"Well, it might be a bit late for that," came a voice, Nicole turning to see Lydia, dressed in a tank top and tight jeans, stood in the doorway, grinning at her. "I'm sorry, I asked your dad not to spoil the surprise, don't be mad at him."<br/><br/>"But..." she looked confused. "How did he..."<br/><br/>"Your dad's known I was gay since pretty much the day I met him," she replied. "And..." her face turned slightly pink. "I wanted to be traditional and get his permission to marry you, which I know is a little weird months after the event...but I didn't even need to ask. He saw me with a ring box, put two and two together and told me as long as it made us happy he'd support us no matter what." She came over and pulled her into a tight hug. "He...he called me when you got back here from the fight, said you were upset, I had a client to deal with but the minute it was finished he sent one of his old Star Brigade colleagues to pick me up. I arrived five minutes ago." She smiled at Geri. "I hope she's said nothing but nice things about me."