Epilogue:

Cat grimaced as she stood perfectly still. She hated standing still! Uggh! "Aren't we finished yet?" she whined. Her Mom looked up at her with a mouth full of pins.

"S'and s'ill, honey," she mumbled as best she could. "Your step-dad will be ready soon."

Cat smiled, knowing how important this was for him. She flipped her curls over her shoulder as the dressing room door opened and Aunt Amy walked in. She was carrying Isaac on one hip and a small box in her free hand.

Aunt Amy set the box down and kissed Cat's cheek. "How's my little munchkin?"

Cat rolled her eyes as only a 17 year old could. "Mom is still fiddling with my hem. Could you please tell her that it's fine?"

Mom looked at Aunt Amy and rolled her eyes as only a mom could. "She snagged it and it had to be fixed," she said, spitting the rest of the pins into a candy dish. "Is everyone here?"

Aunt Amy nodded, letting her 4 yr old slid off her hip. He immediately plopped down on the floor and started trying to take off his shoes. Mom got to her feet and smoothed her own dress. She glanced at her watch and checked her hair.

"Okay, Cat, you need to go get Alexander. I'll get Victor. We need to gather in the alcove in 5 minutes, okay?"

Cat nodded and went into the next room to pull her brother away from his laptop. Predictably, he was deep in a computer game. Some sort of barbarian simulation thingy that he and mom were always playing together. Al muttered angrily about almost leveling up, but followed once she shook a fist under his nose. By the time they got to the alcove, Uncle Howard was trying to adjust her step-dad's tie. A second later Mom appeared with her other brother against her chest, his little fist rubbing sleepily at his eyes.

She reached for Vic immediately so her mom could fix Sheldon's tie. She would never, ever admit it aloud, but watching the way they smiled at each other always made her happy. She kissed her littlest brother's cheek, drawing in the sweet smell of baby shampoo and talc.

Tonight her step-dad was being honored by the university for having won a Nobel Prize. In two weeks, they would fly to Stockholm for the actual presentation. She kinda wished she was going, too, but she had the SATs to take. Then she was off for the summer with her Dad.

Meemaw-Mary walked up with Aunt Missy and hugged them before taking Al and Vic to their seats. Her aunts and uncles gave quick congratulations also and hurried away. Then it was just her, Mom and Sheldon. Cat walked over and pulled a small box from her pocket.

"I made this," she said nervously. Sheldon and Mommy looked at her with pride and a bit of surprise. Sheldon reached for the small box and opened it up. She blushed when she saw the look of joy on his face.

"You made this for me?" he asked gently.

Cat nodded as he pulled the lapel pin out and studied it. She loved working with jewelry, and this one was a piece she took extra care with. A gold circle with an onyx insert was a simple looking piece, but it was important to her that he liked it.

"You know, you were almost 6 when you stopped calling me Loki," he said softly. He looked at her with love. "I've always missed that." He attached the symbol for Loki to his right lapel and held out his arms. Cat threw herself into his hug and bit her lip to keep from getting teary-eyed.

"I love you," she said softly. "You're the best step-dad a girl could have."

Sheldon kissed the top of her head. "I love you, too, Cat. I couldn't imagine a better daughter."

Cat moved to hug her mom, smiling as Mom whispered words of love and pride in her ear. She hurried away and walked to the large table holding the rest of her family. She sat down between Aunt Gail and Al and took the handkerchief Uncle Raj passed over to her. She turned her attention to President Gabelhauser as he began his speech.

She studied her parents on the podium behind the president. She loved them so much. In a year she would go off to college. She was strongly considering GIA in Carlsbad. It was only an hour away, but she wanted to get an apartment of her own. Sheldon was worried, but Mom was coming around. She watched as Sheldon approached the podium. He took a moment to cast one last loving look at Mom before clearing his throat and giving his speech.

Someday, she would have a love like theirs. She wouldn't settle for less.

Thank you to everyone who read, reviewed or proofread for me. I am immensely grateful to each and every one of you. This story means a great deal to me. What started as a wish for something light-hearted, turned into quite a cathartic endeavor for me. As some of you know, I had a daughter who passed away from cancer almost 11 years ago. On the 27th of this month, she would have turned 16. When I first conceived of Cat, I had only a vague picture of her in my head. A typical little girl who hero-worshiped Sheldon, basically. As the chapters developed I found myself incorporating more and more of Olivia into her. The tutu/cowboy vest combo, wallygators, the Scooby doll (which sits on my bookshelf beside her Pikachu doll), and the photo book are all things that I took from real life. The image that now resides on this story is Olivia Dawn Knight, my baby girl, who I miss so damn much. My own real-life Cat.