Being an Italian, and a proud one, I was thinking about how someone would feel coming to one of my family reunions. And how they would feel if they were dating one of my many realitives, and how they would feel to be introduced to everyone at a family reunion. I got this idea. I don't know how you will like it, but I love it.
Disclaimer: I own one cup of Cup Of Noodles.
Ziva and Tony were from different cultures. They had different morals, different tradition, different food, different… well, everything. Their families were completely different, the way they acted polar opposite from the other. While Tony's family was a large, Italian one, Ziva's was… divided. It wasn't as close as Tony's was. It always made Ziva a little jealous at how close his family was, how they were always happy to see each other when they got together. Ziva found it to be nice, to see a good, working family. And that was probably why she was so nervous to meet them. She didn't know what to expect, what to say, or do. She didn't want to mess up in front of them and have them all not like her. It was hard for her, preparing herself to meet them. She stabbed her pancake, a disgruntled look on her face. Tony looked up from his breakfast, a little concerned.
"Zee, what's wrong? You've been all uptight since yesterday when I said my family invited you to the family reunion. Do you not want to go?" He asked, watching her expression. She looked up, words on the tip of her tongue. She just couldn't get her mouth to move. She stabbed her pancake again. Tony got up, sitting down next to Ziva.
"What's wrong? You're killing the pancake." He said, taking the plate away from her. He also grabbed the fork, being careful she didn't stab him. She was looking at the table, her face mixed with emotions. Tony gave up, grabbing her hand and pulling her to the couch. He pulled her into his lap, wrapping his arms around her.
"What's wrong Ziva?" He asked again, getting more concerned as she didn't speak. She looked up at him, her eyes sincere.
"Do you think your family will like me?" She asked, her voice small. Tony felt his heart drop. She was worried about what his family would think of her.
"Of course they will Ziva. They are Italian for Pete's sake. They like everyone." He said, but stopped. "Well, almost everyone, but that doesn't matter. " He pulled her chin up, making her look him in the eyes.
"Here's the thing. Italians treat everyone they like as if they are family. It's kind of like Mossad. You're part of a family, but you don't get killed when you leave." He joked, trying to make her laugh. He got a shadow of a smile. "My family isn't going to care that you are an assassin, you're Jewish, or you're from Israel. All they are going to care about is the fact that I love you. And when they see that, they will love you too. It doesn't take much to win their hearts." He said. Ziva tried to nod, but she was still confused.
"But aren't they going to judge me? Ask questions?" She said, getting nervous again. Tony shrugged.
"Not really. Italians may speak their minds, but they want each other to be happy. They want their family to be strong, to not have any issues. They like everything to run smoothly, to be perfect. It's this kind of curse we live under. We like things to be… peachy keen. At first it may seem that they don't like you, but just be yourself and I know they will love you as much as I do. How could they possibly not?" He asked her. She was about to open her mouth to answer when he stopped he with a kiss. She was resistant at first, but then she gave in.
"I'm just nervous Tony. I don't want to say or do the wrong thing." She shut her eyes, a scene playing in her head. She had said something that had offended someone, and everyone was shunning her, pushing her away.
"Ziva, stop it." Tony said, bringing her back to reality. She looked at him.
"Stop it okay. They are going to like you. I know they are. And if they don't, then they don't know what they are missing." He said. Ziva smiled, wrapping her arms around his torso, burying her head in his chest. He sighed, rubbing her back. He didn't want to tell her, but he was nervous as well. He didn't know what his family was going to think. He knew his mom would like Ziva. She liked everyone. His dad wasn't going to at the family reunion, as he was kicked out of the family fast. He was sure that his uncles and aunts would like her. He was more worried about his grandparents. They had this rule, a rule that everyone tried to follow to the best of their ability. They followed it as kids, and they instilled it into their kids. Tony's mom's brothers and sisters didn't have it instilled into them, even though his mom married according to the rule. The one and only rule, which made him a little nervous.
"Marry a good girl. A good All-American girl Tony." Tony's great grandpa had told him when he asked what the rule was. He was only 16 when he was told, and he had shrugged.
"How do I know she's All-American?" He asked. His great grandpa already knew the answer.
"You'll know."
Tony laughed softly, and Ziva looked up. She looked hurt.
"This is funny Tony?" She asked, and Tony shook his head.
"No, no no. I was just thinking about something…." He trailed off. Ziva looked up at him, curiosity written all over her face.
"Well, when I was sixteen, my great grandpa told me about this rule that was kind of instilled into our family. He told me to marry a good, All-American girl." Tony said, and Ziva groaned.
"Just my luck, being Israeli." She said. He thought it over for a second.
"Who cares? Your heritage is Israeli, but you are just as American as everyone else. You've lived her for seven years, done and seen more than the normal American sees in their life time. You are American." Tony explained to Ziva. She crossed her fingers and Tony kissed her.
--
Ziva sat at the table she was assigned to sit at, Tony in the bathroom. They had been seated at a table with Tony's twin cousins, James and Micheal, and his great aunt and great uncle, Marie and Pablo. They were watching Ziva's every move. Ziva felt uncomfortable, fiddling with her hair and her dress. Tony came back and sat down, taking her hand in his. She smiled at him, looking back down at her dress.
"So, Tony; how long have you two been together?" Marie asked. She was trying to make conversation. Tony looked at Ziva, and she just smiled.
"Well, we've known each other for 7 years. But we've been dating for 2 years." Tony answered knowingly. Ziva smiled as he squeezed her hand. Pablo looked at her, closely studying her.
"If you don't mind me asking, what nationality are you?" Pablo asked, and Ziva looked up. She looked at Tony, who simply shrugged.
"I'm Israeli." She answered. Pablo tilted his eyebrow.
"As in Israel, right? How did an Israeli end up in America, working with Tony at NCIS?" He asked innocently. Micheal obviously wanted to know the answer too, because as dinner started and Ziva told them the story, he switched spots with Tony to listen. Tony watched Ziva, proud of her. She was having a good time, laughing as Pablo made a joke.
"She's very beautiful." Marie said to Tony, bringing him back to reality. He smiled at his great aunt, and she patted his shoulder.
"She is. Inside and out." Tony said back to her, and she giggled.
"That is so romantic." She said, looking up as her brother sat down. Tony smiled at his great grandpa Henry.
"How are you Tony?" Henry asked. He looked over at Micheal and Pablo as they laughed at something Ziva said.
"I'm good. How's your health?" Tony asked, and Henry shrugged.
"It could be much better." He answered, his eyes still glued on Ziva. "Is that your girlfriend you told me about?" Tony nodded.
"That's Ziva." He said, and Ziva looked up. She smiled at him, and he smiled back. She went back to telling her story. Henry looked at Tony. He hummed to himself before he got up and walked to someone else's table. Marie patted Tony's shoulder.
"Don't worry about him." She said, handing him a bread stick. He laughed, taking it.
By the end of the night, Pablo, Micheal, James, and three of Tony's female cousins were sitting with Ziva, listening to her stories. Tony was sitting with his favorite uncle, having a good laugh when he heard someone speak into the microphone.
"Well, it looks like everyone is having a good time." Henry said, and everyone quieted down.
"I'd like to thank you all for coming tonight. It was nice to see you all again, and nice to see new, or soon to be new, additions to the family." He nodded towards everyone. Tony watched as Ziva shifted.
"I think we should welcome the new members of our family, don't you?" He asked and everyone clapped. Tony watched as Pablo gave Ziva a kiss on the cheek.
"Everyone knows about Kenny's new wife, Fiona. Tim and Halley had a baby, which they named Danielle. Camille and Edward had twins, named Kaylah and Thomas." Everyone was either clapping for the couple being mentioned, or patting them on the back if they were close enough. "Suzie finally got married, even though he couldn't make it tonight." He looked at Suzie, smiling at her. I was waiting for the last addition, the only person left that was new to our family. Even though we weren't married, she was still part of the family. Henry looked at where Ziva was sitting, and sighed.
"And lastly, I'd like to welcome Ziva, Tony's girlfriend of two years to the family." He looked at her, as did everyone else. She blushed, and I smirked at her.
"Welcome to the family." Henry said, and everyone clapped again. After his speech, everyone got up and mingled before they left. Tony found Ziva surrounded by a group of people. He smiled at her, and she excused herself. She walked up to him, grabbing his hand.
"Want to leave?" Tony asked, pulling her into a hug. She hugged him back.
"Yeah." She said, grabbing his hand and leading Tony to the door. They waved goodbye, and everyone yelled goodbye back.
On the ride home, Tony and Ziva talked about the reunion, laughing at some of the stupid stuff that Tony's drunken uncle had said. They got back at their apartment at 1 AM, and immediately got ready for bed. Ziva was in bed first, sitting there when Tony walked out of the bathroom. He rolled into bed, laying his head in her lap.
"That wasn't that bad, now was it?" He said, looking up at her. She ran her fingers over his face, smiling.
"No, it wasn't that bad." She said. "I found your great uncle to be quite the character, and Marie was as sweet as cake." Tony laughed at Ziva.
"It's a sweet as pie Ziva." She laughed, sighing. She sunk into the bed, moving next to her. He pulled her to him, holding her close.
"I'm just glad they accepted me as part of your family." She whispered. Tony smiled at her, his eyes soft.
"Are you glad to be a part of my family?" He asked her, and she looked up at him.
"Yes, but why do you ask?" She asked me, looking at Tony with curiosity. He smiled.
"I just wanted to make sure you would say yes." He smiled, and she looked up. Her eyes were sparkling, even in the darkness.
"Really Tony?" She asked him. She sat up, looking down at him. He nodded, and she attacked him with a kiss. He smiled at her as she broke away, her smile genuine and overjoyed.
"What do you say?" He asked her, and she smirked. She bent down, placing her lips next to his ear.
"You can't get your answer from that reaction?"
Reviews please? I'm working on my story for NCIS, girl next door, and a different one shot. Spring Break is good to me. Thanks, Izzy:)