Chapter 37, enjoy! I apologize, but posting chapters has become a hardship, since I've many obligations in my life. Who knew going on a year long trip would take up all my time in planning it?! Anyways, I'm shooting for everyday, but it might be every other day, real life sucks...

Warning: None

Disclaimer in Chapter 1

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A Mommy For Papi and Me

Chapter 37

"She's been drinking Mountain Dew and Redbull for the last six days, apparently, she's making up for losing her nerd roots," Lester said to Stephanie and Carlos a smile on his face, "Don't worry, I took all the caffeinated drinks away from her, she'll be back to normal soon, the amount of sugar and caffeine we'll looking at a crash that'll last for 12 hours."

Stephanie shook his head and said, "It must be horrible to not being able to do what you like the most."

"Babe, that attack on youand Brittany, reminded me that I've yet to get you a tracker and a panic button, you'll get one by the end of the day."

"My Hero," Stephanie said with a smile, turning to hear a loud thud and finding Brittany sleeping on the floor of the waiting room, snoring loudly. The children were poking at her and grabbing the markers to draw on her face, "We should stop them…"

"No way, she's been terrorizing me for the last two weeks, do you know what she calls me, *Senpai, and I don't even know what that means, this is my revenge," Lester said with a dark smile, "Now, pardon me, I'm going to hang out with the children and tell them what to draw on Brittany's face."

"He's as bad as the children," Stephanie said with a smile, turning to Carlos, "I guess we'll be having a grown up talk about my safety."

"We are," Carlos said, motioning for Stephanie to sit on the couch beside him, "Babe, you almost died back there."

"I know, but, thank goodness Brittany was on an energy drink binge, right?" Stephanie asked with a smile, shrugging her shoulders, "Heaven knows what would have happened if she hadn't been hyper."

"Stephanie this is serious, there's a secret terrorist cell out to get Brittany and your sister and if you get in the way of their plans, they'll kill you," Carlos said with a frown, "I'm beefing up security around the hospital, and around you and Brittany, I can't help your sister, she's in the hands of witness protection, but, I can watch over you and your friend."

Stephanie sighed and said, "You're right, Carlos, this is serious, but, I don't want to think about what happened down in the hospital's basement, Brittany and I almost lost our lives down there, I almost died…they were going to snap my neck…."

Stephanie wrapped her hands around her neck and then leaned into Carlos, "I guess the shock is now just sinking in…I almost died down there!"

"Babe," Carlos said, hugging Stephanie to him, "It's alright now, don't let this incident turn you into a hermit. Its okay to be scared, but don't let it overcome you, a solider never gives in to fear."

"I see where Heidi gets it from," Stephanie said, looking up at Carlos, a smile on her face, "She gets the same facial expression when she says the same things."

Carlos nodded his head and said, "I try to make sure that my military roots are somewhere in my parental duties, I can hardly get her to eat carrots but she can make a bed that would make any sergeant proud."

Stephanie smiled and then looked down at her hand, which was entwined with Carlos's hand, "Carlos, I need to talk to you about us."

"What about us?" Carlos asked, looking down at Stephanie who bit her lip and looked up at the man.

"Our living arrangements," Stephanie said firmly, "I think it should be official."

"Official, official like how?" Carlos asked, giving Stephanie a look.

"Like, I put my townhouse up for sale, and I move into the master bedroom of the house," Stephanie said, blushing, "I mean-I'll sell my townhome, and some of my furniture and move into your house, maybe not in your room, but in the house, across the hall from you….maybe…"

"Babe," Carlos said, looking down at Stephanie a twinkle in his eye, "I think I like the idea of you sleeping in my bed way more than I like the idea of you sleeping across the hall from me."

"Oh good, because, while you were away in California, Heidi and I slept in your bed and goodness, that bed is like a soft cloud that you can melt into," Stephanie said with a coo, a content smile on her face, "And I bet it would feel much better with you in it-I mean-uh…oh boy…."

"Babe," Carlos said, leaning down and kissing Stephanie on the lips, "I know it's going to feel better with me in it, a night with me and you'll get a good night's sleep."

Stephanie leered at Carlos and said, "Oh, and why do you say that, Carlos?"

"Because….I'll tire you out in the bed," Carlos said, making Stephanie blush, "Babe….we're taking it slow, remember?"

Stephanie nodded her head, "I know, but…it's so dang hard! We've been official for nearly a month, and I've never wanted to do naughty so badly!"

"All good things come to those who wait," Carlos said, standing up and walking away from Stephanie, "Like good wine, the more age, the better the taste."

"Easy for you to say Mister Colonel in the army!" Stephanie sighed as Carlos walked off, "You may have patience, but I don't!"

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

"Ugh…." Brittany moaned, sitting up and looking around, "What happened?"

Lula and Stephanie turned to see Brittany sitting up in the sleeper chair that sat in Heidi's hospital room. Stephanie and Lula giggled at the sight of the marker drawings on Brittany's face. They were now in Heidi's room, the child sleeping in her bed. Everyone but Lula, Stephanie and Brittany had gone out to do things. Carlos went to get security for Stephanie and Brittany and everyone else but Lester went home. Lester went to go get dinner for them all.

"What's so funny?" Brittany asked sleepily, laying back down in the sleeper chair, "I wanna know the joke too…."

"Uh…it's nothing, go back to sleep," Lula said, earning a head nod from Brittany, who curled up and went back to sleep, "She's a mess."

"I know, Lula," Stephanie said with a smile, sitting down on the couch that doubled as a bed, "I can't wait for Heidi to get out of the hospital, no more hard pull out couches to sleep on and I'll be in Carlos's nice soft bed."

Lula leered at Stephanie and said, "Oh, you won't be doing any sleeping, when you get in that bed with that man."

Stephanie blushed and said, "We're taking it slow, Lula, no….naughty stuff."

"Oh yeah…nice and slow, horizontally and with you on your back and him in between your thighs!" Lula giggled, making Stephanie blush hard and glare at the woman, "What?!"

"You're a pervert, what am I doing, hanging out with two perverts?!" Stephanie hissed before she pulled out her laptop and opened up her shop's webpage, "Hmm, I have to talk to Carlos about the possibility of expanding my shop, it's such a big hit here, maybe I should expand."

"Hmm, that sounds like a good idea, you've staked your claim on the internet, but where else could you set up shop?" Lula asked, looking at the numbers on the screen, "Maybe the city, that's always a good place to set up shop."

"Oh, you're right, maybe New York City," Stephanie said, looking at the figures from the store, "Or maybe Boston…."

"Oh, New York City, now that's the place to set up shop!" Lula said, with a smile, "Skyscrapers and city life….that's where it's happening!"

"This sounds like a big thing, Lula," Stephanie said, closing her laptop, and giving the woman a look, "I'll wait for Carlos to talk about me expanding, since we should be thinking about our future together, right?"

"Right," Lula said just as Lester walked into the hospital room with three pizza boxes, "Oh Dinner, let's wake up Heidi and Brittany and eat."

Stephanie shook Heidi awake while Lester toed Brittany's leg and told her that the food was here. Brittany stumbled into Heidi's en suite bathroom to wash up and as everyone was settling down to eat, she let out a scream of horror and came running back into the hospital room exclaiming, "Why are there drawings on my face?!"

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

"So, you want to expand, that's a wonderful idea," Carlos said, settling down on the pull out couch with Stephanie, "I suggest you wait a year though, just to watch the trends and patterns."

"Oh yeah," Stephanie said climbing under the covers and curling up beside Carlos, "But, we're all out to buy a cute pair of panties, I'm wondering, though, where I should set up shop though. Lula wants me to go to a city…"

"That sounds like a plan," Carlos said, turning off the side lamp and curling his arm around Stephanie, "New York City is a nice place to set up shop."

"But, that start up cost would be huge," Stephanie said with a huff, looking over to Carlos, "Oh, why does city living have to cost so much?!"

"You're right about the cost of renting and the like in the city," Carlos said letting Stephanie lay on his chest, "It is expensive, you could save up, or find an investor to invest in your second shop."

"Oh, I could ask Brittany, she loves doing that kind of stuff, she has so much money too, she needs to do something with-" Stephanie started but Carlos silenced her with a kiss.

"No, I'll invest in you, Babe," Carlos said with a smile, earning a smile from Stephanie, "Though we are going to wait a year, you can never be too safe and plus, you have to get the children's line up and running."

"You're right," Stephanie said turning to Heidi's sleeping form , "One of my top models is too sick right now."

"So, it's settled, you're expanding, and I'm tired," Carlos said, settling back down in the bed, with Stephanie on his chest, "I have an early morning and you have things to do in the shop, I hate leaving Heidi in the hospital, but Cal is going to be with her, so I'm not too worried."

"I'll be done with my stuff buy 1PM, she won't be alone too long," Stephanie said with a yawn, closing her eyes, "And you'll be done by 5PM, pick up dinner tomorrow?"

"What's on the menu Babe?" Carlos asked, as Stephanie fell asleep.

"Hibachi, but you better get something yummy." Stephanie said, feeling Carlos's chest rumble with soft laughter, "Mmm, stop moving pillow, I'm trying to sleep."

"Babe…."

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

"That's the last order form filled," Stephanie said, turning to Lula, "Now, let's take these bad boys to the post office and get them shipped off."

"And then let's go to Pino's and get some pizza and su-" Lula started but yelped as the door to the shop clanged opened and Helen Plum came stomping in, "Uh oh…"

"Stephanie Michelle Plum, when were you going to tell your mother that you were seeing a man?!" Helen snarled at Stephanie marching over to her.

Stephanie took a step back and said, "Mother, I don't have to tell you everything, hey! Ouch! Don't pull so hard!"

Stephanie let out a whine as her mother pulled her ear roughly. Stephanie waved her arm frantically as she was dragged over to the front door. Helen turned to Stephanie and said, "You, young lady are coming home with me right now and we're going to talk about this nonsense!"

"I have to do stuff!" Stephanie said, trying to free her ear, "Mother! I have packages that need shipping, let go!"

Lula ran over to the shop's door as Helen berated Stephanie over to her car. She shook her head as Helen motioned for Stephanie to get in the car. Lula turned to Lester who was sitting in a black SUV and nodded her head, motioning for the man to follow Stephanie and her mother. She'll wait in the shop for Tank to get her.

"I made lunch, so call that man of yours right over so I can get rid of him for you!" Helen said as Stephanie rolled her eyes and started the car, "Now move it Missy!"

"It must be a bitch to be the daughter of Helen Plum," Lula sighed, closing up the shop and placing the packages by the door, "She's so demanding…"

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

Carlos looked up from his paper hearing his phone go off. It was Stephanie calling her, due to the fact that he gave her a personal ringtone. He was swamped in the middle of looking at contracts that were up for renewal. He had skipped lunch and was pretty much in need of a break. A Stephanie break was one of the best breaks too.

Carlos picked the phone up, and answered it with a quick, "Yo.."

"Hey Carlos, uh…have you eaten lunch yet?" Stephanie asked, making Carlos smile, he was pretty hungry.

"No, are you inviting me out to lunch, Babe?" Carlos asked chuckling.

"Yeah, at my parent's house, there's Pineapple Upside Down cake and my Grandma Mazur," Stephanie said with a smile, "My mother wants to meet you, Lester's here too, don't worry."

"She wants you to marry a man and kidnap you as well," Carlos said shaking his head and running a hand through his hair, "Babe…."

"Look, one lunch and that's it, okay?" Stephanie said, earning a sigh from Carlos.

"Babe…I'll be there soon," Carlos said hanging his phone up and sighing, "Alright, let me do this, one time, get Stephanie and get her out of there…"

If it were up to Carlos, he would swoop in, rescue Stephanie from her mother's clutches and tell that awful woman to never contact Stephanie ever again. That will have to wait until after lunch, then he'll tell Stephanie's crazy mother where she can put that meal at. He was going to have words for that woman, and they weren't going to be nice, especially since this woman had the gull to treat Stephanie like a child most of the time she came around. Oh no, Carlos was going to put that woman in her place today.

Carlos got up and said, "The things I do for love…."

TBC…

Oh boy, the lunch from hell is coming up...please leave a review, I write faster!

*Senpai is Japanese title given to friends or colleagues who are older than you. It's a title of respect. Yeah, you can really tell i'm excited about this trip!