They aren't mine. I wish they were. Just going to borrow them for a while. Continuation of Christmas Eve Visitor, Starting Our Life Together and Holy Matrimony, Batman!. People, places and things in the story may or may not be totally factual or real.

Christmas Future
By JayCee08

Chapter 25
Getting To Know Rachel

We drove through the streets of Miami on our way to Julie's house. Ranger was holding my hand.

"Do you realize that the last time we were here, we had just agreed to a relationship? Now look at us. We're married with two kids. Was it only four years ago?" I remarked.

Ranger picked up my hand and kissed it.

"It all seems so surreal." I continued.

"Babe." He kissed my hand again. "Trust me. Those two adorable children sitting in back are definitely real."

I sighed and settled back for the rest of the drive.

We pulled up outside the Martines' house. Ranger and I got out and went to unbuckle the kids. Julie came running out.

"Steph, Dad. I'm so glad you're finally here."

Ranger set Ricky down and he ran to Julie. "Lee! Lee!" Julie picked him up.

"Hi Ricky. You are getting to be such a big boy. Did you fly in an airplane to get here?"

"Yep. I play hide see. Momma no find me."

"You played hide and seek and Momma couldn't find you?"

Ricky nodded his head. "I losted in closet. Momma find me but no open door. Got key 'n open door."

Rachel and Ron came out to join us and heard Ricky talking to Julie. Ranger and I were standing on the sidewalk. I was holding Emily. Ranger wrapped his arm around my waist.

"You were in a closet and Momma needed a key to open it?" Julie asked.

"Yep." Ricky said. Julie turned to look at us with a puzzled expression.

"It's a long story and the reason why we were delayed getting here yesterday." Ranger said.

"Well, let's go inside." Rachel said. "Oh, look at this sweet little girl. I just love her curls. Can I hold her?"

I handed Emily over to Rachel. "She may not care for a stranger holding her." I warned her. But Emily was fine as long as she could see her Momma and Daddy.

We got ourselves situated in the living room. Ranger brought in the diaper bag and the bag with the toys. Jennel and Joshua came into the room.

"Hi Jennel. Hi Joshua. They sure have grown since I saw them last." I said to Rachel.

"Ricky, this is my other brother and sister. This is Jennel. And that is Joshua. This is Ricky and Mom is hold Emily. They are my newest brother and sister." Julie said.

Ricky had a puzzled expression on his face. "Brudder n sisser?"

"Ricky, this is where Julie lives when she doesn't live with us. That is her Momma." I said pointing to Rachel. "And over there is her Daddy." I said pointing to Ron.

"No Daddy Lee daddy."

I knew he wouldn't understand all the ins and outs of the situation. "Ron is her other daddy." I tried to make it easier for him to understand.

"Otha daddy?"

"Yes, Julie has two daddies. Just like she has two houses. And two brothers and two sisters."

"Two Mommas?"

"Yes, I guess she has two mommas too." I said and smiled at Rachel and Ron. "Ricky keeps asking for Julie. I've been trying to explain to him why Julie doesn't live with us. Maybe now that he sees where she lives and her other family he will understand a little better." I explained to Rachel and Ron.

"So tell us about Ricky getting locked in this closet?" Julie asked.

"We were at the airport. Our flight was delayed because of some bad weather here." Ranger started to explain. "Right before we were to board the plane. Steph took the kids to the bathroom to change them. She turned to wash her hands and when she turned back again, Ricky was gone."

"Oh no!" Rachel said.

"Well we notified security and started searching for him. We check carry-on bags that were big enough for a small child to fit." Ranger said. I shuddered at the thought of Ricky being crammed into some luggage.

"Carlos called up RangeMan and had some of his men come to the airport to help look for him." I added.

"You must have been frantic." Rachel said. "I know what it is like to lose a child." She looked at Julie. Julie rolled her eyes.

"Where did you find him?" Julie asked. She was on the floor with Ricky as he pulled toys out of the bag.

"They searched for him for four hours. Steph got up to go to the bathroom and she heard a noise in a maintenance closet near the bathroom." Ranger continued with the story.

"When I came out of the bathroom, I went up to the door and tried to open it but it was locked. I called to Ricky and he answered. He was crying and he said he was hungry." I picked up the story.

"I bet he was. How did he get in the closet?" Rachel asked.

"Well that is the interesting part. We had security check surveillance video of the airport. They didn't see anything. After we got Ricky out of the closet and fed, we went to the Security Center to watch the video. They played it for us and we saw an airport employee open the door and go inside. When he came out a group of passengers were stopped in front of the bathroom and the maintenance closet. There had to be about a dozen people. They asked the employee a question and he answered them pointing them in the direction they needed to go. Then he turned and closed the door, but never looked inside the closet." Ranger said.

"Didn't the video show Ricky coming out of the bathroom?" Ron asked.

"That's just it. The group of people blocked the view and Ricky is so small. He wasn't seen." I said.

"But Steph, saw him on the video." Ranger added with pride in his voice.

"Wait. I thought you said that you couldn't see him with the people standing there." Rachel said confused, she set Emily down on the floor as she saw the toys that Ricky had pulled out of the bag. Jennel and Joshua were on the floor too playing with the toys.

"Steph saw lights on the ground flashing. Ricky was wearing sneakers with lights that flashed when he walked. He just walked behind the people. No one paid any attention to him. He went into the closet to hide from Steph. He wanted . . ."

"To play hide see." Julie finished with a smile.

"That ordeal must have been terrifying. For both you and Ricky." Rachel said.

"It was. At least for me. I was sure we would never see Ricky again." I said sadly. "But Ricky didn't wake up last night with bad dreams. I thought he would, especially being in a strange house in a strange bed with strange noises." Ranger took my hand and squeezed it.

"Well, I'm glad it had a happy ending. Can I get anyone something to drink?"

"Tirsy Momma." Ricky said.

"Do you have juice or water?" I asked.

"I have both." Rachel said. "I also have ice tea."

I looked at Ricky. "What would you like?"

"Juice." Ricky said. Rachel got up to go to the kitchen.

"Can I help?" I offered.

"Yes. Julie? Josh? Jennel? What would you like?"

"Juice." Jennel answered.

"Water." Joshua said.

"Water." Julie responded.

"Carlos, I know you would prefer water." Rachel said. "Ron?"

"I'll have ice tea."

Rachel and I went into the kitchen to get the beverages. Ranger was talking with Ron.

"Steph, I must say that marriage and motherhood seem to agree with you. You look great."

"Thanks. It does. I didn't think it would, which is why I always said that I didn't want to get married again or have kids. My first marriage ended abruptly shortly after I got married. Kids just terrified me. But, I can't imagine my life without them now. Of course my lifestyle changed because of Ricky. No more sleeping late in the morning and late nights are a thing of the past. And Carlos has been an absolutely wonderful husband and father. I think we've changed with age. We've become more mature and responsible. Not that Carlos wasn't before but I think his priorities have changed. "

"Julie told me about your first marriage."

"Yeah that was a disaster."

"So are you still working?"

"Part-time."

"Are you still bounty hunting?"

"No. I gave that up when I found out I was pregnant with Ricky. I work for RangeMan."

"Convenient. You must be the only woman working there."

"There is still Ella. But yeah I guess I am. I don't know if Carlos has any women working at the other offices. I met some of the guys in Boston. And those that came for the wedding. But Carlos never said if there are any other women."

"I don't think there are. Not that I know of anyway. Not that I ever did."

"It must be strange for you. With Carlos I mean. Here is a man that you were married to for a short time and never really got to know. And then sharing a daughter with him even after he gave her up."

"It was awkward at first. And I mean when I told him I was pregnant after that one time. I thought for sure he would have nothing to do with me, with us. But he said he wanted to take care of us. We didn't have the elaborate wedding that you two had."

"I know. Carlos show me the picture."

"We got married. Went away for a long weekend for a honeymoon. I was already six month pregnant by then. We got to know each other a little better but not well. He left. When he came back, Julie was about Emily's age. We lived together for about six month before he had to leave again. By the time he came back I had met Ron, so I asked Carlos for a divorce. We weren't married except in appearance only. While we lived together, we may have slept in the same bed, but we never made love. When I asked for the divorce, I could almost see the relief in his face. What you could see of an emotion. But I did see regret when I asked if he would allow Ron to adopt Julie after Ron and I got married. Julie was already calling Ron daddy. Carlos signed the papers without any argument, but I think he has regretted it ever since. That is why I allowed him to still have contact with Julie. But he is getting a second chance at being a father with Julie and with the children that you have together."

"Did Carlos ever tell you about what happened the last time we were down here?

"What do you mean?"

"When Julie stayed with us. She had a genealogy project to do for school."

"I remember."

"She didn't know how to fill it out. Who she should put as her father. Julie had a lot of confusion going on inside of her. She felt that by loving Ron, she was being disloyal to Carlos. And by loving Carlos she was being disloyal to Ron. She was hurt that Carlos could just give her up so easily. When Carlos tried to explain why he did it, she didn't believe him or didn't want to believe him. I tried to explain it to her the best I could. Not that Carlos told me all the details about your relationship. But I think what I said helped."

"Julie never mentioned it to me. Carlos never did either. Thank you. I'm glad Julie felt comfortable enough to go to you. She always talks about you. Even after the kidnapping, she talked about how you came into the room that she was being held in and putting up a fight with that horrible man. Thank you for being there for my daughter."

Rachel came over to hug me. We held each other. We had a bond. We both married the same man. We both had children. We both had a child go missing.

When we pulled apart, I said. "We better get these drinks out there. They are going to think we had squeeze the juice ourselves after having to pick the oranges. Waited for the tea leaves to dry for the ice tea and had to walk to the center of the village to get the water from the well."

She laughed. We carried the drinks back into the living room along with come fresh baked cookies. I handed Ricky his sippy cup. I gave Ranger his water and I sat down next to him with my ice tea.

"Babe, what took so long? I was about to call RangeMan and start a search party for you."

"Girl talk." Was all I said.

"So can I open your present now?" Julie asked.

"Yes you may."

"I got presents for Ricky and Emily too." She said as she pulled out the gifts that were under the tree. "This is for Ricky." She said as she placed the present in front of Ricky. "And this is for Emily." She said and she gave me the present to open.

Ricky ripped the paper to find a remote control car. Or rather a remote control fire engine. It had an easy-to-use controller.

I opened the present for Emily. Inside was a soft rag doll. It was personalized with Emily's name on the dress. I removed it from the package and gave it to Emily. She hugged it.

Ranger had Ricky's car out of the package and was inserting the batteries that Julie had provided. Ricky was standing next to Ranger in anticipation. Once the batteries were in, Ranger set the truck down and tested it. The truck moved.

"Me! Me!" Ricky shouted. Ranger handed him the steering wheel and showed him what to push to make the truck move. Ricky was making it smash into the walls and furniture.

"Sorry." I said to Rachel.

"Don't worry about it." She said.

Julie turned back to her present.

"This I bought for you, Carina. But I want you to share it with Jennel and Joshua." Ranger said.

Julie opened up her gift. It was a Wii video game system. "Ohmigod. It's a Wii!"

She shrieked.

"Cool." Joshua said.

"Can I play?" Jennel asked.

Ron came over to get the instructions and to get the game system hooked up. Julie opened the other box and inside was an assortment of games. The new Super Mario Bros, Family Game Night, Mario Kart, Game Party, and Just Dance. In addition the Wii sports that came with it.

"Oh thank you so much. This is going to be so much fun. What should we do first?" Julie asked her brother and sister.

I picked up Emily so she wouldn't get stepped on as they played the different games. Rachel had gotten up.

"Do you need any help in the kitchen?"

"Not really, but if you would like, we can talk some more. Bring Emily with you. I brought the highchair down. It's a little old, but serviceable. I cleaned it up for Emily to use. I also have a booster chair for Ricky."

Emily and I moved to the kitchen. She was still clutching her doll.

"What can I do to help?" I asked.

"You can set the table." Rachel said and pointed to the cabinet with the plates.

I got to work. "Do you know any of Carlos' family?" I asked.

"A little. Ricardo and Maria come down quite often to see Julie. I didn't deny them their granddaughter. Abuela Rosa would come with them occasionally, but not so much anymore. Celia and Josephina have come down. But the rest of the family I only talk to occasionally."

"What about Ernesto?"

"Ernesto. I don't have much contact with him." She said.

"He doesn't seem to like me in the least. He has said nothing but negative things to me since the day I met him."

" Did you know that I dated Ernesto before Carlos?

"No! Ernesto?"

"Yes. They were down here for the summer to visit with their grandparents. There was Ernesto, Celia, Josephina and Carlos. It was right before Carlos went into the Army. I went out a few times with Ernesto, but we didn't quite hit it off. Then Carlos asked me out. And well one thing lead to another and well, you know how it ended."

"That is interesting. Carlos never mentioned it. How did Ernesto treat you after the fact?"

"We didn't have much contact with each other. Especially after Carlos and I got married. I think that Ernesto thought there was something between us and I think he thought that I cheated on him with his brother. So he called me a tramp. After Carlos and I split, Ernesto tried to get me to go back with him, but I met Ron by then. She said thinking back.

"Ernesto is bad looking, but Carlos has more sex appeal. I don't know what it is. But then maybe I'm biased because I'm married to him."

We both giggled. I helped get the food and such on the table. We then went into the living room to let everyone know that lunch was ready. I pondered what I had just learned.

They were playing darts on the Wii. Julie was up. She got a bullseye. Then Ranger was up. He missed the first one, hit the board on the second try and missed on the third shot.

"What's the matter Carlos? Losing your touch?" I asked.

"It's a lot harder than it looks, Babe. You want to try?"

"Maybe after lunch." I turned to look for Ricky. I didn't see him. Panic set in again.

"Carlos, where's Ricky?"

Ranger looked around and didn't see him either. Suddenly everyone stopped what they were doing.

"When was the last time anyone saw Ricky?" Ranger asked.

No one had any idea. I know that last time I saw him was when I went into the kitchen with Rachel.

"O.K. Let's not panic. Everyone spread out and look for him. Julie, look around the neighborhood. Jennel and Joshua look in the backyard. Ron, you and I will go down and look in the park. Babe, go look upstairs. Rachel go look in the basement. Let's meet back here in 30 minutes. If we can't find him we'll call the authorities and RangeMan."

We all went to look where Ranger said we should. He stopped me before going out with Ron. "Babe, we'll find him." He gave me a kiss . . . .

PRESENT DAY

I woke up with a start. I looked around the room. It was our bedroom. Ranger was asleep next to me. I jumped out of the bed and ran to the room across the hall. I went up to the crib and looked in. There was my precious little boy. I brushed a curl off his forehead. I placed my hand on the stomach. There was another child growing inside of me. Was it a girl? I was hoping it was.

"Are you all right?" A voice said. "Is he all right?"

"Yeah. I'm fine. Just as bad dream. And he's fine, too."

"Come back to bed. It's early."

We went back into our bedroom and I laid back down and tried to get comfortable. The dream racing in my head.

"You want to talk about it?"

"No."

"Come here."

I moved over so my head was on his chest. His arms came around me and held me tight.

"Are you sure you don't want to talk about it? You are shaking."

"We lost Ricky. Twice. We were going to see Julie. The first time he got lock in a maintenance closet at the airport. The second time he disappeared from the Martines' house. I woke up, so I never found out what happened to him."

"He is a very curious little boy. Like his Momma."

"We had a baby girl."

"A little girl would be nice."

"We named her Emily Rose."

"That's a pretty name. I like it."

"I got to know Rachel a little better."

"That's nice." Said the sleepy voice.

"We have a lot in common."

"You do?"

"Yeah. We both married the same man. We both had a child get lost. We both had a . . . Oh that's right. It was a dream."

"That's O.K., Babe. I hope you get to know Rachel better."

"Did she really date Ernesto before sleeping with you?"

"Babe?"

"I guess that was part of the dream too."

"Are you sure you're O.K.? You are saying some strange stuff."

"It's the dream I had. It isn't important. Carlos?"

"Hmm."

"After the baby is born and we go down to spend Christmas with Julie, will you promise me that we won't let our children out of our sight for a minute?"

"Of course, Babe. Now go to sleep. I have to take Julie and Ricky sledding in the morning."

I snuggled down next to Ranger. He wrapped his arms around me again. I felt safe. Ricky was safe. Hopefully nothing bad will happen to him in the future. Maybe the dream was a warning or reminder not to take things for granted. To be aware of things around me and around my children.

I finally fell back to sleep. No more bad dreams.

THE END