AN: There are a few words in Spanish that you might like to know…
Prima - Cousin
Tio - Uncle
Hola - Hello
Te Quiero - I love you

Chapter One – Five Years Later

"Steven Alberto, hurry! We're going to be late!" Melissa shouted to the far bedroom. Her son came running out of his room. His medium brown hair was messy; his sky-blue eyes still filled with sleep. A stuffed teddy bear trailed behind him.

"Mama, are we going to Jorge's?"

"Yes, he's going to take care of you while I'm at work. I'm going to pick you up after school. Eat your breakfast while the cereal isn't soggy, please." Melissa said as she straightened out the school uniform he had put on and then tackled his hair. He bent down and put on a pair of brown shoes. He went to table and began eating his breakfast.

"Mama?"

"Yes?"

"When is Papa going to come home?" he asked in between bites. She hated this question.

"…As soon as he finishes his duty." Melissa answered automatically, telling her son the same lie she had been telling him since the day he was born, five years ago.

"I hope it's soon. I want to meet him before my first day of REAL school!" the young boy said not even noticing the falsh on pain that went through his mother's eyes.

"I know." She said softly as the doorbell rang. Melissa went to answer it.

"Hola Prima." A man in his forties greeted as he gave Melissa a kiss on the cheek and stepped inside.

"Tio Jorge!" the little boy shouted as he ran to hug the older man.

"Hola Steve-Bert! You ready to go?" Jorge asked the boy. Steven shook his head. "Then go get ready."

"Thank you." Melissa said as her son scampered to his room.

"Anytime, Prima… Oi, Prima, when do you plan on telling him?" Melissa sighed. It was an ongoing discussion with her family, especially Jorge. The older man loved his second cousin but she was far too headstrong for a woman. He felt that if she would just tell her ex-fiancé the truth, things would work out for the better. Melissa disagreed.

"Jorge, must we do this every time? We both know what I'm going to say."

"And you know what I say to that. Call him. There's no harm in that." Melissa remained quiet.

"Perhaps…" she mumbled

"Bye Mama! Te Quiero!" Steven as he rushed back into the room; cutting the conversation short. She hugged and kissed him; he wiggled in her arms, "Mama! I'm a big boy! Big boys don't get smooched!" 'He's getting too old. And Josh hasn't been here for any of it… Perhaps I should call… A phone call can't hurt can it?' Melissa thought as she let Jorge take her son to school. She grabbed her car keys and went to work.

After the wedding, Melissa quickly dealt with the financial mess; most of the money had been refundable. Knowing that she held a secret, she packed her belongings and stayed with some relatives in Miami. She juggled two jobs in the first year as a waitress at a very high-end restaurant during the day and as a club girl during the evenings. When her body started to show the pregnancy, in the middle of the second trimester, the club's manager let her stay as the bookkeeper. While she was slightly ashamed of her evening job, she could not deny the fact that it was her main source of income. She could afford an apartment in a decent neighborhood, pay her debts and still manage to save a chunk of her paycheck. She didn't dare attempt college because she still couldn't decide what to do with her life and didn't want to waste money in useless classes. She finally gave birth and her relatives helped her care for the child but she was adamant about bearing the brunt of the responsibilities, it was her child after all. Her link to the man she would always love. None passed judgment about her keeping the child - they knew who the father was and made sure to keep the man's identity a mystery to the child.

An unexpected job offer came the day a fledging vampire decided to attack one of the customers in the restaurant. Melissa had vaulted over the table she had been serving and grabbed a carving knife from a nearby table. She threw the knife at the fledging, making her mark at its heart. The vampire had let go of its victim and then charged after her, not even bothering to remove the knife from its heart. After pinning Melissa down, it tried to puncture her jugular; she drove the knife further into the vampire until she felt her fingers brush its heart. Grabbing it, she tore the heart and knife out of its body; the vampire suffered its second death. A man introduced himself as a cop as he helped her up. He commended her for her heroics and then offered her a full-time job in his department. That department turned out to be MSIS (pronounced miss-is), Miami Supernatural Investigation Squad; a newly created department in the Miami PD that handled cases dealing with vampires to were-animals to legendary creatures. The department helped her with the expenses of the academy and she reconstructed the department through her skills in politics. She was licensed and given clearance within thee months of being hired.

She walked through the double glass doors and got in line for the security check. After waiting five minutes or so, she managed to wiggle through the usual hustle and bustle of the police station. Melissa tossed her purse on her desk and glanced at the atmosphere. Richardson – one of the department's detectives - was talking on the phone with his feet on his desk; a half-eaten doughnut in one hand and the other waving around to emphasize his words. The white powder speckled his dress shirt. His tie had yet to be fixed; the khakis were wrinkled. The man had always been a mess but he was good at his job. Maria – the daytime secretary – was handing out folders of the latest case to some cops. Wisps of her gorgeous hair fell out of the hastily created ponytail. And across the room was Lucas – the man that had recruited her; her boss – he was shouting at his phone. Thankfully the glass office he was incased in, prevent the rest of the floor from hearing him. His steel blue eyes flashed with rage. The chiseled jawline was furiously grinding. 'Just another day at work.' Melissa thought to herself with a smile. Her office phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Mel? It's Ben." A voice said. It had been at least six months since she had heard from him. "I need your help."