Tony’s parents’ house was exactly as she’d expected. Kate examined it through the rain-speckled window as they pulled up and Tony skillfully parallel-parked in the one available space anywhere near the house. It was two-storeys, older, white wooden siding with green trim, a porch out front, and every window burning with welcoming light through the dreary day. It was something out of a suburban cliché.

Tony put the car in park and turned off the ignition. She looked back at him. He was also looking at the house, but his expression was decidedly unhappy. “Ready for this?” he asked.

“What’s my favourite colour?”

“Red. I helped you paint your living room Labour Day weekend, even though I thought you were crazy. What was my dog’s name growing up?”

“Preston. Since you moved out, you always call one of your houseplants that. Of course, since I’ve been around, Preston’s survived more than a month.” She looked at him. “Don’t worry, Tony. We can pull this off.”

He nodded curtly, then opened his door. Kate also got out of the car, and stood on the curb waiting for him. He locked the car, then came around to her. He reached out and took her hand in his. She squeezed his fingers and smiled at him. He sighed, then graced her with one in return. Together, they walked towards the house.

They hadn’t even made it halfway up the walk before the front door burst open, and an older woman with stylish salt-and-pepper hair came out onto the porch. “Anthony!” she cried, a huge smile on her face. She threw her arms wide and stood waiting.

Tony’s smile became more natural as he dropped Kate’s hand and bounded up the steps. He wrapped his arms around the woman. “Hi, Mama,” he said.

Kate hung back, letting him greet his mother without distraction. Mrs. DiNozzo had noticed her, of course, but she decided to let Tony handle the introductions in his own way. Finally, they broke apart, and Mrs. DiNozzo gave her son’s arm a little shake. “You’re early,” she said. “We didn’t expect you before this afternoon.”

“We started driving last night,” Tony said.

“Ah,” she replied, and unerringly she turned her gaze to Kate. Kate stood up a little straighter; she was glad she’d dressed nicely. “And who is this, then? You didn’t tell me you were bringing someone with you, Anthony.”

Tony turned around and held a hand out to her. Kate walked up the steps and took it, falling in beside him. He released her hand and put his arm around her waist, pulling her closer as he spoke. “Sorry, Mama, but I decided to invite Kate at the last minute, and I didn’t think you’d mind if I brought her. Kate, this is my mother, Natalie DiNozzo. Mama, this is Kate Todd.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Mrs. DiNozzo. Happy anniversary,” Kate said, holding out her hand for the other woman to shake. “I’ve heard a lot about you.” In the last twelve hours...

Tony’s mother’s grip was strong, and she looked at Kate with blatant curiousity. “Kate? You work with Anthony, don’t you?”

“Yes, we’re at NCIS together. I’m sorry to drop in on your anniversary like this...”

Mrs. DiNozzo dropped Kate’s hand to make a dismissive gesture. “Ah, in a house like this, one person one way or the other doesn’t make any difference. I’m sure you’ve been told that.”

“I have,” she said, smiling and glancing up at Tony.

“And you’re certainly welcome!” she said, her eyes beginning to glow with fervour. “Anthony hasn’t brought someone to meet us in a long...”

She broke off suddenly, and Tony’s face had taken on a wooden quality by the time Kate turned back to him. She cleared her throat and returned her attention to his mother. “Tony said I shouldn’t bring anything,” she said brightly, “but I’d like to help if I could. Is there something I can do?”

Mrs. DiNozzo seized upon the change of topic. “Right now, just come in and introduce yourself. All your brothers are here, Anthony, and Aunt Lina, and–” Her recitation of those already arrived took them into the hallway and through shedding their shoes and coats. Kate could feel the tension radiating off Tony, so as soon as she had put her outer garments away, she placed herself back at his side and threaded her arm through his, squeezing it tightly. He looked down at her, a somewhat hunted look in his eyes. She held his gaze, and he seemed to draw some comfort from that, because he relaxed slightly.

“Go on into the living room, you two,” Mrs. DiNozzo said. “I have to go back to work.” She sighed dramatically. “Ai me, so much to do. Kate, come find me in the kitchen when Anthony’s done showing you off.” She smiled. “I think I should get to know you better.”

Oh hell, what have I gotten myself into? Kate thought wildly. The lapse of conviction lasted for only a second, though. I’m doing this for a friend, she reiterated. Tony needs me to be here, to do this. She smiled. “All right, Mrs. DiNozzo,” she said.

“Natalie, please, Kate,” she said. “Go on then!” She waved them off, then turned and retreated further into the house.

Kate looked up at Tony. “It’s not too late,” he told her quietly.

“Yes, it is,” she said. “Look, let’s just stick to the op plan. We can revise it later if we need to.”

“I never thought I’d be treating a family dinner as an operation,” he said, the corner of his mouth turning up slightly.

Kate giggled, but quickly tried to cover it up; she hated the way she sounded when she giggled. Tony’s smile emerged onto his face, and his eyes began to sparkle a little. Then a wave of laughter overrode the low hum of noise that indicated a crowd of people, and he dropped back into a defensive readiness. Kate fought to keep her worry from showing on her face. Whatever it took, she decided, she was going to get him through this weekend and back to normal. Decisively, she dropped his arm and put her hand into the back pocket of his pants. He looked at her in shock. “Come on, then, lover-boy,” she said, twitching her eyebrows at him. “Introduce me to your folks, so I can go convince your mother that we’re five steps from the altar.”

He snorted, but put his arm over her shoulder. “All right, sweetheart,” he said. “How are you with faces and names?”

Not good enough, it soon turned out. Their entrance into the living room caused great jubilation, and they were swarmed with relatives. Kate managed to commit Tony’s father (Stefan), his two brothers (Raphael and Mario), their wives (Lisa and Rebecca), Aunt Lina, and her two daughters and spouses (Rosa and Bob, and Chari and Max) to memory before she became a little overwhelmed and lost track of the family tree. She was quickly separated from Tony and pulled to a corner by the women, made to sit down in a comfortable settee, and plied with cookies and coffee, while the other women chatted about mutual acquaintances she didn’t know. She was grateful, actually; it allowed her to take stock of the situation and identify the players better.

“It’s a little overwhelming, isn’t it?” Rebecca said to her in an undertone.

Kate glanced at Tony’s sister-in-law, who sat next to her, then back out at the crowded room. She easily found Tony, who was standing among his brothers telling some story that required a great deal of arm-waving. At least he seemed a lot happier now. “A little,” she said. “My family’s not this big.”

“Neither’s mine,” Rebecca said. “I remember the first time Mario brought me here for Easter. I’d met the immediate family before, but nothing Mario said prepared me for this.” She made a small encompassing gesture. As she did it, her gaze turned to the group of brothers, who were now laughing uproariously. “So you finally tied him down, did you?” she said.

“Who, Tony?” She smiled as Rebecca turned back to her. “Tony doesn’t get tied down. He just gets someone to share the ride.”

“There must be something special about D.C.,” Rebecca said thoughtfully. “He’s been with NCIS longer than any other place, and now you.”

“Why the interest?” Kate asked.

Rebecca shrugged. “Tony stayed with us for a while before he went to Baltimore, and I got to know him. And besides, Mario’s my husband. He doesn’t say it, but I know he’s been worried about Tony. He’s the oldest, and Tony’s the youngest, and he has this whole... I’ve-got-to-look-out-for-my-baby-brother thing.”

“Tony’s fine,” Kate said. “He’s all right.”

“You’re lying,” Rebecca said calmly. “You wouldn’t be keeping such a close eye on him if he was all right.”

Kate swore briefly in her head. “He’s the only one I know here,” she improvised. “I just...”

But Rebecca was shaking her head. “I’ve known Tony for over ten years,” she said. “He’s not the type to fail the party test, and neither are his girlfriends. What’s up, Kate?”

Kate frowned, her mental tirade beginning to use stronger language. True, Tony would never be with a clingy woman for very long, but she wished Rebecca weren’t so observant. On the other hand, she seemed to have Tony’s best interests at heart. “He needed someone here,” she said. “Someone on his side.”

“You’re waiting for Annette,” Rebecca said, lowering her voice still further. Kate nodded slightly. The other woman looked thoughtful. “Look, Kate, we’re not going to be done here until late. Mario’s probably already offering, but I will too. We’ve got a spare bedroom. Why don’t you two spend the night with us before you start driving back to Washington?”

“I’ll have to check with Tony–” Kate said, surprised at the sudden change of topic.

“Mario and Tony are close,” Rebecca said. “I think after tonight, he’ll need more than just one person on his side.”

Kate looked closer at the other woman, and suddenly saw something familiar looking back at her through Rebecca’s steady gaze. It was the same thing that had made her offer to accompany Tony to this place. She smiled. “Thank you,” she said. “I probably can’t do it all myself.”

“It’s settled then,” Rebecca said. “I’ll tell Mario and Tony.”

“And I,” Kate said, “will go into the kitchen and get to know Natalie better.”

“She’s harmless,” Rebecca said with a grin as they both stood up. “Her bark is worse than her bite.” She placed a companionable hand on Kate’s shoulder, then started across the room to where the brothers stood.

Kate watched her go, then threaded her way through the seated women, who expressed dismay that she was leaving until she said she was going into the kitchen to help with dinner. Then a knowing look passed around them, and they shooed her on her way with vague directions to the room in question. Kate stopped at the entranceway and looked back. Rebecca had easily joined the group of men, and stood sandwiched between Tony and Mario, listening intently to Raphael as he expounded on some subject. Kate examined Tony for a moment. Would he be all right while she was out of the room? Would he need her? He seemed to sense her attention, because his eyes moved to her, though his body remained at rest. She tipped her head at him in question. He smiled slightly, blinked slowly, and nodded. He shifted a little closer to his brother and sister-in-law. Good. She nodded back, then glanced over her shoulder and back to him. He nodded again, and his fingers, spread on his hip from where his thumb was hooked in the pocket of his jeans, flared up and out at her. Go, the gesture said. I know where to find you. She nodded again, then turned and followed the scent of baking bread and other goodies towards the kitchen. It was time to play daughter-in-law. She just hoped she could pull it off.