Goldman asked knowing Rudy was Steve’s Flight Surgeon since his early days at Andrews Air Force Base.

The doctor smiled at the fond memories, “As I recall Steve did do some pretty crazy stunts when he was in his twenties. I remember having to patch him up a few times after a bar room brawl or some fool-hearty stunt.” He chuckled.

Oscar asked seriously, “Do you think the OSI brainwashed him?”

Rudy replied with a smirk, “You have to keep in mind that when military pilots get together they tend to drink too much and their overly competitive personalities take over. All caution and common sense goes out the window and everything turns into a competition or dare. When Steve was young I don’t think there ever was a challenge he didn’t accept. No, it wasn’t the OSI that changed him. I think his plane crash and near death experience just matured him quickly. Personally I think today was an extremely difficult day for him and now he’s just enjoying blowing off some steam.”

A smiling Jennifer made her way over to Rudy and Oscar commenting she hoped her father wasn’t planning a career change. When they asked why not she replied, “Because I don’t want to return from my honeymoon and find his house swarming with female groupies!” They laughed as she gestured toward the all-female mob dancing seductively at the front of the stage and calling Steve’s name, “Look at those women… and half of them are married! He’s like a magnet!”

Rudy questioned her, “You do know your mother was the same way?” Remembering when he first met Jessica.

“She was not!” The bride stated incredulously, she was obviously not aware of her parent’s first meeting.

Rudy nodded and shared with Jen how her mother fell for her father even while he was battered and unconscious. The doctor laughed, “I don’t think he said more than 10 words to her and even then he was only semi-conscious!” Jen just shook her head.

Oscar made an interesting comment that brought smiles to all, “I wonder if he will remember any of this tomorrow when he wakes up with a killer hangover?”

Jen assured him with a devilish smile, “Oh don’t worry about that Oscar. I have my photographer over there documenting the whole thing. The pictures should be a great bargaining tool in the future. Don’t you think?” She gave a wicked wink at her father’s friends and they all guffawed at the thought.

Before leaving them Jennifer requested they see to it that her father make it home safely with or without the pretty blonde hanging all over him, stating she didn’t want to hear about him or Chuck on the morning news being arrested for disorderly conduct. Rudy and Oscar, each holding three fingers of their right hands up in a mock Boy Scout salute, said in unison, “We promise.” She thanked them each with a peck on the cheek.

The newlyweds walked to the stage to say their good byes. Steve hopped off the stage in front of his grown daughter. After staring at her face a few seconds he just said quietly, “You’ll always be my little girl.”

She returned his smile, “And you’ll always be my Daddy.” They shared a tight hug before saying goodbye.

Immediately Steve was ordered back on stage by the inebriated General who needed help with remembering words to a song. Steve winked at his daughter before jumping back up on stage with a wide grin. Scott took her hand and they headed out to the Honeymoon Suite as Mr. and Mrs.