She takes her eyes off the road and gives him a nudge from across the passenger seat. The tension in his shoulders doesn't dissipate. "It's dinner, there's only so much that can go wrong"

Tommy grumbles something under his breath and she is truly amused that meeting her family poses a greater challenge to him than his line of work. He's even gone to the lengths of pulling out a button-up shirt, something she wouldn't have guessed he even owned.

She doesn't need to give him directions; he knows this route all too well. Since she's moved closer to town, they don't cross paths that often anymore but she's pretty sure he still runs this way.

When they pull up in front of the house and she unbuckles, he takes a moment to look at the well-kept building, flowerpots dominating the patio. The April rain doesn't detract from its welcoming atmosphere and she wonders if he's drawing parallels compared to his father's house.

Meeting Patrick Conlon a couple of weeks back was an almost equally nervous affair for her. Tommy had opened up about the difficult relationship a bit and she'd found it hard to understand what it meant exactly to have grown up with an alcoholic. She'd never had to think about having a glass of wine, worrying about it getting out of control and could only imagine the effect it had had on Tommy. It explained how he kept drinking to a minimum on most days.

The man she'd met at his tournament a while ago had been a little standoffish, not much of a talker but by no means somebody unfriendly. He'd looked hardened by life, an old guy who had experienced a lot and obviously knew his way around a tough sport. With everything she knew now, Natalie had been apprehensive about meeting him but Tommy's father had been nothing but gracious.

Meeting in a public place, a coffee shop, had been Tommy's idea and they enjoyed the first truly sunny day of the year over hot chocolate and coffee as Paddy asked questions, shared anecdotes and even managed to make his son crack a smile at one point. A person who'd lived in Pittsburgh most of his life, he had many stories about the nooks and crannies of this place. She liked this man who had just made it to seventy and yet managed to come across as somebody who was only starting to fully engage in life.

Strangely enough, observing the two men interact showed her little of the complicated relationship they may have had before. Although Tommy was slightly more reserved than usual, she couldn't read any resentment in his behaviour.

It had been more relaxed than she'd anticipated. She'd enjoyed getting to know Paddy and couldn't help but notice that he seemed to have had a high opinion of her even before meeting. Tommy must have something to do with that, not that she's complaining.

She wonders if the encounter is going through Tommy's mind too as they step out of the car and head into the rain. Making their way up the drive, she touches his arm before they reach the stairs.

"Hey. There are no expectations here, they're just curious about you. I'm pretty sure mom even made chicken," she jokes and that finally has him cracking a smile. She smoothes a hand over his shirt collar, "It's just like the broken rib – take it easy"

"Yes, Doctor," he mocks and she shuts him up with a kiss.

"Come on," she leads the way out of the steadily increasing downpour and rings the bell. It's the new husband who opens the door and she flashes him a quick smile before stepping inside to look for her mother, "Hey Dan, where's mom hiding?"

"In the living room," the man directs her as he lets Tommy enter behind her, addressing the ex-Marine, "I'm Daniel, pleased to meet you"

"Tommy," he replies as they shake hands and Natalie misses the way they eye each other for a moment, the insurance manager and the MMA fighter. Then her mother breezes around the corner and she's enveloped in a brief hug, the scent of cinnamon clinging to her mother's dress.

She has to hide her grin. That can only mean there will be cinnamon apples for dessert, her absolute favourite. Her mom is really pulling out all the stops to make sure that she feels supported in this.

"Mom," she turns back to the other guest, "This is Tommy"

"Even more handsome than in the photo," she smiles at him and Natalie inwardly cringes at the statement, even though the fighter seems to be pleasantly surprised as her mother also embraces him, "We're so pleased you could make it. I'm Sandra"

"Nice to meet you, ma'am," he responds and it's Natalie's turn to be taken aback at how formal that sounds coming from him. It's the military persona shining through today. Her mother seems to be more than impressed by the manners because she gives her a meaningful look as she ushers them into the living room. "Come on in."

They settle on the sofa while her mother finishes up in the kitchen and Dan instantly offers Tommy the standard icebreaker beer, which he politely declines. Natalie goes along with him for the moment, also shaking her head and instead asking him about work recently. It's always a good subject with Dan, the man is successful at his job and he enjoys talking about it endlessly. She leans against Tommy, feels him relax a bit as the conversation continues.

Inevitably, the question about his profession follows and Tommy answers with self-assured words, describing the sport in that factual manner of his, which has it sounding no crazier than a football game. Her mother's husband looks fascinated, having no experience with it and asks all the right questions. Just like that, the men have reached a subject that both can relate to on some level – sport.

She meanders into the kitchen after a while to help her mother with the chicken roast. She finds her slicing bread, the bird already steaming on the kitchen table in its bed of carrots and onions. It looks extremely good. "Should I take that inside?" Natalie offers and her mom throws a grateful look over her shoulder.

"Thanks, sweetie," she nods, "I'll be right behind you"

The platter is still steaming as she manoeuvres it into the living room and deposits it on the dining table. Tommy comes up behind her just as she sucks on her thumb, which has grazed the hot surface and mutters in her ear, "You weren't joking about the chicken"

"'Course not," she pulls him around the table.

Conversation is thankfully easy, her mother naturally cracks jokes about Natalie and her childhood but she's used to that by now. Tommy catches her eye on more than one occasion and she just sighs, shaking her head at the stories.

The food is fantastic and she can tell her mother is pleased when Tommy acknowledges that it's one of the best roasts he's had so far. Sandra waves him off but the delighted expression stays.

"So how long have you been in Pittsburgh, Tommy?" Dan starts on a different topic, leaning back in his chair to take a swig of beer, "Natalie mentioned you lived here before"

"Born and raised until I was fourteen. I've been back eight months now," he supplies, taking a sip of water.

"And in that time away you were in the Marines?"

"Mostly," Tommy agrees but there's a muscle working in his jaw that tells her he's not entirely comfortable going into this, "I was discharged last year"

"Your cousin was also in the Marines, wasn't he?" her mother adds, addressing her husband who nods, launching into a story of the relative and his experiences abroad. Tommy is listening and while she has no idea about military jargon, he jumps in at one or two points to clarify things. It's interesting to see him identify with that part when he barely speaks about it with her. It always seems to be something he doesn't want to address.

"It's an honourable choice," Dan asserts, "My cousin came back and knew it wasn't something he could do for the rest of his days but those guys that spend their life in the military…it's a brave thing"

It's a statement that begs for affirmation. Tommy simply says, "Sure it's honourable when you would die for your country. 'Long as the country stands behind you"

There's an uncertain silence following his answer that settles on the table like a thick layer of snow. Then Dan voices what everybody else is thinking, "You mean the friendly fire incident."

That has the fighter's head coming up, fixing the older man with a stare. Natalie wants to bury her head in her hands. She should have known the moment she spilled the news on seeing someone that these two would go to lengths to find out more. Unfortunately, Tommy's activities have been forever stored on the Internet.

Her mother instantly realizes that this is a bad subject to be touching on, "We're sorry, it was just…on the news a while ago and when Natalie mentioned that you…"

"It's fine," Tommy cuts in.

"No, you're right Sandra, we overstepped," Dan jumps in, "It's not our place to judge according to what reporters say. We just wanted to make sure that Natalie…well, after what happened last year…"

Tommy raises an eyebrow, "That she didn't turn up with a psychotic deserter"

At this point, she just can't watch where this is going anymore. Without warning, she pushes her chair back and despite how childish the gesture must look, she can't think of anything else right now. "I think I should show Tommy around outside before dessert"

Never mind that it is the most ridiculous idea, since it's dark by now and the rain hasn't ceased since they arrived here. Her mom cooperates anyway, getting up to stack the plates and push them into her husband's unsuspecting hands. She moves, circling the table and grabbing Tommy's hand as she goes to pull him along.

She doesn't care enough to grab her jacket and so they're standing on the back patio a moment later, under the dim glow of a single outside light in the cold. She leans against the closed door, not even knowing where to start.

"I'm so…I don't know, embarrassed doesn't even cut it close. It's like I'm sixteen all over again," she looks across to where he's standing at the banister, hands buried in his pockets, "I can't believe they looked you up to...god, I don't even know what they were looking for. It's like they have some insane picture that you're a dangerous guy because of what you did in a situation where anyone would have been irrational! I'm just…so sorry about this."

"Why?" he turns to face her, "They're just honest"

She's actually stumped. How can he be so calm about being openly judged by her folks without ever having met before? She shakes her head, not backing down on this one. "Tonight's the kind of night where they should have blocked that out. I mean, it's plain respect - they're meeting you for the first time."

"Nah, I get it," he tilts his head towards the house, "They know what I'm capable of so they're wondering what kind of guy I must be. How I can be good for someone who just lost the person she loves."

She doesn't know whether to be frustrated more with her parents or with him at this point. The fact that he completely understands their motives must mean he's put a lot of thought into this himself. That realization almost has the anger fade and turn into something closer to disappointment. That he would doubt that he isn't exactly what she wants.

"That's not for them to judge…or you," she blurts and he snaps to attention at her words, shoulders tightening, "I make my own decisions about who I want in my life. And I choose you because I really don't care what you're supposedly capable of when I know that's not how you treat me"

When she finishes her rant, the pounding of the rain above their heads fills the air. She crosses her arms and waits for a response. He's suddenly got that same look he had that night in the cab and eventually crosses the space towards her. "That's good," he tells her, those grey eyes fixed right on hers with their blatant honesty, "'Cause I…really want to be what you need"

She manages a smile at that, even though traces of anger are still pumping through her body. His vulnerability is back, exposing itself to her amongst all this and she's grateful. Exhaling, she pushes away from the doorframe. "Me too," she murmurs and lets her fingers graze along his collar again, "But right now, I really need those cinnamon apples before I can handle any more family time"

He has to chuckle at that and this time it's him that takes her hand when they walk inside.