For rachlove32, hope you will like it! :D
You and Charlie have been a couple for few months now. Your mom has already met him but since your parents were divorced for quite some time now, you haven't introduced Charlie to your dad yet. So when your dad invited you to spend Christmas with him, you agreed, especially since he respected the fact you don't want to spend Christmas with his new family, only with him.
"Are you sure he doesn't mind I will be joining you?"
"I promise, Charlie, he is completely okay with that. He wants to meet you."
"Why are you still insisting on not telling me who your dad is? Please, don't tell me he is a secret agent or a convicted criminal."
You chuckle a bit and take his hand in yours: "Nope, I swear. I am not telling you because you will out soon enough."
He quickly looks at you before focusing his gaze back on the road: "You are killing me."
"Sorry, babe, I just want it to be a surprise."
"And you like seeing me nervous."
"Unimportant detail which is correct."
He shakes his head and murmurs under his breath "This is unbelievable" before stretching out his hand and messing up your hair slightly.
"Hey!" you exclaim and shove his hand away: "Hands on the wheel. Both hands."
"Yes, ma'am!"
When he makes a turn on your dad's driveway, you are starting to get nervous. Even though Charlie plays for Minnesota now, you know he is a proud former Terrier while your dad is still a Gopher head to toe. But you really hope your dad will approve of your boyfriend... As Charlie parks the car, he turns to you and smiles gently: "Well, here we are..."
"Yeah, here we are. So, are you ready?"
"As I will ever be. But I am glad you are with me."
"Yeah," you put a thumb in your mouth and start biting it nervously. Charlie notices that and puts his hand on yours: "Are you sure? You seem really nervous."
"I am okay, I am okay," you chuckle a bit tensely. The truth is, this is your first time introducing your boyfriend to your dad and you sincerely hope everything will go as planned.
Charlie has been bothering himself whether your dad will like him or not so much, you didn't think it could get any worse. But it did. When you ring the bell of your dad's house and by the time the door open, he is pale with fear and he looks like he is about to faint. Just a second before your dad opens the door, you squeeze his hand. But nothing in the world could prepare him for what is about to happen next.
"Dad!" you exclaim and throw arms around your dad's neck. He stumbles backwards a bit before regaining balance. As soon as he is stable on his feet, he smiles widely and ruffles your hair: "Hey, kiddo. Haven't seen in a while."
"I missed you, dad."
"I missed you too. And you must be Charlie, right?"
You look at Charlie who looks like he has just seen a ghost. He still manages to extend his arm and shake your dad's hand: "That's right, sir. And you are Rob McClanahan..."
"She didn't tell you who her dad is?"
Rob looks from Charlie to you and you shrug your shoulders: "Well, no, I didn't."
"I think I nearly gave him a heart attack. Which would be a shame, because dads can find more creative ways to make guys who hurt their girls disappear," he smiles a bit and turns his attention to you.
"Come on, let's get you off this cold."
He walks in and you want to follow him, but Charlie somehow gently pulls you back. His face is even paler than before (if that's possible) and he is even shaking a bit: "Your dad is Rob McClanahan."
"Yeah, I know. Oh, come on, he won't hurt you, I think he likes you."
"He said dads know how to make their daughters' boyfriends disappear..."
"He didn't mean it...I think."
"You think? You think?" his voice is weak from shock and you really fear he might faint.
"Charlie, calm down."
You are getting seriously concerned about your boyfriend as he doesn't seem to get any better from the shock. He takes few deep breaths: "Y/N, this is not a right moment to say 'calm down'. Many of us grew up listening about the Miracle on Ice, about what happened that night, about the players. And one of them just opened the door..."
"I should've mentioned it, I am sorry. Can we please get in now, I am freezing."
You take his hand in yours and you head into your dad's house. Charlie gently pulls your arm and whispers: "I am actually in Rob McClanahan's house, I can't believe it."
"Believe it, you will be here until tomorrow," you whisper back and lead him further into the house.
"Y/N!"
"We're coming!"
Rob peeks out of the kitchen and chuckles: "I thought I scared him away. Come in."
Eventhough your dad seems to like Charlie, he enters the kitchen hesitantly and sits down on a bar stall behind the kitchen island quite nervously. You sit down next to your boyfriend and take his hand in yours. He gives you a gentle squeeze and opens his mouth to say something, but your dad interrupts: "So, Charlie, you play for Minnesota, right?"
"Yeah. I actually really like it here."
"Charlie is from East Weymouth, Massachusetts," you explain. Your dad smiles and looks at tall center: "Where did you study?"
"Well, I played for Boston U for two years..."
"Boston has great players... How did you meet Y/N?"
Charlie chuckles and you notice he is slowly relaxing: "Well, we met at the vet."
"Actually, his dog jumped on me because he wanted to play," you join the conversation again. Charlie brings your palm to his lips and presses them slightly against your skin: "That is correct. But it he didn't, I would probably never meet her. Which would be a shame."
In that moment, your dad's phone rings. He sighs and stands up: "Excuse me for a moment."
As soon as he leaves, you hear Charlie take a deep breath. You look at him questionably and he notices that.
"It's always hard for a guy to impress his girl's dad, but this is extra hard. What if he doesn't like me and is just being nice?" he smiles lightly, barely curving up his lips into a smile.
"You are still scared you might not impress him, right? Don't worry, everything will be fine, just relax a bit. I know you are starting to enjoy this, I noticed you are more relaxed than when we came here, but I don't want you to die, okay?"
His smile turns wider: "I will try my best. He actually seems nice, just, uh, I am still nervous. I mean, he won Olympic gold in 1980 when he was barely 22..."
"I know, but that's not why you should fear him."
"I am slightly scared of him, because he is your dad, but I can't believe I am actually talking to a guy who was one of the legends of the Olympics."
What you don't know is that your dad has already gotten off the phone and was now listening to your conversation. You realize that only when he chuckles: "Charlie, I will be honest. I am just a normal dad and a normal person. There is no use in being completely frozen around me."
You both turn around, blush on your cheeks and Charlie's eyes are wide open in shock. Your dad chuckles again and comes closer: "Promise me one thing and you have nothing to be afraid of. Take care of my daughter. If I hear you hurt her, then you will have something to be nervous for. But being nervous of what happened 36 years ago...there is no use in that, okay?"
Charlie gulps hard and nods, accepting your dad's stretched arm: "I promise I will make sure Y/N will never feel any pain with me, sir."
"Rob. You can call me Rob, okay?"
"O-okay, si-Rob."
That Christmas was one of the best celebrations you have ever attended. After the dinner, all three of you sat under nicely decorated Christmas tree by the fireplace and your dad shared stories of Lake Placid with the two of you. Among them was also a story of a Christmas tree, which remains the mystery to this day. All your dad told you was, how sad he was and how long it took for him to get over that unfortunate Christmas tree.
