The Chronology of Us (A Stanathan multi-chapter fic) Ch. 15: Meet the Parents
Title: The Chronology of Us - Ch. 15: Meet the Parents
Rating: T
Pairing: Stana/Nathan
Oh-kay so I may have kinda surpassed the time limit I put on myself...18 hours has been and gone... long ago. o_o ANYWAY... Here's the chapter for your reading pleasure, and maaaaan did it turn out to be loooooong!
I have an inkling you will possibly like it :p Hope you do!
Loves,
Renee.
"Come on Nathan, our flight leaves at 9:30!" Stana bustled around her house in a fluster as her boyfriend toiled over which Star Wars DVD he wanted to take with him.
"This is a very important decision."
"Just..." She snapped the DVD's out of his hands and threw them carelessly into his bag. "Take them all."
Nathan shrugged. "OK then, problem solved. Thank you", he tried smiling at her and pulling her into him for a hug but flinched when he saw the look on her face that told him she wasn't in the mood for lovey-dovey lingering right now.
"OK, getting ready... almost packed", he promised her.
"Almost packed? What else could you possibly need?" She sighed.
He smiled at her softly. "Just you mind your own business little lady."
Something in his tone made her heart jump. He must have been talking about her Christmas gift. She smiled, trying to disguise it as a lip twitch but it didn't work and he grinned back at her.
She rolled her eyes at him. "Ten minutes and I'm leaving, with or without you."
"You'd never go without me... who's going to kiss you under the mistletoe?"
She shrugged, smirking slyly at him. "I'm sure I'll find someone to volunteer."
"No you damn well won't", he told her possessively.
She laughed at the reaction she'd caused and smacked him on his backside. "Get your ass into gear and I won't have to go through the ordeal of finding someone as hot as you to kiss."
Nathan leered at her from his position as he bent over his suitcase. "A: There is no one as hot as me, and B: You totally just copped a feel."
Stana beamed at him as she swung herself around the doorframe, exiting her bedroom. "No there's not and yes..." She winked. "I did."
...
They boarded the plane and once they were seated, they received many glances and pointing fingers thrown their way. Stana shifted uncomfortably in her seat. She jabbed Nathan. "Hey, where's your mustache?"
He gasped. "Oh man, I forgot! Wait, it's in my nap sack... in the overhead locker. Do you think I have time to get it?"
"Yeah, but hurry", Stana urged him.
Nathan stood up, getting in the way of crew members moving through the plane and other passengers trying to find their seats. "Sorry", he apologized to them as they had to squeeze past him. Some did a double take at the sight of him. When he opened the locker, his bag flew out, falling on top of him with a thud, knocking the wind out of him. He made an indignant noise, drawing the attention of nearby passengers, and a crew member who came to assist.
"Here you are Sir, I'm sorry about that, the locker is packed pretty tight. Perhaps we could place your bag in another-" The flight attendant stopped talking and glanced over at Stana who was sitting, red faced, trying to conceal herself. "Oh, oh wow... um, you're the guys from "Castle", right?" He asked them tentatively.
"Oh, actually, we're the uh, the stunt doubles", Nathan told him.
"Really, I never realized how much you actually look like them... And sound like them too!"
"Well, not me... I'm terrible with the American accent... Englishwoman through and through, I am", Stana answered back with a British accent.
The crewman laughed. "Well, you both do a terrific job on the show anyway."
He seemed convinced enough and helped Nathan put away his luggage.
Nathan came back to his seat just as the plane was turning in preparation to taxi down the runway.
"Well, looks like the mustache is no longer needed, we've got a great cover story now... thanks to me", he puffed out his chest, closing his eyes as he settled back into his seat.
Stana raised an eyebrow at him. "Thanks to you? And how easy do you think it's going to be for me to keep up this accent?"
"You're an actress, you'll manage", came his short reply.
Stana scoffed. "Alright, well if this is an acting job, then how much am I gonna get paid?"
Nathan's eyes cracked open, he turned his head to look at her. "You just wait for your Christmas present, I think that should cover any fees incurred."
Again, Stana felt those same butterflies in her stomach when he talked about her present... It wasn't...it couldn't be...not yet, surely? Technically they'd been together for four years, which is pretty reasonable to start considering it, but...Would he? Would he really be ready to ask her that question?
The question.
"I'm becoming rather intrigued about this gift, Mr. Fillion", she told him as casually as possible.
"Hmm, I bet you are", he replied with a small grin.
Stana scrunched her nose.
New approach.
She turned to stroke his chest with her open palm. "I'm kind of excited about it actually."
He looked at her, eyebrows raised. "Excited, huh?"
"Very excited", she whispered, her face resembling a lioness stalking a tasty flamingo.
He gave her a small smile. "Forget it Stana, I'm not telling you what it is. You'll just have to wait until tomorrow morning."
She made a noise of disapproval and flopped back into her seat.
Nathan laughed. "Look at you, you're such a child."
Stana leaned her head against the window, sulking.
Nathan leaned over to her and murmured. "Hey, you know what would make you feel better?"
She turned her head, still pouting. He winked. "Mile high induction."
Stana inhaled a deep breath. "Already been inducted years ago... Wasn't that great."
Nathan narrowed his eyes, deciding that now was not the time for jealousy.
He ran his hand along her inner thigh, making her quiver. "You've never experienced it with me."
Stana swallowed, her arousal seeping in around her, fueled by the sudden turbulence the aircraft was experiencing.
She grit her teeth, getting flustered. "Nathan, if we get caught..."
"Then our stunt doubles are going to gain quite the reputation, aren't they?" He told her, a look of high amusement on his face.
She stood, purposefully grazing against him as she shuffled past him out into the aisle, bumping into a flight attendant and apologizing (in a British accent.)
"Meet me in the bathroom in five minutes...Oh and Nathan? Never call me a child again."
Nathan grinned to himself as she walked away. "Oh no my dear, you're definitely adult."
...
They touched down in Chicago at Just after two in the afternoon.
"Holy crap, it's freezing!" Nathan swore as they exited the terminal.
"It's Chicago, what do you expect!" Stana replied, shouting over the wind.
"What?!" Nathan yelled back, not hearing her over the blizzard.
Stana laughed and shook her head, wrapping her arm around his waist and tugging him toward a taxi that was idling nearby.
...
They drove to the Katic's home in Aurora, when they pulled up outside, Nathan gazed out the window, smiling. "This is so cute!" He exclaimed.
"Yup, spent my last couple of years at High School here, lots of good times... uh oh, incoming...", she warned him as her mother came racing out from the house, bundled up to the eyeballs.
"Mama, what are you doin' out here? It's cold", Stana wrapped her arms around her mother.
"Stana, dragan, two hours... two hours it took me to walk to school every morning in the old country. Rain, snow, or sleep."
"It's sleet, Mama.", Stana turned to Nathan, shaking her head. "Every year I get this lecture."
Nathan grinned, bending down to shake Stana's mother's hand. "Mrs. Katic, it's a pleasure."
"Please, Rada."
"Rada", Nathan smiled charmingly at the older woman. "Very nice to be here, thank you for allowing me to join you for Christmas."
"Is nothing, our son Nikola is unable to make it from Italy this year, so you will take his place."
"Wait, Nik's not coming?" Stana asked her mother.
Rada shrugged. "Ahk, he's very busy with working and everything, he's very successful, we are very proud of him", she hung her arm around Nathan's and proceeded to walk up the path to the house. "Driver, you will bring the luggage, no?" She called back to the taxi driver.
"No Mama, that's not his job, sheesh", Stana shook her head. "She thinks because I'm on television I own the world or something."
Nathan laughed, discretely passing her a fifty dollar note to give to the cab driver to bring their bags to the door.
"Peter! " Rada called through the house. "Stana is home."
A very tall, robust man trudged down the staircase, a black bearded version of Santa Claus, pretty much.
"Dragan", her father of 70 approached Stana, smiling widely, arms open. "Zdravo Tata", she said softly, embracing him.
Nathan was introduced to Stana's younger sister Gigi, or Christina as she was known to others. "Where can I get one?" She asked Stana who looked at Nathan, grinning. "Sorry, he's one of a kind."
Stana's brothers, Marko and Theodore were introduced to Nathan as they arrived as well. The last to arrive was the eldest of all Stana's younger siblings, Dushan, who arrived laden with food.
"Dushan is a baker", Stana told Nathan as the food was laid out in front of them at the dinner table.
"Keeps us all very well fed", Theodore told him with a grin.
"Too well fed", Peter said, patting his protruding belly, causing everyone to laugh.
"Dushan could have been many things, but he chose making cakes and pies", Rada said, causing some tension in the room.
Nathan grimaced internally. "Well, I must say, you are a credit to the industry, my fine fellow, this apple pie is by far the best I've ever tasted."
"Thank you Nathan, I'm glad you're enjoying it."
"Koliko ti dati ovaj jedan?" Marko, the second oldest brother asked Dushan with a sly grin.
"We speak in English at this dinner table, Marko", Stana scolded him. He gave her an ashamed look and returned to eating his dessert.
"We're all very proud of Stana, of course. None of us ever would have imagined her in Hollywood, but there she is, on a big hit TV show no less." Christina said.
"Well, we always knew she was a drama queen, we just didn't know she'd make any money out of it", Theodore joked, making Stana glare at him playfully.
Nathan snorted.
"Of course everybody is proud of Stana, even strangers are calling at all hours of the day and night, telling us how they adore Stana, is madness that they do this! We have no privacy anymore, but of course, there is no use asking them to take our number off the internet, people will still find us."
Nathan swallowed. "You're going to encounter some people like that Rada, people who have no lives of their own so they intrude on others' lives."
"Price of fame, yes?" Peter asked with his mouth full of pie.
"Exactly", Nathan half smiled.
"Is a hefty price to pay... This is not what we thought we'd be calling the American dream...Crazy people invading our privacy", Rada said with an angered tone.
"Mama..." Stana pleaded quietly, Nathan glanced at her, noting how humiliated she was becoming.
"I'm just saying Stana...When we were refugees, we had a dream, your father and I, to come to a country, not surrounded by borders of politics... a place where we would not be judged for a love that was in many ways, forbidden. To not be trapped country whose borders were breaking down... Well, now we're in a home that sometimes feels the same way... It may not be the same, these people who come to our doorstep, I know they mean no harm, they just love our daughter... But it's the invasion of our privacy, it brings back too much", Rada covered her mouth with her hand. "Too many memories."
All movement at the table had stilled.
Rada stood. "I'm sorry, excuse me." She scurried out of the room.
Nathan inhaled a deep breath, wiping his face with a napkin. He saw Stana run a hand over her face and he touched a soft hand to her knee. She gave him a weak smile, shrugging, shaking it off.
"You children must respect what your Mother says. You don't understand what it was like for her, back in the old country", Peter told them all.
"You're right, we can't empathize, because we don't know... but we do understand tata", Dushan said to his father.
Peter patted the side of Dushan's cheek in an affectionate way.
He waved a hand in the air. "Eat, eat."
Nathan watched as Stana and her siblings resumed enjoying their meal. He felt a real grounded respect for the way of the life at the Katic's, and realized how much influence their father had over what they did. It wasn't that he was forceful, it was that they all respected him so much that they wanted to follow his ruling, because they knew he would lead them to happiness.
One thing he was determined to do now was to become a great pal of Peter Katic.
...
Later on that night, Stana was in her sister's room, having some girly time with her. Nathan roamed the house, looking at old photographs of the Katics, smiling particularly widely at the ones that included Stana.
He was perusing the book shelf in their living room, when he heard someone enter behind him.
He turned around to be greeted by the sight of Rada, shuffling in, wearing her nightgown and slippers, her greying hair disheveled and falling out of its loose bun.
"I was just looking at all your beautiful pictures", Nathan told her with a smile.
"I'm sorry about this evening at dinner. I get... emotional sometimes", she told him softly, sitting down on the arm of the couch.
"Oh. hey I get it. I know that life has not been an easy road for you, and I have such great respect for you and Peter, making the choice to move to this country together, it can't have been easy."
Rada shook her head. "It was very difficult. We fought tooth and nail to get to where we are now, to start our business and be successful. We were blessed with Stana, and then the others came along and though times were hard with money, we still felt blessed every single day." She sighed. "Life was so peaceful. After life in conflict, I didn't know if I would ever find that kind of peace in my life again. Chicago is a busy city, but even there, the noise was so quiet compared to where we had come from", Rada smiled, making Nathan smile gently in return. "It was a good kind of loud... it was noise of production and life, instead of noise of destruction and death."
Nathan swallowed, coming to sit down on the couch beside her, so that he was more level with the much shorter woman. "I'm sorry, it must have been awful."
Rada gave him a wistful look. "And it never leaves you, you know. Once you see a child, lying dead on the street... it stays with you forever."
Nathan inhaled a deep breath. "Can I ask you something Rada?"
Rada nodded.
"Does the content of the show upset you sometimes?" He asked carefully.
Rada raised her eyebrows. "It sometimes worries me, to see Stana on that show, looking at death, speaking of it so freely, so carelessly, as if it doesn't matter so much... But I know it's just acting, it's a television show, and people want to be entertained, they don't want sadness."
"But it is sad, and you know that."
"I fear sometimes that Stana will become..."
"Become what?" Nathan pressed gently.
"Like me", Rada admitted, sadness tinging the edges of her voice. "I don't know how to explain it, I suppose it's... sad...empty."
"You think she might become immune to seeing death and therefor not have any feeling or appreciation for those who have really suffered", Nathan summarized and Rada nodded her head.
At that moment, Stana was walking down the hall, coming to find Nathan, and she paused in the alcove of the living room, hiding behind he wall, watching her Mother and Nathan together.
"Let me show you something, Rada", Nathan pulled out his phone and brought up Stana's twitter page. He scrolled down, showing her examples of all the beautiful words she had said over the past few months to her fans, and their reactions.
"Do you see what kind of person she is from this? Do you see sadness or lack of appreciation?"
Rada shook her head, a tear rolled slowly down her cheek. "No."
"She may be surrounded by an artificial world, but it's not where she resides... Stana plays, she laughs, she enjoys life."
"She's a child, she's still a child."
"Yes", Nathan nodded his head, a tiny smirk on his face, recalling their conversation on the plane. "She's a beautiful child. She's a child who loves, and she's a woman who feels."
Stana's heart thumped at his words, her resolve melting for him.
Rada considered him for a moment before adding, "I still worry about her sometimes, alone out there in Hollywood."
"Well Rada, she loves Los Angeles, and Hollywood where she belongs... But she's not alone... Your daughter will never be alone." Nathan promised Rada.
Rada gave him a sweet smile and placed her hand to his face. "You are hardly a boy Nathan. But you are a sweet, sweet man."
Stana's heart swelled with love as she watched their exchange. She left Nathan and her mother to talk and returned discreetly to her bedroom.
Only a few minutes later, Nathan returned to the bedroom where Stana lay on her bed. "Hey", he smiled widely at her from the doorway.
"Hey", she smiled radiantly back.
He came over and flopped dramatically on the bed beside her. Stana laughed. "Talking to my Mother really took it out of you, aye?"
He raised his head quickly. "You were eavesdropping?"
She leaned forward, laying herself silkily down in front of him, bringing her face so close to his that their noses were touching. "You called me a child."
Nathan chuckled. "Really, that was your takeaway from that conversation?"
Stana brought a hand to his face, smiling adoringly at him. "No. My takeaway was that you are always going to be the love of my life... No matter what happens, even if we break up and we see other people..."
"toi, toi, toi", Nathan interjected, Stana chuckled. "Even if that highly unlikely scenario occurs... You're always going to be the one."
"So are you", Nathan told her sincerely.
Stana shrugged. "But you did still call me a child... and you know what I said about that... and you know what? You are far more a child than I am", she teased him, with a raised eyebrow, trying not to grin.
"Well you heard Mama Katic, she thinks I'm a sweet, sweet man."
"Well she doesn't know you like I do, does she?"
"Nobody knows me like you do", Nathan smiled dopily down at her, leaning forward to press his lips to hers. Stana smiled into the kiss, enjoying the slide of his satin-like skin against hers.
"I guess in God's eyes we're both children", she said, pulling away.
"How very philosophical of you Miss Katic... and you know what kind of activities God's very first children liked to engage in, don't you?" His smile turned predatory, his eyes darkening.
"What's that?" She asked, biting her lip.
Nathan sat up, holding his pillow up in front of himself. "Pillow fights." He whacked her lightly but repeatedly and she squealed, reaching over to grab her own pillow to smack him with it and soon a very child-like game ensued, which later turned into something decidedly more adult.
As Stana's delighted squeals and laughter pervaded throughout the household, her father and two older brothers stood outside her door.
Marko looked at his father. "So what do we do with this one Tata?"
Peter pursed his lips together. "Friendly fire Marko... We're on this one's side."
...
The next morning was Christmas, and Nathan woke early enough so that he could ensure Stana was not awake yet. He traipsed into the living room and was relieved to see that Peter was sitting in his arm chair, cup of coffee in hand, reading a book.
"Good morning Sir, Sretan Bozic."
"Ah, Sretan Bozic, Merry Christmas to you too Nathan."
Nathan wrung his hands together. "Do you mind if I-?" He motioned toward the opposite arm chair.
"Please", Peter replied, closing his book. "It seems you have something you want to talk to me about?"
"Your intuitiveness is remarkable, Sir", Nathan replied. When Peter frowned, not understanding the words Nathan had said, Nathan shook his head. "Yes, I do have some things I would like to talk to you about."
"Go on", Peter prompted him.
Nathan took a deep breath. "Firstly, I want to assure you that Stana's relationship with all of you is very important to me, family is very important to me. Someday I would like to introduce Stana to my own family, take her to Canada and spend time with my folks and my brother."
"Which part of Canada?" Peter inquired.
"Uh, Edmonton, Sir. Alberta".
"Ah, I love Alberta... I'm sorry, please go on", Peter encouraged him again.
"I love the fact that Stana has this whole heritage behind her, I think it's wonderful and I'll always respect it and hope to slowly become a part of it myself."
"We will adopt you, an honorary Dalmatian!" Peter laughed, making Nathan laugh along with him. Peter gave him a soft look. "Nathan, my girl is happy by nature. Even when she is not happy, it's very hard to tell. She is guarded, she hides her feelings well. She's very close to what people think... perfect. Well, to me, I'm her Father, so she will always be perfect to me", he smiled.
Nathan gave him a watery smile in return.
"But when she is with you, she's not only happy... she's whole. And that means, she is what everyone suspects...perfect."
"She is perfect Sir."
"You can call me Peter, Nathan", Peter told him, making Nathan swallow to hold back his emotion and relief.
"Peter, I love your daughter."
"I know this", Peter gave him a wry smile back. "And whatever you wish to do to show this love to her, I bless. I bless you both, and I bless your life together."
"I couldn't go ahead unless you did, so thank you, thank you very much", Nathan gushed, tears pooling in his eyes. "Oh, I'm sorry, I can't believe I'm getting so emotional", Nathan chuckled.
"Here", Peter handed him a tissue, taking one for himself as he too, began to well up.
"You are a man who feels Nathan, and that is what my daughter needs. A man who will make her blood boil on occasion but will still make her fall madly in love with him, more and more every day."
"I hope I'm that man", Nathan said earnestly.
"Just make her laugh, make her sigh, make her cringe", Peter gestured wildly and Nathan smiled, he could see where Stana got her natural dramatist nature from. "Just make her feel." "I won't ask you to make her happy, because I know that when you're in love, sometimes being happy is not an option. Sometimes there's fear and frustration and anger... " he took a dramatic pause. "And then there's passion and lust and love and then from love, springs happiness... And out of all the emotions and feelings we experience, happiness is the one that pops up and surprises us in the most sudden way."
Nathan was in awe of this man. He chuckled lightly. "Wow... Sir, I believe I have found a kindred spirit."
"Likewise", Peter said, chuckling. Nathan continued laughing and Peter stood up to shake his hand.
The older man pulled Nathan in, who was still chuckling happily. "But if you ever hurt my daughter, you will know exactly what it's like to have four Dalmatian boys and an old Serb war survivor at your doorstep. My boys and I can be very... determined."
Nathan gulped. "I understand, Peter... Sir."
"Good boy Nathan", Peter relinquished Nathan's hand he'd been squeezing and patted him on the shoulder.
"Hello, you're up early", Stana appeared in the room, walking over to hug her father and then moving to Nathan's side.
"Sretan Bozic, Tata", she wished her father a Merry Christmas.
"Sretan Bozic, Dragan", he replied.
"Why does everyone keep calling you a Dragon? Is that some kind of nick name that I should be forewarned about?"
Stana burst out laughing. "Oh Nathan, dragan means sweetheart, my Dad was calling me sweetheart, in Croat... Oh man, you crack me up."
"Well I certainly "cracked you up" last night", Nathan whispered lowly, leaning into her.
Stana's jaw dropped. "Nathan, shush, my Mother's coming."
Merry Christmases were exchanged again and again as Stana's four siblings awoke. Gifts were unwrapped and received, with words of thanks and "that's just what I needed!" Being said.
"Well, is that it? All the presents are done! Time for some wine!"
Nathan had to laugh. "Wine for breakfast?" He asked Stana in a soft tone.
She shrugged "It's tradition."
"Well, I'm very sorry Rada, but the wine will have to wait just a few more minutes because I have one last gift to give."
Everyone stopped and stared at Nathan, particularly Stana whose heart was palpitating rapidly.
He turned to her. "Stana", he smiled shakily, looking emotional and extremely nervous. He pulled a small pouch out of his pocket. Stana gasped, it was really happening.
He paused for a moment, simply holding the pouch in front of her. "Now, I have to warn you, this probably isn't what you think it is."
He put his hand inside the pouch and pulled out a ring box. "Nope, that's exactly what I thought it was", she said breathlessly.
Nathan chuckled, he set the ring box down beside them and took Stana's hands in his own. Stana's eyes remained fixed on the unopened box.
"Stana", he said, to regain her attention.
She turned to face him, her eyes cloudy with euphoria. "Yes Nathan?"
"I have to prepare you for this, because I think you're getting slightly the wrong idea, my dragon."
Stana's transfixed stare broke and she glared at him.
Nathan laughed. "Good, now that I've got you back from outer space... Inside that box is a ring..."
"I have the innate need to say the words... well, duh", Christina interrupted.
"Gigi!" Stana hissed at her. "OK, it's a ring, so you're...proposing?" Stana asked tentatively.
Nathan sighed softly. "Not exactly", he pursed his lips into a hesitant smile and opened the little box. Inside it was a silver wedding band.
"This ring is for me", he told her.
Stana blinked. "Sooo, you bought a ring... for yourself...For my Christmas present?"
Nathan chuckled lightly. "Yes, I did... Read the inscription."
Stana picked up the ring from the box and read the words that were indented on the inside. She gulped back tears.
"What does it say?" Christina squealed.
Stana traced the words with her thumb. "Moje srce pripada Stana Katic". (My heart belongs to Stana Katic)
Stana placed her hand over her mouth.
"This ring is a symbol of my commitment to you. This ring means that every woman I come into contact with will know that I am off the market, but only I will know who holds me there."
"Stana?" Nathan tilted her chin upward with a soft finger. "Will you give me this ring?"
Through her tears, Stana managed to nod and she took the hand that he offered. The ring slid on easily and Stana let out a small noise of pure joy.
She raised her head to look at him. Love expelled from her every pore as she looked at him. She brought her hand to caress his face, unable and unwilling to utter any word, just wanting to take a moment to drink him in, to absorb the moment.
"Volim te Stana."
"Volim te Nathan."
Rating: T
Pairing: Stana/Nathan
Oh-kay so I may have kinda surpassed the time limit I put on myself...18 hours has been and gone... long ago. o_o ANYWAY... Here's the chapter for your reading pleasure, and maaaaan did it turn out to be loooooong!
I have an inkling you will possibly like it :p Hope you do!
Loves,
Renee.
"Come on Nathan, our flight leaves at 9:30!" Stana bustled around her house in a fluster as her boyfriend toiled over which Star Wars DVD he wanted to take with him.
"This is a very important decision."
"Just..." She snapped the DVD's out of his hands and threw them carelessly into his bag. "Take them all."
Nathan shrugged. "OK then, problem solved. Thank you", he tried smiling at her and pulling her into him for a hug but flinched when he saw the look on her face that told him she wasn't in the mood for lovey-dovey lingering right now.
"OK, getting ready... almost packed", he promised her.
"Almost packed? What else could you possibly need?" She sighed.
He smiled at her softly. "Just you mind your own business little lady."
Something in his tone made her heart jump. He must have been talking about her Christmas gift. She smiled, trying to disguise it as a lip twitch but it didn't work and he grinned back at her.
She rolled her eyes at him. "Ten minutes and I'm leaving, with or without you."
"You'd never go without me... who's going to kiss you under the mistletoe?"
She shrugged, smirking slyly at him. "I'm sure I'll find someone to volunteer."
"No you damn well won't", he told her possessively.
She laughed at the reaction she'd caused and smacked him on his backside. "Get your ass into gear and I won't have to go through the ordeal of finding someone as hot as you to kiss."
Nathan leered at her from his position as he bent over his suitcase. "A: There is no one as hot as me, and B: You totally just copped a feel."
Stana beamed at him as she swung herself around the doorframe, exiting her bedroom. "No there's not and yes..." She winked. "I did."
...
They boarded the plane and once they were seated, they received many glances and pointing fingers thrown their way. Stana shifted uncomfortably in her seat. She jabbed Nathan. "Hey, where's your mustache?"
He gasped. "Oh man, I forgot! Wait, it's in my nap sack... in the overhead locker. Do you think I have time to get it?"
"Yeah, but hurry", Stana urged him.
Nathan stood up, getting in the way of crew members moving through the plane and other passengers trying to find their seats. "Sorry", he apologized to them as they had to squeeze past him. Some did a double take at the sight of him. When he opened the locker, his bag flew out, falling on top of him with a thud, knocking the wind out of him. He made an indignant noise, drawing the attention of nearby passengers, and a crew member who came to assist.
"Here you are Sir, I'm sorry about that, the locker is packed pretty tight. Perhaps we could place your bag in another-" The flight attendant stopped talking and glanced over at Stana who was sitting, red faced, trying to conceal herself. "Oh, oh wow... um, you're the guys from "Castle", right?" He asked them tentatively.
"Oh, actually, we're the uh, the stunt doubles", Nathan told him.
"Really, I never realized how much you actually look like them... And sound like them too!"
"Well, not me... I'm terrible with the American accent... Englishwoman through and through, I am", Stana answered back with a British accent.
The crewman laughed. "Well, you both do a terrific job on the show anyway."
He seemed convinced enough and helped Nathan put away his luggage.
Nathan came back to his seat just as the plane was turning in preparation to taxi down the runway.
"Well, looks like the mustache is no longer needed, we've got a great cover story now... thanks to me", he puffed out his chest, closing his eyes as he settled back into his seat.
Stana raised an eyebrow at him. "Thanks to you? And how easy do you think it's going to be for me to keep up this accent?"
"You're an actress, you'll manage", came his short reply.
Stana scoffed. "Alright, well if this is an acting job, then how much am I gonna get paid?"
Nathan's eyes cracked open, he turned his head to look at her. "You just wait for your Christmas present, I think that should cover any fees incurred."
Again, Stana felt those same butterflies in her stomach when he talked about her present... It wasn't...it couldn't be...not yet, surely? Technically they'd been together for four years, which is pretty reasonable to start considering it, but...Would he? Would he really be ready to ask her that question?
The question.
"I'm becoming rather intrigued about this gift, Mr. Fillion", she told him as casually as possible.
"Hmm, I bet you are", he replied with a small grin.
Stana scrunched her nose.
New approach.
She turned to stroke his chest with her open palm. "I'm kind of excited about it actually."
He looked at her, eyebrows raised. "Excited, huh?"
"Very excited", she whispered, her face resembling a lioness stalking a tasty flamingo.
He gave her a small smile. "Forget it Stana, I'm not telling you what it is. You'll just have to wait until tomorrow morning."
She made a noise of disapproval and flopped back into her seat.
Nathan laughed. "Look at you, you're such a child."
Stana leaned her head against the window, sulking.
Nathan leaned over to her and murmured. "Hey, you know what would make you feel better?"
She turned her head, still pouting. He winked. "Mile high induction."
Stana inhaled a deep breath. "Already been inducted years ago... Wasn't that great."
Nathan narrowed his eyes, deciding that now was not the time for jealousy.
He ran his hand along her inner thigh, making her quiver. "You've never experienced it with me."
Stana swallowed, her arousal seeping in around her, fueled by the sudden turbulence the aircraft was experiencing.
She grit her teeth, getting flustered. "Nathan, if we get caught..."
"Then our stunt doubles are going to gain quite the reputation, aren't they?" He told her, a look of high amusement on his face.
She stood, purposefully grazing against him as she shuffled past him out into the aisle, bumping into a flight attendant and apologizing (in a British accent.)
"Meet me in the bathroom in five minutes...Oh and Nathan? Never call me a child again."
Nathan grinned to himself as she walked away. "Oh no my dear, you're definitely adult."
...
They touched down in Chicago at Just after two in the afternoon.
"Holy crap, it's freezing!" Nathan swore as they exited the terminal.
"It's Chicago, what do you expect!" Stana replied, shouting over the wind.
"What?!" Nathan yelled back, not hearing her over the blizzard.
Stana laughed and shook her head, wrapping her arm around his waist and tugging him toward a taxi that was idling nearby.
...
They drove to the Katic's home in Aurora, when they pulled up outside, Nathan gazed out the window, smiling. "This is so cute!" He exclaimed.
"Yup, spent my last couple of years at High School here, lots of good times... uh oh, incoming...", she warned him as her mother came racing out from the house, bundled up to the eyeballs.
"Mama, what are you doin' out here? It's cold", Stana wrapped her arms around her mother.
"Stana, dragan, two hours... two hours it took me to walk to school every morning in the old country. Rain, snow, or sleep."
"It's sleet, Mama.", Stana turned to Nathan, shaking her head. "Every year I get this lecture."
Nathan grinned, bending down to shake Stana's mother's hand. "Mrs. Katic, it's a pleasure."
"Please, Rada."
"Rada", Nathan smiled charmingly at the older woman. "Very nice to be here, thank you for allowing me to join you for Christmas."
"Is nothing, our son Nikola is unable to make it from Italy this year, so you will take his place."
"Wait, Nik's not coming?" Stana asked her mother.
Rada shrugged. "Ahk, he's very busy with working and everything, he's very successful, we are very proud of him", she hung her arm around Nathan's and proceeded to walk up the path to the house. "Driver, you will bring the luggage, no?" She called back to the taxi driver.
"No Mama, that's not his job, sheesh", Stana shook her head. "She thinks because I'm on television I own the world or something."
Nathan laughed, discretely passing her a fifty dollar note to give to the cab driver to bring their bags to the door.
"Peter! " Rada called through the house. "Stana is home."
A very tall, robust man trudged down the staircase, a black bearded version of Santa Claus, pretty much.
"Dragan", her father of 70 approached Stana, smiling widely, arms open. "Zdravo Tata", she said softly, embracing him.
Nathan was introduced to Stana's younger sister Gigi, or Christina as she was known to others. "Where can I get one?" She asked Stana who looked at Nathan, grinning. "Sorry, he's one of a kind."
Stana's brothers, Marko and Theodore were introduced to Nathan as they arrived as well. The last to arrive was the eldest of all Stana's younger siblings, Dushan, who arrived laden with food.
"Dushan is a baker", Stana told Nathan as the food was laid out in front of them at the dinner table.
"Keeps us all very well fed", Theodore told him with a grin.
"Too well fed", Peter said, patting his protruding belly, causing everyone to laugh.
"Dushan could have been many things, but he chose making cakes and pies", Rada said, causing some tension in the room.
Nathan grimaced internally. "Well, I must say, you are a credit to the industry, my fine fellow, this apple pie is by far the best I've ever tasted."
"Thank you Nathan, I'm glad you're enjoying it."
"Koliko ti dati ovaj jedan?" Marko, the second oldest brother asked Dushan with a sly grin.
"We speak in English at this dinner table, Marko", Stana scolded him. He gave her an ashamed look and returned to eating his dessert.
"We're all very proud of Stana, of course. None of us ever would have imagined her in Hollywood, but there she is, on a big hit TV show no less." Christina said.
"Well, we always knew she was a drama queen, we just didn't know she'd make any money out of it", Theodore joked, making Stana glare at him playfully.
Nathan snorted.
"Of course everybody is proud of Stana, even strangers are calling at all hours of the day and night, telling us how they adore Stana, is madness that they do this! We have no privacy anymore, but of course, there is no use asking them to take our number off the internet, people will still find us."
Nathan swallowed. "You're going to encounter some people like that Rada, people who have no lives of their own so they intrude on others' lives."
"Price of fame, yes?" Peter asked with his mouth full of pie.
"Exactly", Nathan half smiled.
"Is a hefty price to pay... This is not what we thought we'd be calling the American dream...Crazy people invading our privacy", Rada said with an angered tone.
"Mama..." Stana pleaded quietly, Nathan glanced at her, noting how humiliated she was becoming.
"I'm just saying Stana...When we were refugees, we had a dream, your father and I, to come to a country, not surrounded by borders of politics... a place where we would not be judged for a love that was in many ways, forbidden. To not be trapped country whose borders were breaking down... Well, now we're in a home that sometimes feels the same way... It may not be the same, these people who come to our doorstep, I know they mean no harm, they just love our daughter... But it's the invasion of our privacy, it brings back too much", Rada covered her mouth with her hand. "Too many memories."
All movement at the table had stilled.
Rada stood. "I'm sorry, excuse me." She scurried out of the room.
Nathan inhaled a deep breath, wiping his face with a napkin. He saw Stana run a hand over her face and he touched a soft hand to her knee. She gave him a weak smile, shrugging, shaking it off.
"You children must respect what your Mother says. You don't understand what it was like for her, back in the old country", Peter told them all.
"You're right, we can't empathize, because we don't know... but we do understand tata", Dushan said to his father.
Peter patted the side of Dushan's cheek in an affectionate way.
He waved a hand in the air. "Eat, eat."
Nathan watched as Stana and her siblings resumed enjoying their meal. He felt a real grounded respect for the way of the life at the Katic's, and realized how much influence their father had over what they did. It wasn't that he was forceful, it was that they all respected him so much that they wanted to follow his ruling, because they knew he would lead them to happiness.
One thing he was determined to do now was to become a great pal of Peter Katic.
...
Later on that night, Stana was in her sister's room, having some girly time with her. Nathan roamed the house, looking at old photographs of the Katics, smiling particularly widely at the ones that included Stana.
He was perusing the book shelf in their living room, when he heard someone enter behind him.
He turned around to be greeted by the sight of Rada, shuffling in, wearing her nightgown and slippers, her greying hair disheveled and falling out of its loose bun.
"I was just looking at all your beautiful pictures", Nathan told her with a smile.
"I'm sorry about this evening at dinner. I get... emotional sometimes", she told him softly, sitting down on the arm of the couch.
"Oh. hey I get it. I know that life has not been an easy road for you, and I have such great respect for you and Peter, making the choice to move to this country together, it can't have been easy."
Rada shook her head. "It was very difficult. We fought tooth and nail to get to where we are now, to start our business and be successful. We were blessed with Stana, and then the others came along and though times were hard with money, we still felt blessed every single day." She sighed. "Life was so peaceful. After life in conflict, I didn't know if I would ever find that kind of peace in my life again. Chicago is a busy city, but even there, the noise was so quiet compared to where we had come from", Rada smiled, making Nathan smile gently in return. "It was a good kind of loud... it was noise of production and life, instead of noise of destruction and death."
Nathan swallowed, coming to sit down on the couch beside her, so that he was more level with the much shorter woman. "I'm sorry, it must have been awful."
Rada gave him a wistful look. "And it never leaves you, you know. Once you see a child, lying dead on the street... it stays with you forever."
Nathan inhaled a deep breath. "Can I ask you something Rada?"
Rada nodded.
"Does the content of the show upset you sometimes?" He asked carefully.
Rada raised her eyebrows. "It sometimes worries me, to see Stana on that show, looking at death, speaking of it so freely, so carelessly, as if it doesn't matter so much... But I know it's just acting, it's a television show, and people want to be entertained, they don't want sadness."
"But it is sad, and you know that."
"I fear sometimes that Stana will become..."
"Become what?" Nathan pressed gently.
"Like me", Rada admitted, sadness tinging the edges of her voice. "I don't know how to explain it, I suppose it's... sad...empty."
"You think she might become immune to seeing death and therefor not have any feeling or appreciation for those who have really suffered", Nathan summarized and Rada nodded her head.
At that moment, Stana was walking down the hall, coming to find Nathan, and she paused in the alcove of the living room, hiding behind he wall, watching her Mother and Nathan together.
"Let me show you something, Rada", Nathan pulled out his phone and brought up Stana's twitter page. He scrolled down, showing her examples of all the beautiful words she had said over the past few months to her fans, and their reactions.
"Do you see what kind of person she is from this? Do you see sadness or lack of appreciation?"
Rada shook her head, a tear rolled slowly down her cheek. "No."
"She may be surrounded by an artificial world, but it's not where she resides... Stana plays, she laughs, she enjoys life."
"She's a child, she's still a child."
"Yes", Nathan nodded his head, a tiny smirk on his face, recalling their conversation on the plane. "She's a beautiful child. She's a child who loves, and she's a woman who feels."
Stana's heart thumped at his words, her resolve melting for him.
Rada considered him for a moment before adding, "I still worry about her sometimes, alone out there in Hollywood."
"Well Rada, she loves Los Angeles, and Hollywood where she belongs... But she's not alone... Your daughter will never be alone." Nathan promised Rada.
Rada gave him a sweet smile and placed her hand to his face. "You are hardly a boy Nathan. But you are a sweet, sweet man."
Stana's heart swelled with love as she watched their exchange. She left Nathan and her mother to talk and returned discreetly to her bedroom.
Only a few minutes later, Nathan returned to the bedroom where Stana lay on her bed. "Hey", he smiled widely at her from the doorway.
"Hey", she smiled radiantly back.
He came over and flopped dramatically on the bed beside her. Stana laughed. "Talking to my Mother really took it out of you, aye?"
He raised his head quickly. "You were eavesdropping?"
She leaned forward, laying herself silkily down in front of him, bringing her face so close to his that their noses were touching. "You called me a child."
Nathan chuckled. "Really, that was your takeaway from that conversation?"
Stana brought a hand to his face, smiling adoringly at him. "No. My takeaway was that you are always going to be the love of my life... No matter what happens, even if we break up and we see other people..."
"toi, toi, toi", Nathan interjected, Stana chuckled. "Even if that highly unlikely scenario occurs... You're always going to be the one."
"So are you", Nathan told her sincerely.
Stana shrugged. "But you did still call me a child... and you know what I said about that... and you know what? You are far more a child than I am", she teased him, with a raised eyebrow, trying not to grin.
"Well you heard Mama Katic, she thinks I'm a sweet, sweet man."
"Well she doesn't know you like I do, does she?"
"Nobody knows me like you do", Nathan smiled dopily down at her, leaning forward to press his lips to hers. Stana smiled into the kiss, enjoying the slide of his satin-like skin against hers.
"I guess in God's eyes we're both children", she said, pulling away.
"How very philosophical of you Miss Katic... and you know what kind of activities God's very first children liked to engage in, don't you?" His smile turned predatory, his eyes darkening.
"What's that?" She asked, biting her lip.
Nathan sat up, holding his pillow up in front of himself. "Pillow fights." He whacked her lightly but repeatedly and she squealed, reaching over to grab her own pillow to smack him with it and soon a very child-like game ensued, which later turned into something decidedly more adult.
As Stana's delighted squeals and laughter pervaded throughout the household, her father and two older brothers stood outside her door.
Marko looked at his father. "So what do we do with this one Tata?"
Peter pursed his lips together. "Friendly fire Marko... We're on this one's side."
...
The next morning was Christmas, and Nathan woke early enough so that he could ensure Stana was not awake yet. He traipsed into the living room and was relieved to see that Peter was sitting in his arm chair, cup of coffee in hand, reading a book.
"Good morning Sir, Sretan Bozic."
"Ah, Sretan Bozic, Merry Christmas to you too Nathan."
Nathan wrung his hands together. "Do you mind if I-?" He motioned toward the opposite arm chair.
"Please", Peter replied, closing his book. "It seems you have something you want to talk to me about?"
"Your intuitiveness is remarkable, Sir", Nathan replied. When Peter frowned, not understanding the words Nathan had said, Nathan shook his head. "Yes, I do have some things I would like to talk to you about."
"Go on", Peter prompted him.
Nathan took a deep breath. "Firstly, I want to assure you that Stana's relationship with all of you is very important to me, family is very important to me. Someday I would like to introduce Stana to my own family, take her to Canada and spend time with my folks and my brother."
"Which part of Canada?" Peter inquired.
"Uh, Edmonton, Sir. Alberta".
"Ah, I love Alberta... I'm sorry, please go on", Peter encouraged him again.
"I love the fact that Stana has this whole heritage behind her, I think it's wonderful and I'll always respect it and hope to slowly become a part of it myself."
"We will adopt you, an honorary Dalmatian!" Peter laughed, making Nathan laugh along with him. Peter gave him a soft look. "Nathan, my girl is happy by nature. Even when she is not happy, it's very hard to tell. She is guarded, she hides her feelings well. She's very close to what people think... perfect. Well, to me, I'm her Father, so she will always be perfect to me", he smiled.
Nathan gave him a watery smile in return.
"But when she is with you, she's not only happy... she's whole. And that means, she is what everyone suspects...perfect."
"She is perfect Sir."
"You can call me Peter, Nathan", Peter told him, making Nathan swallow to hold back his emotion and relief.
"Peter, I love your daughter."
"I know this", Peter gave him a wry smile back. "And whatever you wish to do to show this love to her, I bless. I bless you both, and I bless your life together."
"I couldn't go ahead unless you did, so thank you, thank you very much", Nathan gushed, tears pooling in his eyes. "Oh, I'm sorry, I can't believe I'm getting so emotional", Nathan chuckled.
"Here", Peter handed him a tissue, taking one for himself as he too, began to well up.
"You are a man who feels Nathan, and that is what my daughter needs. A man who will make her blood boil on occasion but will still make her fall madly in love with him, more and more every day."
"I hope I'm that man", Nathan said earnestly.
"Just make her laugh, make her sigh, make her cringe", Peter gestured wildly and Nathan smiled, he could see where Stana got her natural dramatist nature from. "Just make her feel." "I won't ask you to make her happy, because I know that when you're in love, sometimes being happy is not an option. Sometimes there's fear and frustration and anger... " he took a dramatic pause. "And then there's passion and lust and love and then from love, springs happiness... And out of all the emotions and feelings we experience, happiness is the one that pops up and surprises us in the most sudden way."
Nathan was in awe of this man. He chuckled lightly. "Wow... Sir, I believe I have found a kindred spirit."
"Likewise", Peter said, chuckling. Nathan continued laughing and Peter stood up to shake his hand.
The older man pulled Nathan in, who was still chuckling happily. "But if you ever hurt my daughter, you will know exactly what it's like to have four Dalmatian boys and an old Serb war survivor at your doorstep. My boys and I can be very... determined."
Nathan gulped. "I understand, Peter... Sir."
"Good boy Nathan", Peter relinquished Nathan's hand he'd been squeezing and patted him on the shoulder.
"Hello, you're up early", Stana appeared in the room, walking over to hug her father and then moving to Nathan's side.
"Sretan Bozic, Tata", she wished her father a Merry Christmas.
"Sretan Bozic, Dragan", he replied.
"Why does everyone keep calling you a Dragon? Is that some kind of nick name that I should be forewarned about?"
Stana burst out laughing. "Oh Nathan, dragan means sweetheart, my Dad was calling me sweetheart, in Croat... Oh man, you crack me up."
"Well I certainly "cracked you up" last night", Nathan whispered lowly, leaning into her.
Stana's jaw dropped. "Nathan, shush, my Mother's coming."
Merry Christmases were exchanged again and again as Stana's four siblings awoke. Gifts were unwrapped and received, with words of thanks and "that's just what I needed!" Being said.
"Well, is that it? All the presents are done! Time for some wine!"
Nathan had to laugh. "Wine for breakfast?" He asked Stana in a soft tone.
She shrugged "It's tradition."
"Well, I'm very sorry Rada, but the wine will have to wait just a few more minutes because I have one last gift to give."
Everyone stopped and stared at Nathan, particularly Stana whose heart was palpitating rapidly.
He turned to her. "Stana", he smiled shakily, looking emotional and extremely nervous. He pulled a small pouch out of his pocket. Stana gasped, it was really happening.
He paused for a moment, simply holding the pouch in front of her. "Now, I have to warn you, this probably isn't what you think it is."
He put his hand inside the pouch and pulled out a ring box. "Nope, that's exactly what I thought it was", she said breathlessly.
Nathan chuckled, he set the ring box down beside them and took Stana's hands in his own. Stana's eyes remained fixed on the unopened box.
"Stana", he said, to regain her attention.
She turned to face him, her eyes cloudy with euphoria. "Yes Nathan?"
"I have to prepare you for this, because I think you're getting slightly the wrong idea, my dragon."
Stana's transfixed stare broke and she glared at him.
Nathan laughed. "Good, now that I've got you back from outer space... Inside that box is a ring..."
"I have the innate need to say the words... well, duh", Christina interrupted.
"Gigi!" Stana hissed at her. "OK, it's a ring, so you're...proposing?" Stana asked tentatively.
Nathan sighed softly. "Not exactly", he pursed his lips into a hesitant smile and opened the little box. Inside it was a silver wedding band.
"This ring is for me", he told her.
Stana blinked. "Sooo, you bought a ring... for yourself...For my Christmas present?"
Nathan chuckled lightly. "Yes, I did... Read the inscription."
Stana picked up the ring from the box and read the words that were indented on the inside. She gulped back tears.
"What does it say?" Christina squealed.
Stana traced the words with her thumb. "Moje srce pripada Stana Katic". (My heart belongs to Stana Katic)
Stana placed her hand over her mouth.
"This ring is a symbol of my commitment to you. This ring means that every woman I come into contact with will know that I am off the market, but only I will know who holds me there."
"Stana?" Nathan tilted her chin upward with a soft finger. "Will you give me this ring?"
Through her tears, Stana managed to nod and she took the hand that he offered. The ring slid on easily and Stana let out a small noise of pure joy.
She raised her head to look at him. Love expelled from her every pore as she looked at him. She brought her hand to caress his face, unable and unwilling to utter any word, just wanting to take a moment to drink him in, to absorb the moment.
"Volim te Stana."
"Volim te Nathan."