Here it is! The first chapter. If you haven't read my other story, this one really won't make much sense but you don't have to be a rocket scientist to figure it out. I got the idea for this story from my family, that you have all witnessed from my story 'Shamu', but I will be tying in previous themes. If you read 'Shamu', it should give you a pretty clear idea of the possibilities that come along with inspirations from my family lol. This story will have it all- humor, angst, drama, romance, and I wouldn't be a Babe if I didn't give you the HEA. Enjoy.

The sound of early morning cartoons filled the apartment along with quiet murmurs of Spanish from Ranger and fits of giggles from Mateo. Their forks scraped on their plates and their glasses clinked on the counters, echoing in the marble chamber of the kitchen. But Steph heard none of it. Only the sound of her beating pulse rang through her ears as she sat on the toilet in the master bathroom of their apartment. She was still in her pajamas, a black tee shirt of Ranger's and a pair of lacy black panties, and she hadn't even brushed her teeth yet. Every morning for the past eight months, her thoughts were only on one thing when she woke at 6:30 sharp. Stephanie glared down at her watch, following the ticking second hand with her sapphire eyes as she waited. 34, 35, 36, 37, 38… She counted each second with her heart thundering in her chest. 57, 58, 59…

"Carlos! It's been three minutes!" For the first time that morning she finally heard something else other than her heart beat. A fork clanked down on a plate and a chair was scooted back from the table. Ranger's feet pounded on the hard wood floor as he jogged through the living room and bedroom, making his way to his wife. He was breathing hard though not from the light jog, more in anticipation as he watched Steph's eyes. She stared up at him from her seat on the toilet and hugged her arms tightly around herself.

She flickered her gaze to the small cup resting on the counter and then back to Ranger. I can't look. She begged with her eyes and he immediately understood, taking the thin plastic stick from the cup and holding it on the end between his thick thumb and forefinger. Por favor. Dios. Para Stephanie. He held her fearful gaze for a moment. His heart ached at the thought of seeing the disappointment he hoped wouldn't come next. He released a slow breath and looked down at the home pregnancy test in his grasp. Fuck. He sighed and his eyes softened, his shoulders sagging with a heavy heart. Negative. Stephanie didn't have to hear it to know what the test said. She stifled a sob but it came out as more of a choke and she hugged herself tighter.

Ranger swallowed back his own disappointment as his heart pained. For the past eight months, Steph and Ranger had been trying to have that next baby. For the past eight months, their morning had played out the same. Ranger knelt down in front of the toilet and enveloped Steph's shaking body in his strong arms. He crushed her to his chest and sighed heavily, burying his face in the crook of her neck as he gently fisted her curls. He kissed her neck, trailing up to the soft spot just below her ear.

"Shhh. Estara bien, Babe. Sucedera." Steph hiccupped as her tears pooled in the crevice created by his collar bone. Only six years ago she couldn't imagine having a child. Now, she wanted so desperately to have a second and it wasn't happening. She shook her head softly and wiped her cheek with the back of her hand.

"It's not. We've been trying twice a day, every day for eight months." She hiccupped again and wiped her face. "What if there's something wrong with me?" She felt Ranger's muscles tense beneath her and found herself being pulled back so that they were eye to eye.

"No, Babe. There is nothing wrong with you. We have Mateo, don't we?" He cupped her face in his wide palms and brushed away her tears with the pads of his thumbs before kissing her soft lips. He pulled 

back to look into her glimmering blue eyes again and he shook his head. "There is nothing wrong with you." God, I hope not. It's probably me. I probably have a bum nut and she's worried it's her. His voice was reassuring and strong yet as gentle as always when he spoke to her. She couldn't help but feel relief for one fleeting second before the overwhelming guilt and frustration took over again. She nodded gently, simply for his sake, and leaned in to kiss him again. The kiss was soft but it was needed to get her through the day. This, she had decided the night before, was to be the worst day of her life. She took a shaky deep breath and let it out slowly, calming her heart beat.

"It's Mateo's first day of Kindergarten." Ranger's lips threatened to turn into a smile as he watched her expression. She had said it with such distaste that you would think her son was off to be executed. Watching the tips of his lips twitch slightly only made her more angry and she huffed. "It is not funny." He chuckled softly, still cupping her face in his hands, and kissed the tip of her nose.

"No, Babe. It's not. What is funny is that you are so angry about it." She jerked out of his grasp.

"I'm not angry! I'm worried! What if they're mean to him? What if he gets hurt and they don't treat it properly? Hm? What if one of the kids has some disease that can't be cured and they spread it around?" Kindergarten might as well have meant concentration camp. She stood and stepped past Ranger to turn on the shower. He could get killed! What if he wants me but I can't be there? Oh, God. What if he hates it and doesn't want to go back? I can't home school him! Ranger watched her, seeing the way each muscle in her body tensed with each thought.

For someone so reckless with their own life, Steph worried more about Mateo than normal. Of course it was only out of love but Ranger had to suppress a smile as he watched her internal battles. Then the smile faded as she took off the tee shirt she was wearing and her flawless alabaster skin called out to him, screaming to be touched. He couldn't get enough of her and the very sight of her standing in just her panties made his heart flutter in his chest.

Stripping silently, Steph felt Ranger move behind her, taking off his own clothes, and wrap his arms around her waist. He kissed the nape of her neck and ran his hands up and down her bare sides, stopping at the sides of her breasts to touch her playfully.

"What do you say we try making that baby?" She shivered as she felt his warm body press up against her, his hot breath teasing the skin on her neck with his husky whisper. God, all he has to do is touch me and I can't breathe. And then he speaks and I can't remember what I was thinking. Real smooth. Steph leaned back in to his chest and nodded softly, barely able to form a coherent thought with his skin touching hers. With their last garments discarded, they stepped into the shower.

O0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

"Carlos, what do you wear to your kid's first day of kindergarten?" Ranger thought for a minute, quickly finished shaving, and entered their walk in closet. They both stood on their respective sides, Steph with her hands on her hips and Ranger with his arms crossed over his chest, brows furrowed and lips pursed in a frustrated fashion as they stared at their clothing. Their closets were both categorized by functionality. One section for field work, one section for business, one section for casual, and one section for formal events.

"I've never done this before." He looked over his wardrobe again and shrugged. "I guess whatever you would wear every day, right?" Steph raised a brow and looked over her own clothing.



"What we would wear every day or what normal people would wear every day?" Somehow, wearing black combat gear didn't exactly spell out 'Mom' to Steph, but she didn't know any other way. I leave the house looking like SWAT Barbie every day. That's not normal. Ranger didn't speak so she figured he was just as lost as she was. "Well, if we wear something different than what we normally would, Mateo might freak. He might think this is a really big deal. I mean it is, shipping my baby off to some germ infested hell hole with those little Burg spawn, eating him from the inside out with their stupid little ideas and clawing at him while he-"

"Babe." Ranger smiled internally at the horrendously nasty tone to her voice through her little rant and looked over his shoulder back at his wife, who was scowling so hard she could turn a man to stone. He took a step back so that they were shoulder to shoulder and he kissed her forehead. "El sera fino, Steph."

"Uh huh, sure." Steph remained unconvinced. She gave him the best Burg eye roll she could muster and settled on what she would normally wear so as to not worry her son. Black low rise cargo pants from the GAP, a tight black Rangeman tee shirt, and black Puma running sneakers. Ranger dressed, grabbing a pair of black combats and his own version of the Rangeman tee shirt as well as his CAT boots. They dressed in silence and parted ways, Ranger moving to the gun safe next to his bed side table and Steph going to the bathroom to put her face on and do the hair thing. She stared into the mirror as she tamed her wild curls with some hair gel and willed the situation to go away.

She tried to think back and remember if her mother had been this upset when it was her first day of kindergarten. Then she recalled Valerie telling her the story a few years ago about how excited Ellen was when Stephanie finally went and how she celebrated with a few shots after breakfast. Hnh. I guess she was happy I wouldn't jump off the roof in school.

Steph scowled at the thought of her mother's parenting and applied the fourth coat of mascara heavily. That fourth coat was the only thing that would get her through the door of the school. She still couldn't figure out how Ranger dealt with this. How is it ok that our son is leaving us? He's so nonchalant. 'Babe, it's going to be ok.' What the hell is with that? Next he's going to say, 'Babe, of course it's ok that Mateo goes off to war. We'll just make him wait until he's 8.' No, he'll say it in Spanish so I won't think it sounds as bad. She sighed and looked at herself in the mirror, making sure all of her curls were tamed, and walked out of the bathroom to face the day from hell.

Mateo was sitting on the couch, already dressed for his big day when Steph walked in to the living room. She stood behind the couch silently and watched as he sang along to the intro for Spongebob Squarepants, his little head of thick, jet black silken hair bopping side to side with the tune. True to Manoso form, he was dressed like a life size GI Joe in his own black combats. But instead of a Rangeman top he was wearing a Batman tee shirt and had decided on his black Nike sneakers that matched the ones his father had. Steph's heart fluttered at the sight of him and she almost cried. How could she possibly send him off to school today for a whole four hours? It would take a miracle for her to let go of his little hand. Mateo's built-in radar went off and his head shot up over the back of the leather couch. He turned around and beamed at his mother.

"Mama! Today is my first day of school!" His perfectly white smile stretched from ear to ear across his little face. Why is he ok with this!? No, it's good that he's so relaxed. I need to relax. Breathe, Steph. Breathe.

"I know." She moved around the front of the couch and sat, gathering him in her lap as she cradled him. Today was the first day of school and but she could remember every detail of his birth, right down to the 

color of the blanket on the hospital bed. She thought about how he had felt in her arms, so small and perfect. A pain shot through her chest and she felt a cramping in her abdomen. I'll never have that feeling again. I can't get pregnant again. I'll never feel that again. Carlos can never feel that. Mateo looked up at his mother from her lap and furrowed his brow.

"What, Mama?" Mateo's ESP kicked in to overdrive and he held Steph's face between his small hands, staring into her eyes, a mirror image to his own. Steph snapped back into reality and placed her hands over Mateo's. She sighed silently and pushed the thoughts out of her mind to focus on her son.

"Nothing. Let's go now. We don't want to be late on your first day, do we?" She gave a pleasant tone to her voice, faker than silicon, and smiled wide. God, please say no. Just say no and you don't have to go. Mateo sprang from her lap and nodded furiously.

"Si, Mama!" Great. This is the worst day ever. He ran around the back of the couch and into Ranger and Steph's bedroom. Even from the living room she could hear Mateo's little voice yelling for Ranger to hurry up. Surely, he was outfitting himself with heavy artillery that is totally unnecessary for a school. She laughed softly to herself at her son's persistence.

"Daddy! Hurry! We can't be late! No, stop. No necesitas eso." (You don't need that.)

"Mateo."

"You don't need the knife. Come ON!" She heard Ranger chuckle softly and then it was followed by his heavy foot falls. Soon they were in the living room and Mateo was practically vibrating with anticipation. Steph sighed and stood.

"Alright. Let's go." Mateo was the first out the door and darted to the elevator, pressing the button repeatedly. Steph watched as Mateo stood waiting, bouncing back and forth on his feet. He looked frantically at his parents, still in the apartment, and waved them over.

"Come on! Mama, Daddy!" Steph looked over at Ranger and felt her breath falter for an inhale. It was all too real now. They were on their way to dropping Mateo off to the pits of hell.

"Maybe we should wait. He doesn't need to go. He can just skip it, right? Just go right to first grade next year?" Ranger chuckled and moved over to his wife, one thick soled CAT boot at a time. His stood in front of her and placed his wide palms on the small of her back, pulling her close to his rock hard torso. He buried his face in the base of her neck and inhaled deeply, sending a chill through her body.

"Babe, he will be fine. I'll put Hal outside the school all day." He felt her muscles ease slightly but he knew nothing would reassure her. Ranger pulled back and kissed her forehead, then her smooth lips. "It will be ok, Babe." Steph scowled, unable to lose herself in the sensations her husband usually stirred deep within her. Uh huh, sure. And my name is Michael Jackson. Well, here we go.

Poor Steph. Can she handle sending Mateo to kindergarten? What will happen once they get there? Please review.