Just a little one-shot for all the DL shippers out there. I'm a little late getting on the boat, but they are truly one of my favorite ships now. This little thing was actually inspired by a story I read on here, and the whole thing stemmed from the small sentence that makes up the title. But now, I'll let you enjoy. Oh, and of course, I don't own anything. Almost always forget to say that!

He Thought about Her in Italian

His ma always said that even after living in New York since the age of eight, after moving from Italy, when she met his father, she thought about him in Italian. And he didn't think anything of it. He forgot about it. He's fluent in Italian, but only speaks it with his ma. Sometimes, he thinks in Italian and can't find the words in English, can't compare them in his head the way he normally does.

He'd never spoken to a girl in Italian, didn't want the closeness it would bring for him. He'd certainly never thought about a girl in Italian. That was something personal, something he wanted to share with only one person. He knows his ma is waiting for a wedding. He's her only son. He was only eight when his father died, and he still has those memories of him, locked away tight so he won't forget. From the time of his father's death to around his thirteenth birthday, his ma only spoke Italian when it was just the two of them. He'd go to school, speak English, and then he'd go home and speak Italian with his ma.

He was just becoming a man when Robert came into the picture. He was okay. He'd never be his father, but he was okay. And he knew his ma had had it hard, and Robert treats her right. He was fifteen when his ma remarried, to Robert, of course. And he could see his ma was happy, but it was different from the happy she had been with his father, he was old enough to know that. She'd had three daughters with Robert, his three baby sisters. And he loved them to death, and he knows his ma does too, and Robert was a good father to them. He was a good man.

But his sisters, they don't know Italian. They know a few words, but they aren't fluent. She didn't speak Italian to her little girls, because things were different now. Things had changed, and there wasn't any time for his little sisters to learn two languages.

Most of the time, he goes over to the house on Sundays and helps his ma with lunch. It's something they've always done, back to before he can remember, and it's still the same. They talk and laugh in Italian just like they used to. And they both know that Sundays are the only days when they speak Italian, because it's something just between the two of them. And he could see that Robert didn't like it when they spoke to each other in Italian. But they still did it; no one could take that from them. And eventually, Robert learned to accept that. He'd been seventeen and graduating high school a year early when he'd finally asked his ma the question that haunted his mind from the time he knew things were serious with Robert.

"Do you think about him in Italian, Ma?"

Her eyes had filled with tears, tears she'd never shed. She'd shaken her head and told him the only man she would ever think about in Italian was his father, and she was okay with that. She'd laughed then, and said she took it back, because she thought about him in Italian, and he was a man now. It'd been one of the few times in his life that he'd blushed, and he'd laughed then too. Tried not to show how relived he felt to know that his father was still the man she thought about in Italian. His ma had taken his hands in hers and said now that he was a man, he had to promise her something. He'd promised, without hesitation, 'cause he trusted his ma.

"You have to promise me," she'd said, "you have to promise me that once you find a girl you think about in Italian, that you won't let her go. You marry that girl you think about in Italian, Danny, and you'll be happy."

So he had promised his ma. And for a long time, he had thought that he would never meet a girl that was worthy to be thought about in Italian. For a long time, he thought that there was no one meant for him, like his ma and father had been meant for each other.

And then she'd come into his life, from Montana, of all places. He hadn't even thought about it, about how he thought of her in Italian. Hadn't even realized he did until he'd actually spoken about her in Italian. And now he was in his ma's kitchen, helping her make lunch. Telling her about his week at work and the news about the guys. He'd mentioned her name a couple of times, told her of his nickname for her. And then he'd startled his ma when he spoke in English.

"Hey Ma, this girl…I…I think about her in Italian."

She'd nearly dropped the lasagna pan. She'd hugged and kissed him all over, so happy. Robert and the girls came in, a little worried at the commotion. His ma, well, she'd just started to sing an Italian love song.

At first, it was rough. She wouldn't even go out with him. 'Cause this girl, she had some stuff she had to work through first, before she could be in a relationship with anyone. At least, that's what she'd told him. But late at night, when it got too tough for her to handle on he own, she'd call him. And even though she wouldn't go out to dinner with him, she'd go for coffee with him after work was over. And even though she'd told him she couldn't be in a relationship, he kinda thought they were already in the middle of one.

Almost six months later, he was glad he'd stuck it out. He'd just given her a ride home, not an unusual occurrence, and walked her to her door like he always had. And not for the first time, she'd paused, like she wanted to say something, but never did. Then she surprised him with a kiss, and told him she was done working through her stuff. A month later, she was at his apartment at ten in the morning, ready and waiting for him to get ready to go to his ma's house for lunch. He could tell she was nervous about meeting his family. She couldn't sit still, and it made him chuckle. Kept telling her that his ma would love her; that his ma loved her already, but she wouldn't believe it.

Then again, she didn't know he thought about her in Italian. She didn't even know he could speak Italian. 'Cause he's a romantic at heart, and he wants the first words he says to her in Italian to be "Ti Amo". He wants to tell her he loves her in Italian, but he doesn't want to scare her away, so he doesn't say anything. Yet. He's even talked to his mom and asked her not to speak Italian in front of her so she won't know. 'Cause he wants everything to be perfect for his girl. And then he's finally ready to go, and the whole ride there, she's shooting questions at him about how she should act, and he won't answer any of them.

Two months later she wins a trip to Italy of all places, a trip for two. And he's happy for her, even though he wanted the trip for his ma, and doesn't even think about going with her, cause he thinks she's not ready for that. So for two weeks she's acting weird and he doesn't know why, when suddenly, in the middle of a rented movie, she asking him to go with her, and even though they don't know Italian, it'll be a really good experience, and she can't think of anyone else she'd rather go with. And then he's just laughing and she gets mad at him 'cause she thinks he's laughing at her, and it's all he can do to not blurt it out right there.

A month later, she's freaking out cause her visa hasn't come through yet, and he's calm as a clam, 'cause he'd already had one. 'Cause even though his father was American, his ma is Italian, and he was born in Italy, and he has dual citizenship and he doesn't tell her any of this. And he feels like laughing again, only he knows better than that this time. And for the first two days, he pretends he doesn't know a word of Italian, and he listens to her butcher his language, and he can hardly keep himself from laughing. But he's got a plan, and he has to stick with it.

'Cause three days into the trip, he knows he can't go on like this. He knows that he can't stand not being with her anymore. And she's shocked beyond words when he takes her to a beautiful restaurant, one that's not exactly for tourists, and she's so happy now that she knows he can speak Italian, and she's so in love with him and she wants to hear it over and over again. "Ti amo, ti amo, ti amo". And she says yes when he asks her to marry him, and she's the one to suggest they get married in Italy, right then. And he can't say no to her. He's sure his ma will forgive him, and he knows they'll have to get married again when they go back to the States, cause foreign marriage licensees don't carry over when the citizens are American.

And three years later, on their third anniversary, when she tells him she's pregnant, and she has a feeling it's a girl, he couldn't be happier. And he can't wait for his little girl to be born, and he's gonna teach her Italian and she'll make the same promise to him that he made to his ma. And he can't help but look at his wife and think about how lucky he is. And he knows, no matter how many years pass, it'll always be the same. After all…

He thinks about her in Italian.

The end! Let me know what you think, will ya? Any criticism is welcome, as well as praise! ;)

Dizzy