And here we are! The next installment of Meet the Todds. I would like to give a BIG HUGE round of applause for all my awesome possum reviewers! You guys are the best!
Ahem, there's one Italian phrase in this chapter too. You should be able to figure out what it means using context clues, but here's the translation in case you don't.
Ti amo-I love you.
BTW, Meet the Todds can be looked at as the sequel for Truth or Dare, but it doesn't have to be. If you haven't read Truth or Dare, this story will still make more than perfect sense.
Enough of my rambling. Enjoy the fic!
Disclaimer: I wish that I did own NCIS. I also wish I had a million dollars….
Mr. and Mrs. Todd were ushered in by a flustered Kate. The four of them stood awkwardly in the living room. Kate introduced everyone.
"Tony, this is my mom and dad." Tony smiled while the Todds nodded. They were still wondering why a man was in their precious daughter's apartment at such an hour.
"Mom, Dad," Kate continued introductions, "this is Tony." She paused. "My fiancé."
Mrs. Todd gasped and hugged her daughter viciously. "Oh, my Kate is finally settling down!" she half sobbed into Kate's shoulder. Kate gave Tony a nervous smile.
As it is in most marriages and engagements, it is harder to please the dad than the mom. Mr. Todd was looking at Tony rather suspiciously. Not finding any obvious defects (he didn't look drunk or high), he smiled and shook Tony's hand.
"Congratulations," he said heartily.
Tony returned the handshake. "Thank you sir. Your daughter is a magnificent woman."
"Are you guys hungry?" Kate asked as her mother calmed down and let her go.
Her mother straightened out her blouse and smiled. "Actually, we haven't had anything to eat since we left California this morning. Your father and I had a sudden urge to see Washington D.C. and we thought we'd just stop by and surprise you."
"I'm surprised alright. You must be starving. Come and eat. Dinner just got off the stove."
While her parent went to the table, Kate pulled Tony back. "Listen, Tony. There's something you should-"
She was interrupted by her mom's call. "Come on Kate! You must be hungry as well!"
Kate mouthed "Later," and dragged Tony to the dining room.
Tony sat down at his usual seat. He'd tried to help Kate set out the food, but she'd pushed him away and told him she could handle it. It was certainly strange behavior, as she always got him to put out the dishes.
"So, tell, tell." Mrs. Todd said eagerly. "How'd you two meet?"
"We work together." Kate said as she sat down.
"You work at NCIS too Tony?" Mr. Todd asked. He was impressed.
"Yup. My desk is very close to Kate's. We used to fight over silly things all the time. Actually, we still do."
Mr. Todd chuckled. "Nothing like young love, eh?" He took a bite of his pasta. "Mmm! This is delicious! I didn't know you could do Italian food so well Kate."
Kate flinched. "I didn't make it," she said meekly.
"It's frozen? Impossible!"
"Um, actually Dad, Tony made it."
Mr. Todd frowned. "You cook Tony?" He sounded accusing.
Tony missed the signs of annoyance. "I cook a little bit. Kate's not exactly as good in the kitchen as she is in bed."
Both Mr. and Mrs. Todd froze with forks half way to their mouths. Kate kicked him under the table, hard.
"What I meant was-"
Mrs. Todd stopped him. "Think nothing of it. We'll pretend it never happened."
Dinner continued in silence. Pretending that something like that didn't happen was easier said than done. After a while, Mrs. Todd cleared her throat. "So when's the wedding?"
Kate glanced at Tony. "We haven't picked a date yet."
"How long have you two been engaged?"
"A week. We were going to call up the families and tell them this weekend." Tony answered.
Mrs. Todd nodded.
"What's your last name Tony?" Mr. Todd said suddenly.
"Huh?"
"I want to know what Kate's new name is going to be."
"Oh. It's DiNozzo."
"DiNozzo? Is that Italian?"
"Yup." Tony's voice had a hint of pride in it.
"So your Italian?" Mr. Todd's voice was no longer friendly.
Tony was puzzled. Had he said something wrong? "Well, I was born in America, but yes, I'm Italian."
Mr. Todd muttered something that sounded like, "Figures," and put down his fork. "Well Kate, it was great seeing you, but your mother and I need to get going." He motioned to his wife to stand up.
"Oh, but Paul! We haven't seen Kate in years! Surely we can stay a bit longer," Mrs. Todd implored.
"No. We need to get going. And don't talk back when I tell you to do something."
Mrs. Todd glanced at her daughter. "I'm really sorry Kate. We'll call tomorrow." She picked up her bag and headed toward the door. Her husband was already waiting outside. "It was nice meeting you Tony!" she called before closing the apartment door.
Outside, Mrs. Todd joined her husband on the sidewalk as they waited for a taxi.
"How could you be so cruel Paul?" she demanded.
"The man was Italian for crying out loud! And he cooked. How am I supposed to respect a man like that?"
Mrs. Todd's voice was cold. "You should respect him because our little girl loves him. What's with you and non-American people anyways?"
"They're rats. Dirty, filthy, evil rats. They sneak in and live off of what hardworking Americans make."
"Sometimes I wonder why I married you. What exactly makes the Americans better? Nobody's 'American'. If you'll remember, your family came from England. The English were the first rats! Destroying what the Native Americans worked for!"
Mr. Todd slapped his wife. "Never call the English rats!" he bellowed, his face red.
Mrs. Todd glared at her husband, ignoring her stinging face. "I know how Kate thinks, Paul. If you do not respect Tony for who he is, you will no longer be family to her. Think about that. You'll be losing your daughter over a stupid belief you have. Tony is no more of a 'rat' that you or I. He works for our government! He protects our navy! You are the rat here Paul." She stopped. "Catch your own taxi. I'm walking back to the hotel."
7: 40 PM, Caitlin Todd's Apartment
Kate and Tony sat still at the dining table for a long time after the Todds had gone. Tony just stared at Mr. Todd's half full plate. What in the world had gone wrong?
Kate reached over andsqueezed his hand. "It's not your fault Tony."
Tony shook his head, dumbfounded. "Was it the part that I said you were good in bed?"
Kate sighed. "Tony, there's something you should know about my father." She paused. "He's very stereotypical. To him, a man that cooks is a weak man."
"So he thinks I'm weak?" Tony's voice was hollow. "I work in the fricken government! Weak men don't do that!"
"I know. Dad must of thought of that too. It was that you're Italian that blew him off."
Tony looked at Kate, his confusement now replaced with anger. "He hates that I'm Italian?" Tony was very proud of being Italian. People who insulted Italy pissed him off.
"Dad has this theory that people who aren't American or English are rats. He hates the Italians, French, German, Irish, Austrian, Swedish…you name it, he probably hates it."
"That's bull."
"I know. I just want you to know that it's not your fault. Personally, I love Italian anything."
Tony flashed Kate one of his million dollar smiles. "I know you do. You're marrying me remember?"
Kate smiled and kissed him. She stood and gathered up the plates. "You want dessert?"
Tony shook his head. "I, uh, I'm going to take a shower and head to bed."
"It's only eight!" Kate exclaimed looking at the clock.
"Yeah, well. It was a big day today."
Kate watched him head off toward the bathroom. This was all her fault. She should've warned him. Sighing, she loaded the dishwasher. Dad was in for a long, long talk.
When Kate finished her shower, she found Tony lying in their bed, looking at the ceiling. She crawled under the blankets and snuggled close to him.
"You sure you're okay?" she asked.
He rolled over to face her. "I don't know Kate. I mean, I've had this dream of your parents welcoming me to the family and I guess I'm disappointed that they don't like me."
Kate propped herself onto her elbow. "Don't you care what my dad says. If he can't understand that I love you for who you are, then I will no longer look at him as family."
"You'd disown your own dad for me?"
"I'd do anything for you."
Tony smiled and buried his face in the crook of her neck, giving her little kisses. "Ti amo," he whispered softly.
Kate closed her eyes and enjoyed the feeling of his kisses. "I love you too."
TBC…
Did you know that confusement isn't a word? Instead, the dictionary suggests confusedness… Sounds weird.
As always, reviews would be nice. And you can leave suggestions on what happens in the next chapter too. Suggestions are always good.
