A/N: Title for this chapter derived from the movie of the same title.

Meet the Parents

Exactly two weeks after he proposed, Tony suggested that they drive down to Mexico on Labor Day weekend to meet his family; the plan was for them to spend a couple of nights at his parents' home and drive back to Los Angeles on Monday night.

Michelle readily agreed to the trip and was looking forward to meeting the two most influencial people in tony's upbringing. In a perfect world, meeting the in-laws to be would have been balanced out on both sides.

But Michelle's mother had died of cancer a few years ago and she wasn't particularly close to her stepfather, thus there would be no in-laws for Tony to meet other than her brother Danny.

The night before their trip, they met Danny for dinner at Red Lobster and told him about their engagement. It had been a pleasant get-together; Michelle felt that her brother had acted on his best behavior in expressing his support of her decision to marry Tony.

Likewise, there was no doubt in Michelle's mind that her mother would have liked Tony. She had been a kind, non-judgemental soul and without being overly affectionate or touchy-feely, she always had something nice to say about everyone.

Indeed, it had been her mother who had taught her the art of having reasonable expectations as a way of leading a happy life. Therefore, she prepared for the trip by reminding herself that she was not to expect Tony's parents to love her at first sight. If they did happen to hit it off, then she would just consider it a bonus.

Although she felt optimistic (for the most part), there was a fact that loomed in the back of her mind like a pesky fly: most statistics ranked the meeting future in-laws quite high on the list of life's most stressful events.

"So, today is the day," Michelle said a little nervous, a little breathless, sitting in the passenger seat beside Tony.

"Just relax, my parents are gonna love you," he reassured her as he put the key in the ignition and turned on the engine. Then, he turned to lean closer to her so that their faces were only a few inches apart.

He traced her lips with his thumb ever so gently, and that single touch sent tiny shivers down to the heat between her legs. Not for the first time she wondered how much longer she could go on like this.

She wanted him with feverish madness. Every day that went by she became convinced that no event in her life (aside from maybe her wedding day), could ever top this feeling of anticipation intertwined with an intense sense of wonder that relentlessly consumed her every waking thought.

Once they crossed the international border, it took them another couple of hours to reach their destination. They crossed over the hills and down into a wide valley.

They drove through uneven terrain and not for the first time, Tony expressed how glad he was that he decided to trade in his Lexus for the four wheel drive Ford Bronco which he had always loved ever since the infamous O.J Simpson freeway chase.

The place was so well hidden that not even the locals would have known of its existence.

As soon as they arrived at the Hacienda a woman in her late sixties greeted them with the warmest smile and throwing her arms around Tony.

Michelle noted that she was wearing a blue outfit with a white apron which very much reminded her of Alice, the friendly maid from the Brady Bunch. Tony introduced her as Maria, also known as 'mami.'

"She's been with us since forever, always saving me from getting caught with my hands in the cookie jar!" He smirked at Maria rather fondly remembering all those visits to his grandparents' when he was young and then added, "she doesn't speak any English."

"I speak some English!" Maria quickly interjected. "Nice to meet you" she said with a very thick Spanish accent. "Eres muy bonita, mi nina! por fin el Tony tiene novia! Tu eres la primera mujer que el Tony nos presenta! (You're so pretty, my dear, finally our Tony brings a girlfriend for us to meet, you're the only one he's ever brought here). She said all this rather effusively, holding Michelle's hands in an openly affectionate gesture.

"She says that you are quite beautiful and that she's happy to meet you...and that it was just about time I brought a girlfriend," Tony added this last sentence with a sort of reluctant smile.

"Very nice meeting you!" Michelle returned Maria's warm smile.

Maria summoned a young boy who seemed to instantly materialize out of nowhere and who took care of Michelle and Tony's suitcases in a quick and seamless transaction. Then, Maria led the way towards the concrete walkway that lead to the Almeida's mission style home.

As they walked into the foyer, Michelle's eyes focused on the long wooden table that ran the entire length of the white wall directly behind it. This was a bright room with light streaming through the windows at midday, although since it was close to twilight, she noticed that the light coming through the windows were casting a soft light onto the picture frames sitting on the long table.

While Tony engaged in small talk with Maria, Michelle was drawn to the picture frames.

Most of the framed photos on display on the mantel were snapshots of Tony at different ages; baby pictures, riding a tricycle, and holding a small black puppy. There were various school pictures of Tony. The one that caught her eye was Tony's graduation picture: he was smiling triumphantly next to a girl that looked suspiciously like a supermodel.

The natural conclusion that could be inferred from looking at the family snapshots was that Tony had had a very happy childhood.

In the middle of all the framed pictures there was a wedding portrait of Tony's parents in a larger size than the rest of the pictures which instantly caught her eye. The bride and groom were holding hands and at first glance they appeared to be looking into each others eyes in a romantic way. But upon closer inspection it became evident to Michelle the bride's hands were were folded in prayer and that the groom's hands were simply in close proximity to hers.

Another detail that captured her attention were the bride and groom's matching wedding bands. She thought it was a nice touch and definitely something she would like to emulate for her own wedding.

Maria quietly slipped away as soon as his parents walked into the room.

Mr. Almeida, a tall thin man with silver streaks in his hair was the first one to welcome them. He gave his son an affectionate handshake and a series of pats in the back. Then, still smiling, he shook hands with Michelle.

Mrs. Almeida approached her son with an extra long warm hug. She was thin and almost as tall as her husband. The long black dress she wore along with her ebony hair tied into a straight bun gave her an elegant look.

Tony sheepishly peeled his mother away, clearly uncomfortable with a hug that seemed as though would never come to a natural end and introduced Michelle.

"Very nice to meet you," Michelle stretched out her hand with a warm smile.

After witnessing such a warm display of affection, Michelle was slightly taken aback by Mrs. Almeida's sudden standoffish stance.

"Nice to meet you," Dolores Almeida murmured coolly, giving Michelle a look that clearly stated 'no woman is good enough for my son'.

Moments later the Almeidas gave Michelle a tour of the house; every room looked impecable as though it had been host to a magazine photo shoot.

This was a historical home with a low roof, tall arched windows and terracota tile. The mission style roof had red Spanish tiles with archways leading into the courtyard. In the middle of the courtyard, there was a 3 tier fountain surrounded with lush plants and with water cascading from one level to the next.

Tony mentioned that he had traced their family geneology all the way back to Hernan Cortes, the Spanish Conquistador who had claimed Mexico for Spain.

Maria politely announced that dinner was ready.

The dining room walls were painted a sort of mustard yellow color and its archways opened up onto the courtyard. From their conversation, Michelle gathered that this was their formal dining room.

They sat at a long hardwood rectangular table with a fancy table setting designed to entertain twelve. Mr. Almeida sat at the head of the table with his wife on one side of him and his son to the other. Michelle took the seat to the right of Tony.

When everyone closed their eyes during grace, michelle stared at the chandelier above the centerpiece dining room table which hung by a thread of a gold chain which looked as though it might break at any moment and wondered what it would take for the chain to break. She had not been brought up in a religious home; in fact she could count the number of times she and her mother had attended church with the palm of her hand. Still, she considered herself a protestant and all 'the hail marys recited made her feel just a tad uncomfortable.

They had carne asada, tortilla soup, beans and an assortment of side dishes. Michelle smiled wth some relief. Well, at least she was familiar with the menu.

In the beginning some niceties were exchanged and Michelle mosly listened as the others engaged in small talk.

Dolores met Michelle's gaze with the predatory eyes of a hawk. "So, where are you from, my dear?" she smiled smoothly but the smile did not reach her eyes. This was clearly a woman for which anything short of perfect was not acceptable, this was evident in the way she spoke and how she carried herself.

Michelle thought of her heritage; she considered herself an American. Not a japanese-american. Not a Welsh American. Just simply American. It bothered her that some people used those terms in their quest to be politically correct.

"I was born and raised in California" Michelle simply replied.

Tony's mother forced smile. "Yes, yes but what I mean is where was your family originally from?"

Michelle knew instantly what she meant... she was talking about Michelle's looks.

"Mama?" Tony gave his mother a quizzical look.

"That's okay, Tony, I don't mind talking about that," Michelle reassured him. "My father was Japanese and my mother was Welch," she met Dolores' gaze and her chin came up a notch as if ready to meet any deprecatory comments head-on. Plus, your chandelier is hanging way too low and doesn't fit well with your low ceiling, she thought.

"Oh," she murmured, leaning forward. For a minute it looked as if she might give Michelle a second chance.

"We have some news," Tony shifted in his seat and took a deep breath. "We're getting married."

The smile on his parents' faces froze and then they exchanged looks of astonishment. "What?" they interjected in unison.

"We're getting married." Tony repeated patiently.

For a minute or so there was an uncomfortable silence, their meals long forgotten.

Finally, Tony's father broke the silence. "Congratulations on your engagement," he said.

"Congratulations," echoed tony's mother."I hope it works out this time." she added with a sly look.

"This time?" Michelle inquired before she had a chance to censor her words.

Dolores cleared her throat and looked a little flustered when meeting Michelle's eyes. "Yes, I'm sure tony has you about Lilia?

Michelle's face at the mention of another woman. She turned to Tony.

"Remember I told you about Lilia, my cousin," Tony immediately retored, emphasizing the word 'cousin.'

Michelle nodded.

"Twice removed," Dolores interjected.

Tony glared at his mother. "Any particular reason for bringing her into the conversation? I have not seen Lilia in ages... and as far as I know she doesn't even live in this country anymore. Lilia es el pasado (Lilia is in the past)."

"Actually... Lilia is here in town," Jose Antonio turned to his son. "We invited her over for dinner once you told us you were coming. She called to say she was running a little late."

Michelle couldn't help but notice the fury that was instantly evident in Tony's eyes.

"She's here?" Tony meet his mother's gaze, fuming. His expectations were ruined. He felt like a fool for expecting his mother to behave herself. She should have mentioned this when he had talked to her over the phone informing her of their labor day weekend plans.

"She divorced her husband a few years back and she decided to move back home. Esta soltera y sin compromiso (She doesn't have any children and she never got remarried.)" Dolores explained, adding this last piece of information exclusively for Tony's ears.

"And you invited her here on the weekend I bring in my fiancee?" He crumbled his fancy paper napkin into a ball and stood up. He didn't need his parents' blessing...especially not his mother's. It wasn't that he didn't love his mother. It was just that he found her quite 'draining' for a lack of a better word.

Before she had a chance to blink, Tony was darting out the front door and heading towards their parked vehicle.

"Tony, wait!" she urged him to stop but he kept on walking as though he'd been fired by a bullet. "You can't let her get to you like this..."

She nearly caught up with him when he made it to the driver seat of the Bronco.

Michelle slipped into the passenger seat. "Wait!" she insisted.

He shook his head. "I can't stay..."

"We can't just leave!"

"Yes we can, just watch!" he turned the key in the ignition, revved up the engine by pressing the gas pedal and gripped the steering wheel.

"Our bags!" she exclaimed adamantly to get his attention before he had a chance to shift the gear to reverse. "Our luggage is inside the house." she clarified in a more calmed manner.

Somehow, this made Tony regain his bearings. Yes, they would have to get back to the house, there was no way around that. They couldn't just take off without saying good-bye... that much became instantly clear.

She reached for his arm, her touch warm and soothing. He then released his grip on the steering wheel. Seconds later, she sought his hand and threaded their fingers together. "So you and Lilia were engaged?" she gently prompted.

To be continued...

A/N: Reviews are like flowers, they're always welcomed and they always bring a smile :)