Carlos' POV

I was surprised to see Stephanie on the up front, but then again, I shouldn't be. She is a ranked officer and does deserve to be there. Her rank is higher than most of us Rangers only until the ceremony is over. I didn't realize that I broke every Ranger school record. I know I broke a few, but I'm overwhelmed. Now I know that the stupid nickname of Ranger is never going to disappear. Well, at least it's not something embarrassing. When I first told Steph about my nickname, she said it was a good thing, that it would help to keep my identity hidden, keeping me safer in the long run. She continues to let the guys call her Jersey, and actually introduces herself as Jersey.

Once the ceremony was over, I waited for Steph to join me, but it seems many of the officers here have heard of her abilities, and they all want to talk to her. As she is a junior officer, she can't break ranks unless dismissed. I decide to tempt fate and join her. I can tell the moment she realizes I'm almost behind her, because she immediately turns to me, after rubbing the back of her neck. Her radar still works.

"Lieutenant Manoso, congratulations on your achievements," Major Mitchell said.

"Thank you, Sir," I reply.

"Do you need anything?" Captain Carter asks.

"Only my fiancé."

"Your fiancé?"

"Yes, Sir. Lieutenant Plum is my fiancé."

I watch as Captain Carter takes a better look at Stephanie. I see him glancing towards her left hand, looking for the engagement ring. He notices the ring, and I can see annoyance and frustration in his eyes before he gets himself under control.

"Lieutenant Plum, I didn't realize you were engaged. How long have you known Manoso?"

Now, I know that the Captain not using my rank as a way of belittling me or trying to get under my skin. It's obvious that he's interested in my Babe, but he's not going to get her.

"We've known each other since we were sixteen. We started to date about a month after we met and have been together since then."

"How did you meet?"

"His cousin, Lieutenant Santos, was my neighbor in Trenton. We were best friends growing up until Lester moved to Miami. When their grandmother was having her knee surgery, Lester's parents and his sisters went to Miami to help her. His mother asked me to be a mother's helper for the summer. I went with them to Miami and met Carlos. I ended up staying in Miami until we went to West Point."

"I see. Where are you based out of?"

"Well, I am currently out of Fort Huachuca, but I'm relocating to Virginia. I'll be working there gathering intel."

"That's great. I'm transferring to the Pentagon in two months. Maybe we can get together for lunch or dinner one day."

What the fuck? Captain Carter is hitting on my fiancé in front of me. What the hell is he playing at? I can tell that Steph is uncomfortable and is trying to deflect respectfully.

"Thank you for the offer, but my mother always told me that it wasn't proper for a married woman to be seen out with a man other than her husband, son, brother, or father. Since you are neither of those to me, I don't think it would be appropriate. Besides, I don't think my husband would be too keen on that idea."

"Husband? I thought you and Manoso are only engaged?"

"We are, Sir, but by the time I'm in Virginia, we'll be married."

"Well, I guess I'll have to hope to be working on your team, then, so I can spend some time with you."

"Babe, the family is waiting. We have reservations we need to make."

"Oh, yes, I'm sorry, I don't mean to keep everyone waiting. If you, please excuse me, I would like to go join my family in celebrating Carlos's and Lester's graduation. It was wonderful to meet you, and I hope to see you again soon."

"Lieutenant, the pleasure is all ours," Major Mitchell states. I take Steph's hand and gently pull her towards the steps. Once we start walking, I possessively place my hand on her lower back, escorting her to the family. As we turn towards the family, I see the glare that Captain Carter is sending my way. I know he wants my Babe. However, he will never get her. Lester can tell I'm not happy, but I'm not ready to share the story with him. I don't want my parents or Abuela to hear it. They would be upset, to say the least.

We get in the cars and make our way to a local restaurant. It has good Southern food, and we enjoy the meal together. My father and Lester's stepfather are extremely proud of the men we've become. Our family really has no idea what our lives will be like. They have no idea the danger we will be putting ourselves in. We decided not to disclose the full extent of what we do, for their safety. Stephanie, of course, is well aware, as she is one of those who give intel to our comrades. However, Stephanie is equally in danger. If the bad guys were to find out that she was the one to discover their secrets, well, I don't want to think about what could happen to her.

As the night comes to an end, my parents and Lester's parents head to the airport with our sisters and my brother. They are heading back to Newark. Abuela Rosa is staying in the same hotel as Stephanie and will be driving with Lester, Stephanie, and I back to Trenton. She doesn't like flying, and since she is standing up for Stephanie tomorrow, she will stay with us. We'll be stopping in Virginia first, to drop off our clothes and other belongs in the townhouse Stephanie rented for us on base. Lester will have a room there. Besides, there is a garage where we can store some of his items. Les and I are unsure of where we'll be going, but since Steph works stateside at a set facility, it's easier to use our place as home base.

We arrive at Steph's hotel, and I am planning on spending the night. I want to take advantage of every night we have together since it won't be many. I get out of the car and grab my duffle.

"What do you think you're doing, Carlito?"

"Staying with Steph, Abuela."

"Oh, no, you're not. You are going back to base with Lester. You will not see Steph until you are about to say your vows. Just because you aren't getting married in church doesn't mean that you don't have to follow tradition."

"But Abuela,"

"No buts. If you want to spend some time with your novia, you can, but at ten, you are out the door. Do you understand?"

"Sí, abuela." Only my grandmother can make me feel like a ten-year-old boy again. There is no one else I would listen to except her. I guess I better take advantage of the last hour I have with my Babe before I am forced to leave. I see Lester smirk as he accompanies abuela to her room, which is next to Steph's room.

Once we get in Steph's room, I say, "if you can be quiet, we can make love for the next hour."

"No, Carlos. I don't want to rush it. Besides, after tonight, we never have to worry about making love again. We will be free to do so whenever we want."

"Okay. I guess we have a few things to talk about first."

"What do you mean?"

"Look, Steph, for the next three to four years, I will be away more than I'm home. There may be decisions that you need to make without being able to talk to me first. I want to try to discuss some possible scenarios so that you can decide without worrying if it is the right one. You'll know my wishes ahead of time."

"Okay, then. What do you want to discuss first?"

I take a deep breath. Abuela's conversation with me is still front and center, but I'm not sure I want to open with the possibility of a family. So, I take the safe route. "Where do you see yourself with your role, your job?"

"Well, I hope to be put on the important missions, the hard-to-find-answers to problems. The situations where only the best are needed. I want to be the best intelligence gatherer, but I don't want to be in the field. I want to do it from a computer, from a desk in an office. I don't mind the occasional meet, the occasional face-to-face, but mostly I want to be a ghost."

"Do you see yourself staying here in Virginia, working out of DC?"

"For now, but I guess if they needed me somewhere else, I'd be willing to relocate, but only in the States. I don't want to live abroad. Shit, do you want to stay in Virginia?"

"No, Steph, I don't care where we live. I only want to be with you. While I prefer a nicer climate or a larger city, I don't really care. Just make sure that my stuff goes with you, and we're good. How long do you want to stay in?"

"Not forever. I don't want to be a career soldier. I never did. I hope that maybe when we're done, we can become PIs or maybe I could work for the FBI or a police department somewhere. We also had that pipe dream about opening our own business. What about you, Carlos? How long do you want to do this?"

"Right now, as long as I can. I can't explain the feeling I get running ops. The training gave me such an adrenaline rush. The only feeling that beats it is when we make love. I know that many Rangers and SEALs are offered black ops contracts. It's something that I, along with Tank, Bobby, and Lester, are considering. However, we know we can't continue to run those missions much beyond the age of thirty. We don't want to stay in until retirement age, we don't want to rise to the rank of General. We want to make money, lots of money. We have talked about opening a business someday, probably security of some sort. Maybe we can roll PI work into that for you, Babe."

"I like that idea. I think you guys would make a great business partnership. Owning a business would be hard work, but we'd get so many benefits from it. Where would you open up?"

"Well, I was thinking about Miami. It is the place that I consider my home, even though I grew up in Newark. Maybe, if we are successful enough, we can open other branches. If we do, Jersey would be someplace to go, since our families are there. Other than that, who knows. Would you want to live in Miami?"

"I did enjoy Miami, but I'm not sure that I'm a Miami woman. I don't feel as though I fit in there. For me, it would have to be North Jersey, possibly Newark or Jersey City. I don't want to be near the Burg or Trenton. I don't know if I ever want to go back long term. But wherever you are, is where I will be. I love you, Carlos."

"And I love you, Babe."

"Carlos, what about a family? Do you ever want to have kids? Should I continue to stay on birth control?"

Oh, thank goodness, she's bringing it up. So much easier now. "Babe, I'd love to have a family with you. For now, I would prefer that you stayed on your birth control. I don't think we're established enough to be able to support a family right now, but if by some chance we were to make a baby, I'd want that child. Any child that would be produced by us, whether planned or unplanned, is a blessing, and I would welcome that child. What about you?"

"Well, while I agree that I don't want a baby now, I would not be opposed to having a couple someday. And if I were to get pregnant, I know I couldn't abort the baby. I knew when Morelli got me pregnant that I could never give up or kill my child, even though I was raped. Knowing that the child I was carrying was yours, my only choice would be to have that baby."

"Babe, you are free to do whatever you want to do regarding your career. I will always support you one hundred percent. I know my job is much more dangerous, and before I make any decisions that could affect our future, I promise to discuss it with you whenever I can. Just always remember, te quiero, Stephanie Manoso."