As requested. Enjoy!

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"Your grandmother Maggie taught me how to do this," Carter said, twisting Kennedy's hair up into a french knot.

Kennedy stared at her mother in the mirror's reflection. "Really?"

The pair were in the master bathroom, stationed before the vanity mirror. Bouncy music played quietly from Kennedy's phone adding an atmosphere of excitement to the occasion. Carter smiled as she grabbed pins and secured the french twist.

"She did," Carter said. "I didn't know how to do anything with my hair until I was out of college. Up until that point, it was a ponytail or a tangled mess, there wasn't much in between."

Kennedy sobered, dropping her gaze away from her mother. "Because your mother left when you were fourteen?"

Carter paused for a fraction of a second as dusty memories were pulled out.

"Yes, because of that." Retrieving her smile, Carter patted Kennedy's hair. "All done! How does it feel?"

Kennedy tossed her head about, feeling the security of the up-do. "Like I could take on a pack of assailants and it would still be fine."

Carter laughed. "Good. Now, makeup or no makeup?"

Kennedy locked eyes with her mother and scrunched up her face, uncertain.

"I don't know. You don't wear makeup," she said. "But do you think it would make me look prettier?"

Carter wrapped her arms around Kennedy's shoulders and pressed her cheek to hers, holding her gaze in the mirror. "You are beautiful just the way you are."

Smiling, Kennedy rolled her eyes. "You're my mother, that's what you have to say."

Laughing, Carter kissed her daughter's cheek. "Nope, I say that cause you have your father's amazing cheekbones and my chin and eyes. I'm merely backhandedly complimenting your parentage."

Kennedy shook her head. "Well I think the eyes you gave me would be enhanced by eyeliner, so let's go with that."

"Sounds good." Carter opened a drawer and found what she needed then crouched before her daughter. "Close your eyes."

Kennedy did as instructed. "How do you have such a steady hand? I've tried this before and I shake so much."

"Well, you defuse a bomb once and it gives you a steady hand like you would never know."

Kennedy's eyes flew open. "You defused a bomb!"

"Eyes closed, this is delicate work."

"Yeah, the fate of the world lays on your steady hand now, not when you defused a bomb!"

Carter chuckled and finished off her task. "Look at me."

Kennedy blinked and held herself from looking at her reflection so her mother would have the chance to observe her handy work.

"You're right, this totally does enhance the eyes I gave you."

Amused, Kennedy swiveled to the mirror, inspecting the result. As Kennedy was about to comment on her appearance, she heard a series of knocks on the front door and her father say something. Panicked, she jumped from her seat.

"I have to get dressed," she said.

"What's the rush, your father will keep Aaron entertained," Carter said.

"That's exactly what I'm afraid of. The Commander will chew Aaron up leaving nothing for me to go to the dance with."

Before Carter could reassure her daughter, Kennedy vanished into her room to change. As she did, Carter cleared away the evidence that she actually knew how to be a girl. By the time she was finished, Kennedy hurried back into the bathroom, her dress still open in the back.

"Can you help me?" she asked, spinning around.

Carter zipped her daughter up and twirled her around.

"Let's see," she said.

Even feeling pressed for time, Kennedy took a step back and held out her arms, letting her mother have the full view. The dress was a deep wine color that mixed well with Kennedy's almond skin.

"What do you think of the dress?" Kennedy asked.

Carter smiled. "You look beautiful."

Kennedy laughed. "Dad said you would say that. He also explained how you feel about dresses."

Carter shrugged. "It's a complicated relationship. Now hurry and get your shoes, it's been five minutes, you might still be able to save Aaron."

Remembering that her date was in peril, Kennedy scampered away. Carter left the bathroom and walked out into the living room. Aaron was in one piece and she figured this was a good sign. He was a boy with gangly limbs, glasses, unruly black hair, and baby cheeks. When he noticed Carter, a look of relief came over him.

"Hello," she said. "You must be Aaron?"

Donovan took a step back as if he hadn't been threatening the boy's manhood a second before. Aaron swallowed.

"Yes, ma'am," he said, eyes darting to Donovan as if uncertain if he should even be talking to the man's wife.

"Kennedy will be out in a second," Carter said.

"I'm here," Kennedy said, rushing out of the hallway.

Aaron's whole countenance changed when he spotted her. His eyebrows went up and he flushed. As the two teenagers did a tentative dance of compliments and steps towards each other, Carter sidled up beside Donovan.

"How did you threaten him?" she whispered.

Donovan shrugged. "A simple I have a badge that means I know how to kill you and get away with it type of thing."

Carter laughed. "I used that one when you got shot."

"It's a classic."

Carter turned her attention back to the two teens. When Kennedy took Aaron's hand, he turned to stone, looking to Donovan. Donovan narrowed his eyes and Aaron looked as if he might faint right then and there. Sensing this, Kennedy tugged her date towards the door and safety.

"We're going," she announced.

At the door, Carter called out.

"Aaron, sweetie," she said. He peered back, an expression of hope on his face, wanting to hear encouragement to enjoy the night. Carter smiled. "Know that I have a badge as well."

Wide-eyed, Aaron was yanked out the door by a Kennedy who was already regretting not meeting her date at the dance and wondering if he would decide it was best to leap from a moving car than risk making the wrong move and feel her parent's wrath.

When Carter heard the sound of the elevator closing, she focused on Donovan.

"We're tailing them, correct?"

He raised his eyebrow. "You don't trust our daughter to handle herself."

"I trust our daughter but I'm also aware that she is still a fifteen-year-old at her first dance. Aaron will make mention of how beautiful she looks, butterflies will erupt in her stomach and she will be so distracted that when he puts his hands an inch lower than he should, she won't notice, in turn, one barrier taken down without even knowing it."

Carter could see the counterargument building in Donovan's mind and spoke before he could.

"Also Aaron happens to be sixteen."

Donovan straightened. "I'll get our gear."

"That's what I thought."

Back in their bedroom, Carter changed into an all-black outfit. As she walked back to the living room - tying her hair up into a messy bun - Donovan was zipping up a small duffle back. He raised his head, hearing her and stilled, letting himself eye the length of her lean body.

"Have I ever mentioned how hot you look in all black?"

She laughed and kissed him. "Yes, much to the annoyance of the surveillance crews we've worked with."

Donovan rose and cupped Carter's face, kissing her again. "What do you say we forget about tailing Kennedy and stay in?"

"You're going to leave our daughter in the hands of a sixteen-year-old boy who has probably never held hands with a girl, let alone one as beautiful as our daughter?"

"I was fine at sixteen."

Carter held Donovan's face, stopping him from getting further distracted. "You are an anomaly."

"She will be fine."

Carter's brow wrinkled. "Please."

Donovan pulled back, all teasing gone from his face. "You're really nervous for her."

Breathing in, Carter nodded. "She's our baby. This is uncharted territory for me. I was never in this position as a teen. I don't know how this night will play out and I don't want her in a position she might not have expected."

"Then let's go crash a Winter Formal."

******

Carter and Donovan edged along the wall to the school gym, shadows hiding them from view. Beside them, the wall vibrated with the thundering bass from inside. The purr of car engines and laughter from arriving students filled the night air with a hum of excitement and freedom.

Carter stopped at a service ladder that led to the roof. The first ten rungs were blocked by a metal panel, a deterrent to any students who might want to reach the roof. It wasn't a deterrent to Carter or Donovan. Wrapping her arm around the panel, Carter braced her foot on the wall and ascended. When she bypassed the blockade, she swung herself onto the ladder, making quicker time, Donovan right behind her.

Pebbles bounced away from her as she dropped onto the roof. From skylights positioned throughout, blue and white lights flashed into the darkness in crisscrossing patterns. Carter and Donovan moved to the furthest skylight and peered over the edge. Below them was the school's gym and a lattice of wide beams that ran the length and width of it.

Donovan unhooked the duffle bag from his shoulder and dropped it. He tossed Carter a harness and she began putting it on.

"Who in high school gave you butterflies?" Donovan asked, working his own harness.

Carter paused, puzzled. "What?"

"You said Kennedy would get butterflies after Aaron told her she was beautiful. I want to know who did that to you."

Carter shook her head and resumed her work. "No one. That piece of data came from years of watching it happen to countless girls." She grinned. "There's no one from my past you need to find and intimidate."

"I was only curious."

"Sure."

Donovan knelt before the skylight and pulled out a set of picklocks. As he disabled the padlock on the window, Carter secured their ropes. When she moved back to the window, she tilted her head, watching Donovan work.

"Have I ever told you how hot you look when you're breaking and entering?"

He laughed. "I knew you had a thing for the criminal."

He rose and Carter took the front of his shirt and kissed him. "No. Only you."

Smiling, Donovan opened the window and they were hit with the full force of the music. It beat against their eardrums and rattled their bones as they lowered themselves down onto one of the beams. The gym was a storm of swiveling lights and silhouettes. It was a chaos that would easily hide Carter and Donovan.

Carter stared down at the mass of moving figures, adjusting herself to the craziness of it all. As she scanned the area, she spotted Link and Maddy, designated chaperones tucked into a corner, smiling at the students, the epitome responsible adults.

Donovan pointed to a spot across the way where Kennedy was standing with Aaron, facing Harrison and his date, Julia. For a while, Carter watched her daughter, noting the way her smile was brighter whenever it was turned on Harrison. Or the way Harrison more often than not was looking to Kennedy, despite his pretty date.

Carter slid closer to Donovan. "Do you think they will ever do anything about their feelings?"

There was no need for an explanation, Donovan had seen all that Carter had. "Harrison is too scared to lose her to ever make a move. Without Kennedy, I don't believe he would be as strong or as outgoing as he is now. He's Link and Maddy's son after all. You remember how he was more drawn to books than he was to friends in the beginning. But Kennedy dragged him along so much that he had no choice but to adapt. I think he knows that saying anything about how he feels could mean the possibility of rejection which would mean he loses her." 

Carter laid her head on Donovan's shoulder. "And so they will pine after each other until it eventually brings them together or breaks them apart."

"It seems so."

They continued to watch the two teens that so clearly cared for each other but were trapped by fear. It was not an emotion exclusive to them, all around them were kids who made hesitant movements towards ones they liked only to back away at the last second. Gazing out on the crowded gym was to see a swirling tangle of bravery, anxiety, despair, and hope.

Donovan took Carter's hand, lacing his fingers through her. "Did you know, Kennedy told me she wanted to be you when she grew up."

Carter snorted. "And I want her to be you when she grows up."

"Really?"

Bemused, Carter stared at him, shadows shifting across his face. "Of course. At sixteen you took on the role of protector and confidante to a boy who was dealing with his whole world changing. I've never met anyone more determined and loyal. I want our daughter to have your fearlessness. Your dedication to looking out for others."

Donovan cupped Carter's cheek. "And I want her to have your fire, your spirit. Your sharp mind. Your fight to always do what needs to be done. Your passion for what's right."

Carter found she was lost for words, awed by this man who still saw so much in her that she sometimes didn't feel herself.

"Maybe she'll rebel and be none of these things."

"Or she will be the amazing daughter we know her to be and embrace all of them."

"I like the sound of that."

The upbeat music morphed into something slower enticing the non-dancing students to finally come out onto the dance floor. When Aaron placed his hands on Kennedy's waist, lower than was necessary, Carter tensed. But before she could think of breaking the kid's arm, Kennedy guided his hands upward.

"That's our girl," Donovan said.  "Come on, we have nothing to fear now."

Donovan stood up on the beam and helped Carter up. With a final glance at her daughter, Carter grabbed her rope and climbed back through the skylight. After they had stored away their equipment, Carter took a step towards the ladder but was stopped by Donovan's hand on her arm.

Before she could question him, he wrapped one arm around her waist and took her hand in his, pulling her close. They could still hear the soft, slow music and Donovan began to sway in time. Laughing with amusement, Carter placed her free hand on his shoulder as Donovan leaned his cheek against her hair.

"You know what this reminds me of?" he asked.

"If you say the time you danced with a Russian mobster's daughter I'll throw you off the roof."

Donovan pulled back. "I have no idea what you're even talking about."

"Good answer, soldier."

Chuckling, Donovan brought her closer once again. "It reminds me of our prom and how I wanted to dance with you but was completely terrified your father would break my leg if he saw us."

Carter inched closer, feeling the familiar way his body pressed against her. "I have no idea how I married such a romantic."

"It's your fault. Around you, I lose my head."

"And I'm guessing you never found it since."

Donovan closed his eyes. "Never."

Carter's stomach flipped. "Donovan."

"Hmm?"

"You give me butterflies."

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Everyone's thinking it, I'm just saying it "AWWWWWW!"

Gosh I really did write romantic characters. So weird. Haha so tell me what you thought! 💭🗯💬

I wrote this purely because after writing the Dress Shopping chapter a good amount of people wanted the Winter Formal chapter, so your wish is my command!

Most of the time.

I don't have a lot to answer in this author's note. Mostly that Carter and Donovan are rather weird and make the strangest yet kind of the coolest parents. Who knew!

Vote, comment, follow and all that good stuff!

Twitter: _Joymoment_ you know the drill!