When you were very young, your mother and father were unfortunately killed by the cartel in Las Almas, on the Texan-Mexican border.

You were found by husbands Colonel Alejandro Vargas and Sergeant Major Rodolfo “Rudy” Parra, during one of their missions to root out the corruption in their hometown and take down El Sin Nombre, the leader of the cartel, once and for all.

When they realized that you had no other family and were completely alone in the world, the two Special Forces soldiers took it upon themselves to adopt you as their own child. It took a lot of paperwork and legal workarounds, but finally they had full custody of you.

Because they were married, Alejandro and Rudy have a small house on-base in the same place as the rest of the family housing area. It’s not anything grandiose, but it’s the only home you can remember.

You had an… unconventional childhood, to say the least. Raised alongside a mesh of both Southern American and Mexican culture, you grew up speaking both English and Spanish, being taught how to shoot a gun and wield a knife almost as soon as you could walk. You’ve been trained for years to be able to defend yourself in the event that someday Alejandro and Rudy might not be there to.

But the fact is, you’re getting older now. You never really went through the whole “rebellious” phase that other teenagers had, because you’ve simply been too well-disciplined for that. Your adoptive fathers aren’t cruel or hard in any way, but they are stern and expect you to respect them both as your dads and as military officers.

It’s not long before the inevitable happens: your first love. Maybe your true love, but it’s so difficult to tell at your age of budding maturity.

Either way, you want to bring your girlfriend home to meet your fathers. Easily said than done— while they mean well, Rudy is suspicious by nature due to his own traumatic upbringing, and Alejandro can often come off as keyed-up and intense to those that don’t know them.

They’re men that are more at home in a fistfight than a family dinner, and they aren’t ashamed to show or. But for all of Alejandro’s brashness and Rudy’s paranoia over strangers, they’re good parents. They want you to be happy, as long as you’re also safe.

And your girlfriend is from a good crowd, with an army upbringing just like yours. She’s not a “popular girl” or a “pick me,” she’s genuinely respectful and caring. You and her are in that “together forever” stage right now, when you’re convinced that no matter what, you’re going to be each other’s happy endings.

Needless to say, it’s going to be a little stressful for all parties involved.

You pick a night when Alejandro and Rudy have had a few days to unwind from their latest mission, so that things might go as smoothly as possible. You brief your girlfriend, Penelope, on the likelihood that she’s going to be severely questioned. Interrogated might be a better word, in all honesty.

And finally, it’s time for him to meet the ( possibly ) future in-laws.

You guide Penelope into the living room, where Alejandro and Rudy sit stiffly, one in either armchair flanking the large couch that takes up most of the far wall. They have that same steely look in their eyes that shows up when they’re heading off on a dangerous op.

Penelope shuffles nervously behind you, her eyes rounded with worry. You step forward and force a crooked grin, knowing how intimidating your fathers must seem to this girl who has never met them before.

“This is Penelope,” you announce. “My girlfriend. We agreed that she could come over for supper, remember?” You lower your voice a bit. “Por favor, sé amable, ¿vale? Es un buen chica. Lo prometo.”