God, I don't know how I am going to do this, thought Marie DiNozzo, the 16 year old daughter of Tony and Ziva DiNozzo.
Ever since the 8th grade, Marie knew there was something different about her. All of her friends were so interested in having boyfriends and she wasn't. She eventually got a boyfriend and when they kissed, she felt no magic, no fireworks, nothing special. She always thought it was weird that she would look at a woman and think how sexy she was. She thought it was a phase. But, it was not. Here she is now, a junior in high school, with a girlfriend, trying to tell her parents her thoughts.
Marie walked downstairs to find her mother sitting on the couch watching Law and Order and her dad doing paperwork in his office. Her brother, Marcus, was also sitting downstairs in the kitchen, playing video games.
"Mom? Dad?" Marie said. "There is something I need to talk to you about."
Ziva turns off the TV and Tony comes out of his office and they both walk into the kitchen.
"What is it, sweetheart?" Ziva asks kindly.
"I need to have a conversation with you." Marie then looks over to her brother. "Privately."
"Hey, Marc. One of your friends called a little earlier and said he was on Minecraft. Why don't you go upstairs and play up there?" Tony says.
"Sure, Dad!" Marcus runs upstairs.
Tony, Ziva, and Marie sit down at the kitchen table.
Marie starts. "I know you both may not be happy with what I am about to say, but…Mom and Dad…I'm gay."
Tony and Ziva give her blank stares.
"That's what I thought." Marie turns to leave.
"Marie, sweetheart!" Ziva says, sympathetically. "We are not angry. In fact, we are very proud of you for having the guts to come and tell us yourselves."
"Love is love is love," Tony adds. "It truly is one of the most important things in the world. Thank you for telling us."
"Thank you guys so much for understanding! Don't tell Marcus, will you? He's 10 and whatever he hears he will spread it like a wildfire. I will tell him when the time is right."
"Your secret is safe with us."
"Good, well, I have a girlfriend I have for about 3 weeks now. This is her." She shows Tony and Ziva a picture of a very pretty teenager.
"She is beautiful, Marie," Ziva says. "When can we meet her?"
"Seriously?! You want to meet her?!"
"Why not?" Ziva smiles and then gives her daughter a kiss on the forehead. "Now, go! Don't you have that project to finish?"
"Yeah I guess. Thanks for understanding." Marie runs up the stairs with a smile on her face.
Tony looks a little down. "Tony? What's wrong?" Ziva asks.
"I just…never expected this."
"Me either, but I think it will all work out in the end. Like you said, 'love is love is love'. No matter what, she is still our little girl."
"Yeah. I'm happy for her." With that the discussion was over.
A few years later, Tony gave a speech about their conversation at her wedding. Where Marie married her girlfriend from junior yea