Disclaimer: Lita belongs to WWFE, Amy belongs to herself and the idea and other characters are mine.
Note: More of Tested Love... We're going back to Kat's POV.

"Yes Mom," I said, "we'll be in Montreal next Sunday. I know you won't come to the show, that's OK... You want me to come over?... Well, I won't be able to make it until after the show though... Gil's in town? Why not have a family barbecue?... I know I won't be there to help... but how's this? I'll buy a lot of beer and drinks and stuff, OK?" I grin at Amy who's sitting on the couch, pretending not to listen to me. "Can I bring a few friends along?... Yes, Amy too..." At that Amy raises her head and looks at me. She almost seems frightened. "Oh Mom... I know... well, I love her!... I am not going to pretend... You do?... Mom... Are you sure?"
You know what? My mom's a damn amazing woman! I swear to God, she is!
"Kat," Amy asks me, "you okay?"
"I'm cool. Mom, what about Dad?... Dad? He is?... You're shitting me, right?... I know, I shouldn't use that kind of language but... Mom, this is Dad!... I see that things have changed. I'm glad... All right, we'll be there right after the show... Thanks Mom. And... uh, tell Dad I can't wait to see him."
I put down the phone and smile at Amy. Wait until she hears this! "Mom and Dad... well, how do you feel about meeting my parents?"
Amy's face scrunches up like I've punched her.
"They want to meet me?"
"Of course they do. Why, is that a problem?"
"I thought they weren't too keen on the fact that you and I were together."
"They're not... well, they weren't. But, I'm on their only kid, Amy. They love me. Hell, Dad went to a political meeting the other day and asked about gay rights and stuff."
"He did?" her hazel eyes go wide with shock.
"I know. I'm in shock too, I guess they're accepting who and what I am and who I love. You."
"And they want to meet me?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
"To meet the person I'm in love with and soon will be moving in with me."
"Ugh..."
"Don't you want to meet them?"
"I don't know."
"You don't know? What does that mean?"
"It's going to be so weird."
"Of course it is. But it'll be okay."
"And your whole family is going to be there. That's even worse."
"My family's cool," I grin. "And my cousins will be there. They're all WWF fans. It'll be fun, I promise."

Stopping off at the supermarket close to the house feels strange. I've been here before but as I enter with Amy and Steve Austin, the self-proclaimed beer expert, I feel strange, different. This used to be home, where I was one of the few Black kids, easily recognizable. Today, I'm recognizable too, but differently. I see the first cashier stare at the three of us as Steve commandeers a shopping cart. We follow him to the back of the store and I watch him load the cart. After five cases, I commandeer the cart and grab some soft drinks.
"Get your skinny ass back here, girl," Steve shouts, "I ain't nowhere near done yet."
"Steve," I remind him, "we're going to my parents for a family thing. It's not a get drunk thing."
"But..."
"Please..." I bat my eyelashes at him. Amy laughs. I grin. It's the first time she's laughed since we got into the van to come here and the boys have been making mad jokes.
"I hate you," Steve mutters before trailing after us.
"Thanks."
At the cash, I find the manager instead of the cashier. His name's Bruce and I remember going to high school with him. We exchange greetings before he winks at me before giving me a 100% rebate on all of our purchases. I promise him tickets to our next Montreal show and head out. I guess this is what being a star is like.
Finally, after loading a shopping cart full of sodas and beers and various juices into the back of the van, I drive us to my parents' place. On the way, I drill them all of my friends.
"All right, Dad's a lawyer, retired but getting involved into politics, so be smart with him. Mom's the happy homemaker type so please, PLEASE, be extra polite with her. Now, the adults who'll be there, I mean anyone forty or over, just be nice and polite with, no kinky sex jokes. And the kids, my cousins and stuff, if you're going to play with them, please, please don't let them break anything."
I stop and I stare at Adam through the rearview mirror. He blushes and gets flustered.
"I told the kid to tuck and roll," he whines, "I told her five times, I even showed her how to tuck and roll. It's not my fault she broke her arm..."
"Don't break anyone's arms," I tell him.
"Fine."
"What about me?" Amy asked. "How do I have to behave?"
"Be yourself," I tell her. "You'll win them over."
Soon, too soon, I pull up into the driveway. The street is full of cars I still recognize. I cringe. Mom went a little overboard I fear. I lead the unloading of the drinks, grabbing a bag full of candies for the kids. Yes, I'm buying their love and acceptance with sweets. Sue me! If I win the kids, I win the parents, it's the name of the game.
I'm the first one through the gate leading into the backyard and the first person I see is my little cousin Mary. She looks at me and runs to me. I put down my bag as she almost tackles me to the ground. She's grown so much.
"Katia," she begins, "I watch you every week on TV. When are you going to kick Dean Malenko's ass? He deserves it! And did it hurt when they hit you with those chairs?"
I peck her cheek and put her down.
"I'll tell you everything you want to know as soon as I say hello to everybody."
On the other side of the yard, her brothers are eyeing me coolly. They'll come to me, eventually. But they're playing it cool. I turn to the deck and I see Mom and Dad standing there. I haven't seen them in two months. What with the Amy thing and moving into my condo in Florida, I've been slightly busy. I run up the stairs to them and pick up Mom in my arms.
She's a tiny woman, a little plump but since she's five two to my five eleven, it's not biggie. She slaps my shoulders, telling me to put her down and I do, quickly pecking her cheeks. She hasn't changed, still looks like a smaller version of me. Dad's standing over her shoulder and he looks me up and down before hugging me stiffly. He's never been very much into public displays of affection and I know this is major for him.
"Mom, Dad," I said, "I... Don't know what to say."
"Introduce us to your friends," Mom says, looking over at them.
"Right. Well," I say, raising my voice, having the whole backyard turn their attention to me, "I'm not going to introduce these guys over and over again. I'm just going to do it once. First off, this is Amy, Jeff, his brother Matt, Matt's girlfriend Nora. This is Adam, Jason, Steve, Debra and Joanie."
"And how do we find out everyone else's names?" Jeff asked.
"You ask," I tell him, grabbing Amy's hand and leading her over to my parents.
There is that awkward moment until I find the appropriate words.
"Mom, Dad, this is Amy, my girlfriend. Amy, these are my parents, Daniel and Beatrice James."
"Amy," my dad says, my mom seems a bit in shock, "it's a pleasure to finally meet you."
"Thank you for inviting me. You have a lovely home."
"Thank you," Mom finally says. "Let's go inside."
Mom leads the way inside, Amy after her. I'm about to follow when my dad pulls me back.
"She looks better than on TV."
I grin at him and hurry in to find Amy and Mom looking at the family pictures in the living room.
"I love this picture," Amy grins at me, pointing to a picture of me when I was nine. It was done in a Sears studio and I remember hating the whole mess.
"I think I have a few extra," my mom is quick to tell her.
"That was eighteen years ago," my dad says, making a face.
"So what? They gave a lot of wallet pictures."
Amy and I sit on the couch and I discreetly squeeze her sweaty palm before turning to Mom and Dad. They are watching us carefully.
"You know," Dad begins, "when Kat told us she was... bisexual, I didn't want to believe it. Why couldn't she pick one gender and be over with it? But I did some research..."
"You did?"
"Interruptions are still impolite, young lady. I did some research and found out it wasn't as foolish an idea as I'd initially thought. Now Amy, when did you find out you were bisexual?"
I roll my eyes. Dad's acting like this is a deposition and Amy's an hostile witness.
"Dad..."
"It's OK. I guess I knew the moment I realized I was in love with your daughter Mr. James."
"In love with her?"
"Yes. I love Kat and she loves me. Until her, I didn't consider loving women. When I realized what I felt for her, and that she loved me back, I knew that she was the person I wanted to spend the rest of my life with her."
Wow! I've never heard her spell it out quite that way. She wants to spend the rest of her life with me! I squeeze her hand a little tighter and I smile at her. When I turn to Mom and Dad, they're looking a little misty-eyed.
"What?"
"The Church doesn't approve of this," my mother begins.
"Mom, you know how I feel about your church and their stands on a lot of things."
"I swear," Dad says, rolling his eyes, "it's like we never taught you any manners at all. How many times do I have to remind you about how much I hate interruptions?"
"I'm sorry."
"Go on dear."
"The Church doesn't see how beautiful your love is."
"Mom?"
"It's true. I still remember your first date with Patrick Ryan."
"Nightmare," I sigh with a grin to Amy.
"You looked so uncomfortable."
"That's because he patted my ass five minutes after coming into the house."
"He wouldn't have dared," my dad exploded. "In my house? He's my partner's son!"
"He's a pervert. I had to knee him in the groin to keep his tongue into his mouth. His sister was way cuter."
I went too far with that one. Mom and Dad turn a little green.
"Let me show you my old bedroom," I tell Amy, pulling her by the hand.
"Little Liz," I hear my mother gasp.
"What did you do that for?" Amy hisses at me as soon as we're out of earshot.
"Do what?"
"Make that comment about that girl?"
"It was funny."
"Your parents didn't think so."
"It'll be cool, don't you worry about it."
"Kat..."
"Listen, we made a lot of headway today. Now, come on, check out my room," I tell her, opening the door to my sanctuary.
The walls are still of that deeply bluish lavender color I painted them when I was in secondary three.
"Love the color," Amy nods, walking into the room. She stops in front of my Star Trek poster and shakes her head. "You are such a nerd."
"That show was the coolest in history," I tell her, sticking my tongue out at her.
"Dork!"
I close the door and turn around. My Ricky Martin poster is still there and I can still spot the kiss I'd landed on the corner of his mouth. I feel Amy come up behind me.
"I suppose he's not totally ugly."
"The man is a god."
"I wouldn't go that far."
"That mouth, that face, those hips, that ass... Oh yeah, that man is a god."
"You're absolutely crazy!"
"I am not!"
"So if you had a shot at him, would you do him?"
"If I wasn't with you? Yeah. But since I am with you, no way."
"But you'd get your god."
"I'd lose my goddess."
With that, Amy pushes me down on the bed and fulfills my fantasy to have sex on the bed I've had since entering high school.

About thirty minutes later, we step out of the house and Jeff and Jason eye us dangerously. I go over to them, leaving Amy in Dad's capable hands while he introduces her to his sister, her husband and his two brothers.
"What's wrong boys?" I ask them while I peck my other aunt's cheek and shake hands with her boyfriend.

"Come here," Jason says, pulling me away from curious ears.
"What?"
"The two of you had sex," Jeff tells me as he takes a liberal sniff at my neck, "you might have showered and been quiet about it, but we know."
"This again?"
"You let us watch one time and I swear, it'll be okay."
"How's this? Never, eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeever going to happen."
"You have been spending too much time with Jericho."
I'm laughing it up with them, when my cousins, the tweenage ones who were too cool to say hello when I first arrive, join us.
"When you come to Montreal again," the oldest one asks me, sneaking peeks at Jeff and Jason, "can we come to the show?"
"Of course you can. And I might even let you guys come backstage and..."
Before I can finish my sentence, I'm speared into the pool, clothes and all. I kick out of whoever did that too me and recognize my cousin Gil, dressed too, laughing his head off.
"God, you think this is funny?" I ask him.
"It's damn hilarious!"
"You think so?"
And I go deep and pull him under the water by his legs. And just like when we were kids, we go at it, pushing each other under the water until we can't do it anymore. Finally, we end up on opposite sides of the pool, our shoes at the bottom, our chests heaving from exhaustion and our ears ringing as our mothers castigate us like kids for being so irresponsible and foolish. We laugh our heads off as they tell us we could have been hurt and what example are we setting for our younger cousins, etc, etc...

Things are going along nicely until I sit next to my dad's little sister. I like my aunt Toni, short of Antoinette. She's actually cool. Makes me laugh a lot. Until she grips my hand while I'm watching Amy as she plays with my cousin Mary, teaching her a few moves.
"You should know I don't watch you on TV," Tony says.
"Why not?"
"I can't support your lifestyle. What you do for a living and the person you pretend to love."
"Trust me, aunt Tony, I don't pretend to love Amy. I do love her. And I love my work."
"It's unnatural."
"Which one?" I ask flippantly, "my job or my girlfriend?"
"Must you really ask?"
God, I knew she was a Bible-thumping Christian but this is about more than a few words written in a book here. This is my happiness.
"I'm sorry you can't appreciate my happiness," I say, getting up.
"You don't understand how wrong what you are doing is. You've blinded your parents and so has your Jezebel but I won't turn a blind eye, Katia. I know how wrong this is and I will remind you of it every opportunity I get."
"So what do you suggest I do?" I ask her. "Marry an idiot who won't appreciate who I truly am, stay at home, be a proper little housewife and pop out children every time he wants them?"
"That is what God intended."
"God wanted us to be happy. Amy makes me happy and..."
"You are so blind," she sighs.
I start walking away but she grabs my wrist and squeezes it hard, her nails digging into the tendons at the base of my wrist. Shocked, I kind of fall to my knees and before I can get back us, her other hand is pressing down on my head while she starts reciting more of her Bible bullshit. Her husband is with her by then and with the two of them holding me down, I'm having some trouble getting back up.
"Get the fuck off me!" I scream, trying to get out of the bad spot without hurting them.
"We are doing this for your own good."
"Let go of my child right now!" Dad shouts.
Dad uses his courtroom voice and trust me, it has the desired effect.
"Tony," he says, "you're my sister and I love you dearly. But she's my child, the only one I have. And I will not let you do this to her."
"Daniel, we're only trying to help."
"My daughter's made her choice. Do I completely approve of it? No. But I chose to accept it because it's not worth losing my only child over. Now you can either accept it or leave."
"Daniel," her husband Michael says, "one day, you'll see how wrong this is."
"But in the meantime," Dad says, "I suppose you're going to have to find another place to stay for the rest of your vacation."
As Tony and Michael head back into the house, I sit on one of the deck's steps while Amy massages my throbbing wrist. Dad sits next to me and Mom comes to stand in front of me, running a soft hand down my head.
"I'm sorry," she whispers.
"It's OK. You had no way of know they'd flip out like that."
"But still..."
"Mom, I'm cool."
Amy lays a gentle kiss on my wrist and rests her hand against my knee. Mom and Dad watch us and they sigh. Well, I get most of the family reunion when well. I watch the action around the pool as Steve teaches my youngest male cousins to safely stun each other. Mary has borrowed Debra's high heels. One of my uncles has challenge Joanie to an arm-wrestling contest. Matt and Nora are talking with my other aunt and her boyfriend and Adam, Jason and Jeff spear Gil and his two brothers into the pool at the request of Clark, Gil's son. Hell, the family reunion is going pretty well. Hell, it wouldn't be a real family get-together with one regrettable event.
"So," I ask Amy, "what do you think of my family so far?"
"You were right, they're pretty cool."

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