Thank you to my lovely beta MsSchneeheide!

It's my niece figure's first birthday! She's so cute, I love my chiquita!

"Girls, guess what?" Karla asks with eagerness coating her tone. Blanca is next to her. Maritza and Raiza are seated on the bed they share with their mother, and the two women are standing across from them.

"Hmm?" Maritza wonders aloud. "Surprise me, I don't wanna be disappointed by saying the wrong answer!" She knows Karla and Blanca won't make her feel stupid, but it's an involuntary reaction to be worried about sounding dumb, like Dean always said she was.

"Are we getting a pony?" Raiza wants to know, her eyes lighting up in excitement. "I want to name her Rosie!"

"Raiza, for real? That's too much dinero, don't get your hopes up!" Maritza ruffles her hair and frowns at her little sister.

"I can dream!" Raiza sticks her tongue out at Maritza. She taps her chin in thought. "Maybe...a dollhouse!"

Maritza feels bad that Raiza had never had that growing up. She maybe owned one or two Barbies that she was happy with, and they'd been passed down from Maritza. Blanca wasn't ever allowed to spend money on the girls if it wasn't essential and she had a limit on how many toys she could get them. "Also, new clothes for my sissy!" Maritza would love that. "Or a bike?"

Blanca chuckles gently. "No, lo siento, nena...¡pero buena conjeturas!" She turns to Karla. "¡Vamos, díselo!"

but good guesses! Go on, tell them!

"Yeah, we're dying from the suspense!" Maritza chimes in.

"Ramón and I are getting married again!" Karla announces. Raiza appears to be as confused as Maritza feels. "Which means, you two y tu mamá can be in my wedding!"

"Yeah, since we missed it the first time around!" Blanca puts in.

Maritza gasps. "Oooh, can I give you a makeover for that, Karla?"

"Of course! You're one of my bridesmaids, after all, and your mom's my maid of honor!" Maritza's heart lifts in elation and Raiza is smiling from ear to ear. Karla looks over at Raiza. "Sweetie, you're my flower girl!"

"I like flowers! What's a flower girl? I already know my last name means flowers in English!"

"Una niña de las flores es a little girl like you, who sprinkles petals as she walks down the aisle at la boda," Blanca explains.

A flower girl is

"Yay!" Raiza claps her tiny hands.

Maritza does a triumphant fist pump. "Yesss!" She giggles. "This is gonna be awesome! When are you gettin' hitched? Oooh, maybe next summer? It'd be so lovely in your backyard! I'll help you decorate! ¡Muchas gracias!" She's beside herself with exhilaration, and Raiza is bursting at the seams with the same unbridled joy. The little girl scrambles off the bed and rushes toward Karla to hug their teacher and tía figure around her legs.

"That's what I was thinking, like around May or June!"

"Why not now?" Raiza asks, looking up at Karla and then to their mother.

They all join Maritza on the bed. "There's a lot to do for it, querida, and Karla wants to wait until her new baby is born," Blanca informs her. "¡Además, an outside boda sería demasiado fría en este momento!"

wedding would be too cold right now!

"Ohhh!"

"Are you gonna wear the same dress?" Maritza wonders aloud.

"Yeah, to save money, I should. I'll probably fix my hair differently, though!"

"I'll help Mami style it and put on your makeup!"

Karla beams. "I'd love that."

"So, the reason I called this meeting, es porque Diablo y yo tenemos una cita...sólo nosotros," Blanca announces. She's with Gloria and Karla in her bedroom. Blanca had invited them over for a mini ladies' night, saying she needed to discuss something of high importance.

is because Diablo and I have a date...just us

"Oh wow! You must be excited!" Karla grins.

Gloria squeals. "Girl, yesss! ¿Cuándo?"

"¡Estoy emocionada! Es este fin de semana...y es en su casa." Blanca smiles, as do her friends. "He's gonna surprise me, but make sure I'm okay with it, of course. I'm just a little nervous...like, what if he wants to...you know?" She blushes at the very thought of his skin on hers.

I'm excited! It's this weekend and it's at his place.

"You mean have sex?" Karla asks gently.

"Mm-hm, and I know he'll be gentle, y quiero to fuck him, pero...he'll see all my scars." Blanca sighs and glances down at her feet with shame. "My body is littered with them."

and I want

"Oh, honey..." Gloria squeezes Blanca's hand in solidarity. "Mine is, too...and I'm afraid of anyone seeing them. I just think to myself...if someone thinks I'm ugly, then that's their problem! I doubt Fahri would do me dirty like that, though, and I don't think Diablo would look at you any differently. He'll feel bad that you suffered so much, but to him and us, you're a reina! Cicatrices o no."

Scars or not.

Karla gestures toward Gloria. "Exactly!" She lays her head on Blanca's shoulder and links arms with her. "You came to the right women, we've found love after abuse, too. So...even though my gang rapists didn't leave any physical evidence behind, the flashbacks are still there, and when I asked Ramón to go slow with me, he did. That's part of why I fell in amor con él. He's also guapo, but I needed to go by his personality first! I agree with Glo...knowing Diablo, he'll be sad about your wounds that never went away, pero he'd still think you're beautiful...porque lo eres. Y sabes, no necesitas tener sexo en la primera cita. He'll understand if you're not ready yet, y creo que te dejaría dar el primer paso."

love with him. because you are. And you know, you don't need to have sex on the first date. and I think he'd let you make the first move.

Blanca hugs them, beaming at their assuring words. They're probably right. "Oh, he definitely would, he's a gentleman like that! ¡Gracias, chicas!"

"De nada," they both respond.

"The Unspoken Truth!" Cat holds up the DVD. "Yo, let's watch this," she announces.

"No."

"Why?"

"'Cause I said," Maritza insists. "I don't like seeing women being attacked by their husbands."

Cat sighs and pushes her glasses further up her nose. "Well, I don't either, but...although there's domestic violence in the movie, it's not really shown that much...and she gets justice in the end. You know we all love action movies about women who find courage and stand up to their abusers!"

"Thanks for the spoiler...but it's still a hard nah."

Maria scowls at her. "Why you being so difficult? Like, everyone said yes except you. Majority rules! You know what, if you don't like it, you can pack up your shit and leave."

"Ohh-kay!" Flaca holds up a hand to stop her. "You don't gotta be so rude. All in favor, raise your hands."

Everyone does, except Maritza, who clasps her hands and glumly rests her chin on them. She sighs as Cat puts it in the DVD and the remaining girls cheer happily.

"Seriously though, Maritza, what's wrong?" Elena whispers to her. "Lea Thompson is incredible in this."

"Yeah, and there's not as much violence as there was in Enough with JLo," Ceci adds. "Fear con Reese Witherspoon was even worse."

Maritza shakes her head and gives a halfhearted shrug while turning to face the sisters. "I don't like sad stuff...like she's being so badly mistreated and she's brainwashed and everything!" She gestures at the screen, and the frame freezes for a second before restarting.

"Lo sé, ¡pero tiene un final feliz!" Flaca attempts to assure her.

I know, but it has a happy ending!

"Shh!" Daisy hisses, putting her finger to her lips.

"Puh-lease, you watched Stepmom tons of times over the years and it made you cry," Daya mutters and rolls her eyes.

"Could we just watch la película without a commentary running in the background?" Cat murmurs. "This is my house...and one of my favorite flicks. Jesus. Respect, yo."

"Lo siento," Maritza grumbles and sinks back into the couch cushions, folding her arms. She tries to control her breathing, but when Brianne in the movie starts screaming and hyperventilating about what her abusive husband is doing, it's way too close to home. Maritza begins panting heavily and whimpering. Her heart aches so much. She's instantly reminded of her mother constantly shrieking in terror like that when Dean would do something scary, whether it was hitting Blanca or sneaking up on her while she was taking a shower. "I...I need to...I...ay dios mío..." She can't watch anymore; she gets up right away and races to the bathroom. She shuts the door behind her and sinks down to the floor, sobbing hysterically and choking on her tears. She hugs her knees to her chest, trying to help herself out of her panic attack.

Stupid Cat thinks she's la jefa, in her dumb black shirt with a white cat face on it and blue jeans with stars that Maritza can only dream of wearing, but she can only buy essentials and cheap clothes since her family is poor...and those cute low pigtails in Cat's hair, Flaca stroked one of them the other day...Maritza tries all the time to look hot in her outfits, but they're not designer, at least not the clothes she wears to school. To top it all off, this...this...movie has triggered her-

A gentle knock on the door interrupts her thoughts. "Mari...hey, is it cool if I come in?"

She sniffles and lifts her shoulders up and down, but then remembers Flaca can't see her. "Okay..."

The taller girl walks through the door and quickly kneels down next to her. "Why you cryin', hmm?" Flaca asks. She wipes Maritza's tears away and draws her in for a hug. Maritza buries herself in Flaca's arms, still shuddering and whimpering. Flaca hums, but for some reason, Maritza can't feel the vibration of it inside Flaca's chest that's against her temple. In an instant, Maritza's mind warps into Flaca sobbing in Karla's embrace. The moving picture disappears in a flash and Maritza's brought back to the present.

That was just too weird...

"If you don't wanna talk, that's okay...we'll just sit here..."

Maritza's chin quivers. "No...I...I can't let you miss the movie." She covers her face as Flaca continues rocking her from side to side.

"It's okay, chiquita, I seen it before, with my mom. It's pretty good...but like, even if I hadn't, I could always watch it with Cat another time. We just don't know why you were flat-out refusing. I guess it doesn't matter, your choice, but-" Flaca gasps. "Holy shit...what the fuck happened here?"

Maritza glances down in confusion and sees Flaca pointing to a pink scar that was previously hidden under her yellow crop top. It had apparently ridden up just now and Maritza furiously pulls it back down. "Nada, okay?"

When she and Raiza get home from school, Maritza sets her backpack down and takes her things out. She can hear their father yelling at their mother, accompanied by banging sounds and loud cries of anguish. This is normal, but she worries all the time for Blanca. She needs to step in again before he kills her. She puts a calming hand on Raiza's back. "Go upstairs and play with your dolls, okay, nena?"

Raiza pouts. "I want Mommy, but Daddy is being too scary right now..."

"I know, I'm not going to let him hurt her anymore. Just..." She sweeps a hand up the steps. "Wait for me in your room, I'll be there soon. I might get Mommy to come with me!"

"I don't want her to die."

"I know, me neither. I'll make sure she doesn't."

Raiza nods silently and shows a hint of a smile. "Okay."

Maritza wipes her thumb underneath her little sister's eyes, where tears are brimming. She feels moisture on her own cheeks and then runs into the kitchen to see Dean dragging Blanca across the floor and choking her while beating her into the wall repeatedly. "What don't you understand about not being clumsy, woman?!" he growls. Maritza tries yanking him away from her, but he shoves her away. She stumbles backward but keeps her ground. She winces as she feels something sharp slice through her sock and pierce the bottom of her foot.

"Stop it, Dad, please! You're upsetting the little one and making us all scared! Leave Mom alone, she didn't do anything wrong!"

"Shut up, you stupid midget. Stay out of this." He turns his attention back to Blanca and wags his finger in her face. "You're a fucking animal, bitch, you know that?" He spits at her as she claws at his hands, trying to get him off her. "You dirty immigrant, I'll rip your green card to shreds if you pull something like that on me again! You know how much I spent on those dishes?"

"I'm sorry," Blanca rasps. "I'm sorry...you knocked them out of my hands..."

"When I'm talking to you, you drop everything that you're doing, but I didn't mean that literally! You make me so angry!" He grabs her hair and throws her on the floor. She's writhing in agony. "I let you name your brats and this is how you treat me? I could've left Maritza in the street that night, you were the one who wanted to get rid of her!"

"No, I never-" She turns to Maritza. "I love you, I have since I found you on our doorstep, I just-"

"I know, Mom. You wanted to protect me." Maritza quickly assists her to a standing position and they make an attempt to leave the kitchen together, but Dean overpowers them in an instant. He knocks Maritza down into the pile of shattered dishes so he can backhand Blanca again and kick her in the stomach while she's down. A piece of broken china cuts Maritza, and there's soon a bloody gash down her side. "Shit!" The wound is so painful and Maritza squeaks in agony as she presses her hand against it.

"Ah!" Blanca yelps. Her face contorts in pain. "Dean, you said you wouldn't put the children in any danger!" She struggles to sit and tries to crawl toward Maritza, but he blocks her and rams his shoe into her crotch. "Ooowwww..." She curls up into a ball, shielding herself.

"You're the one making this house a hazardous zone, cunt!"

Maritza gets up slowly, being careful not to injure herself further, and uses the first aid kit to patch up in the bathroom. She's about to pass out, though, so she applies a bandage quickly, and then another one to the bottom of her foot. She washes the stain out of her shirt in the sink and stares sullenly at her reflection.

Flaca bends down to kiss her hair. "I just can't stand the thought of someone making you suffer." She cups Maritza's chin and gazes at her with adoration. "Who the hell did that? I got a teardrop tattoo, so you know I'm badass and can protect you from this asshole! It looks like somebody stabbed you..."

Maritza presses her trembling lips together and looks away from Flaca. She loves that the girl is acting so protective, but she knows she shouldn't tell her too much about her past. She forces out a tiny laugh. "Gracias. Um...I just slipped and fell on some broken glass I'd dropped, one of the shards cut deep into me. That's all. I had to get stitches, but I still got this ugly mark."

"Oh, my poor baby. Lo siento...y no importa cuántas cicatrices tengas, eres hermosa para mí."

no matter how many scars you have, you're beautiful to me.

Maritza lets out a relieved sigh that Flaca didn't ask who pushed her to the ground. She beams at the compliment. "Gracias for being so concerned and calling me beautiful."

"De nada...pero I'm always lookin' out for my girls." Flaca strokes her hair comfortingly and brushes her thumb against Maritza's cheek. A light feeling bubbles up inside of her again. "I gotta make sure nobody messes with 'em."

"You're a great friend."

Flaca's eyes shine as she holds back tears. "So are you, mi mejor amiga."

Maritza inhales and exhales shakily. "You got rad blue highlights and lipstick, by the way. Love how they match!"

Flaca grins proudly. "¡Aw, gracias!"

While Maritza is at Cat's house, Blanca and Diablo are having their one-on-one date, which is at his place. It's perfect, since their kids had made plans tonight and Raiza is at Karla's, so they're both free. They're dressed up kind of fancy-Blanca's wearing a flowy purple skirt, silver flats, and a tight, sparkly black off-the-shoulder top while Diablo has on a purple suit, black dress pants, and loafers. She'd curled her hair, spritzed on perfume, applied makeup, put on a pair of silver hoop earrings, and he'd slicked his locks into a ponytail. The cologne he'd sprayed on himself gives off a wonderful smell. When he picks her up, they greet each other with a makeout session.

"Wow, you look handsome," Blanca compliments him as their lips separate after a long, passionate moment. "Of course, I think that about you all the time! Not just tonight."

"¡Gracias, mi amor, y eres encantadora, como siempre!"

Thank you my love, and you're lovely, as always!

Diablo leads her to his truck and practically lifts her into the front seat. Then, he goes to his side and they buckle their seatbelts. He takes them to his apartment and opens his front door for her. Blanca steps inside, still dazed at how well he treats her. She feels like she's back in high school, but with the right guy this time.

She giggles when Diablo presents her with a rum bottle that's labeled Ron Superior Carta Blanca.

"They made it just for you, ya sabes," he tells her, smiling. There's a twinkle in his eye that calms her soul.

you know

"Sí..." Beaming back at him, Blanca takes two cans of soda out of his pantry and gets ice from the freezer. "So, what's the plan for this evening? Sé que dijiste que iba a ser una sorpresa...lo siento. I shouldn't have asked..."

I know you said it was gonna be a surprise...I'm sorry

"No hay nada por lo que disculparse," he tells her, stroking her hair tenderly and kissing her cheek. "You'll see, sweetheart. La bebida era the first surprise." She grins as she watches him plop the ice into a couple of glasses and then she pours the rum and coke over the piles of ice in each glass. He puts a straw in their drinks and takes one. She stirs hers and sips, as does he. She's feeling a lot more relaxed as the liquor sinks deep into her system and they start cooking her favorite soup-Sancocho. She's so delighted since it seems like he's making this night all about her.

There's nothing to apologize for. The drink was

"You know, my motherfucker of a husband never really let me drink, and when I would, he'd say I was an alcoholic!"

Diablo shakes his head. "What a fucking idiot douchebag! I bet he was a closet drunk."

"Parecía que sí," Blanca mutters.

He seemed like it.

While the soup is bubbling, Diablo gives her a purple vase full of white roses in water. "¡Flores blancas para Blanca Flores! I picked these for you!"

White flowers for

"Nice palindrome!" She giggles as she takes them. "¡Oh, gracias, mi amor!"

"¡De nada, querida!"

Throughout dinner, they take photos of one another and talk about their Christmas wishes and what each other's children want. Blanca can hardly believe the holiday is coming up so soon. She'd never had the greatest ones with Dean around, but she knows that Diablo will make it so special for her and her girls.

"Entonces, ¿crees que Gloria y Fahri se besarán bajo el muérdago o cuando caiga la bola de Año Nuevo?" she asks near the end of dinner, which is delicious.

So, do you think Gloria and Fahri are gonna kiss under the mistletoe or when the New Years' ball drops?

"Maybe when la pelota cae, pero puede que no sea hasta Valentine's Day!" he predicts.

the ball drops, but it might not be until

"Hmmm, I dunno." Blanca shrugs as she washes her plate in the sink. Diablo does his own and then they put their dishes in the drainer. "Whenever Gloria's comfortable, probably!"

"¡Sí!"

They have mouthwatering brownie sundaes for dessert and then Diablo turns on a song that Blanca recognizes right away. "Soñando Contigo de Selena," she murmurs as she sways in her seat. "It's my..."

Dreaming of You by Selena

"Tu favorita de ella. Lo sé."

Your favorite of hers. I know.

Blanca smiles at him with tears in her eyes. "She should've never died." She doesn't add that she hasn't listened to Selena's music in sixteen years before she returned to New York, because Dean wouldn't have ever let her.

"I know," Diablo agrees. He extends his hand. "¿Quieres bailar esto conmigo?"

Do you want to dance to this with me?"

"Mm-hm." They both stand up and join hands. He twirls her a few times and as they're dancing, it's magical, what they've always dreamed of.

"Every prom, every homecoming, I've wanted to ask you, but he had you in his clutches."

"I'm sorry," Blanca murmurs, winding her arms around his neck. She averts her gaze, remembering seeing her friends having fun at those school occasions, and she'd been so sad then. She'd searched for Diablo and he'd waved with a smile, but when Dean had roughly called her attention, she had to obey him and pretend to ignore Diablo.

"Hey..." Diablo cups her chin in his hand and brushes his thumb under her eyes. He wraps her in his warm embrace. "You don't need to be. Lo prometo. Te quiero mucho, mi corázon."

I promise. I love you so much, my heart.

Blanca melts at his affection, but she wonders if he expects anything in return. He probably doesn't, but she feels bad that he's spending so much on her and she can't buy anything for him that's too expensive. "¿Por qué...si I'm so broke? Estás haciendo todo por mí esta noche. I need to pay back the favor."

You're doing everything for me tonight.

"Baby, you have. You helped me with dinner and set the table. You're great with my son, he's raving about the Harry Potter books he got when you took him and your daughters to the library yesterday. He felt included and spoiled. Gracias por cuidarlo mientras trabajaba. You even read him a bedtime story. Also, you got in that old gringa's face when she was being racist toward me." Beaming, Diablo pulls her in for a kiss. "Blanca, you are a wonderful human being," he says against her lips. Blanca's eyes flutter closed as she beams at the reminders of the few good things she's done so far. "Do you want me to show you how amazing you are?" he asks as the song ends. He's still holding her.

Thank you for taking care of him while I was working.

Blanca shakes her head. "I...I have too many flaws, Diablo. No puedo ser tan perfecta. Nobody can..."

I can't be that perfect.

"Lo sé, pero eres perfecta para mí. That's really all that counts. You're the best woman en mi vida, and you rock my world!"

I know, but you're perfect to me.

Blanca grins and she presses her hand to her heart while leaning against him lazily. Her cheeks warm and she knows she's blushing. "Gracias."

"De nada, sweetheart."

"Hey...let's, um...let's go to your bedroom. Not for hanky-panky, lo siento...but we can watch a movie in there and then...you can spoon me. ¿Si tú quieres? I'm sorry, I don't mean to intrude...umm...it's just that I brought my things in case you wanted me to sleep over..."

if you want?

"¡No esperaba sexo! I would love to do all three," he assures her. "Mirar una película, acurrucarte, y tener una pijamada contigo. I've, uh...I've dreamed about that a few times, actually."

I wasn't expecting sex! Watching a movie, spooning you, and having a sleepover with you.

"Awesome! You can pick la película, if that's cool with you? Just, um, nada con violence, por favor. I need something happy."

"I'll make sure it's cheerful!"

At this, Blanca grins. "¿Está bien si puedes encender un ventilador o abrir una ventana? I...I get hot at night," she says in a soft, nervous voice and then inhales. "Yo solía dormir completamente desnuda. When...when I was with...um, with him." She exhales loudly.

Is it okay if you can turn on a fan or open a window? I used to sleep fully naked.

"Of course, I'll have a fan on one side of us and the window open on the other, so it creates a cross-ventilation. I dunno what it is about us men, but we generate heat," he murmurs sheepishly. "You don't have to ask my permission."

"There's nothing wrong with you, it's fine. Gracias."

"No problem!"

He takes her into his bedroom where there's a television and she's brought her things along with her so she can change into her pajamas in the bathroom. She locks the door behind her and makes the mistake of stripping in front of the mirror. She hates her reflection, so she turns fully around. She doesn't want to wash off her eyeliner and mascara and eye shadow, but she does. She leaves on her lipstick so she can resemble an actual person instead of the animalistic, ugly piece of dung that Dean always referred to her as. She's amazed that Diablo can see the beauty in her. He's certainly a gentleman and he must be one of a kind.

"I'm sorry I kept you waiting," she tells him, sounding shy. Diablo is laying a few films out on his bed for her to choose from and he's already in his old workout clothes. He has the fan going and the window wide open. Blanca leans against the doorframe and he glances up at her with a smile. "It's just that women take forever in the bathroom. I'm surprised you didn't bang on the door and command me to hurry up." She chuckles, but it sounds forced.

"It's okay, you don't need to apologize! I would never demand that you pick up the pace, you can have all the time you need." He looks her up and down, taking in her enchanting appearance. Every time he lays his eyes on her, he's in love. She's in a long-sleeved, light blue nightgown that reaches her ankles, so pure. He's never really seen her in that color before, but it's beautiful.

"¿Qué?" Blanca gestures to her outfit. "Mi pijama es feo, ¡lo sabía!"

What? My pajamas are ugly, I knew it!

"No, no, ay dios mío, look at you, simply a vision...ven aquí, mi amor." He goes over to her and guides her to the mirror. "Like an angel. ¿Lo ves? Por favor, stop being so mean to my girlfriend!" Gazing down at her, he kisses her temple as he wraps his arms around her from behind. "Okay?"

come here, my love. You see?

Blanca nods silently and cracks a small smile. "Gracias, pero, it's not that easy. Sometimes, it's hard to love tu novia. I get depressed...often," she admits. "Not like, suicidal or wanting to cut, but more...just sad and down on myself. Lo siento, querido. It rises and falls."

your girlfriend

"I get it," he murmurs into her hair, hugging her closer to him. His heart sinks at her shattered self-esteem. "You don't have to say you're sorry. Do you still wanna watch something?"

She turns within his arms and her head bobs up and down against his chest. "Mm-hm."

"¿Estás segura?"

You sure?

"Sí."

He carries her to his bed bridal style and she laughs out loud. She chooses Love and Basketball. It's a great film and he enjoys holding her as they watch it.

After the movie, Diablo finishes his bedtime routine and returns to his room. "Hola, mi hermosa paloma..."

Hello, my beautiful dove

Blanca visibly flinches, as if she's startled at his entrance. "Hola," she mumbles sleepily while laying on her side. Her eyes are half-closed and her hair falls over her shoulders in a messy, beautiful fashion. The moonlight from the window glows on her, but the rest of the room is dark. He curses himself for not turning on a lamp at first, but he didn't want to wake her up if she was already sleeping.

He slides into his covers and joins her. "¡Lo siento si te asusté! Debería haber encendido la lámpara, pero pensé que podrías estar durmiendo."

I'm sorry if I scared you! I should've turned the lamp on, but I thought you might be sleeping.

"It's okay..." She cuddles into him and then flips over so her back is to his chest. He drapes his arm over her waist and moves her hair to kiss the side of her neck, up her chin, and then pushes himself up so he can reach her lips. "Mmm..." Their tongues tangle as they French kiss and start moaning breathlessly in unison.

A while later, they pull apart and settle back in the same positions as they were in before they started swapping spit. "Lo siento, my lipstick is probably smudged," she mutters and wipes it off with a tissue.

"Don't worry about it! For real. ¡Buenas noches, te amo, mi lovely querida!" He rests his clasped hands on her stomach and kisses her shoulder.

Good night, I love you!

"¡Buenas noches, yo también te amo, guapo!" She picks up his large hand in one of her own small ones and pecks his palm. Then, she slips her fingers through his.

Good night, I love you too, handsome!

"Stop it, please, please...you're hurting me!" she wails in her sleep at about three in the morning. It's her full-on sobbing that had woken him up at first, and he's been trying to coax her out of her nightmare for the last five minutes.

"Despierta, Blanca, estás teniendo un mal sueño..." he whispers. She's trembling and clutching onto him with all of her might, so he lightly runs his free hand up and down her arm, hoping to relax her. It hurts seeing her like this. "Darling, you're safe conmigo, I promise...I swear, estás segura aquí."

Please wake up, Blanca, you're having a bad dream...you're safe here

"Ow...ow..." She gasps in supposed imagined pain as she jolts upright. Her eyes are wide with horror, but it doesn't seem like she notices he's next to her. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have spoken Spanish, but I was trying to...to help you...because that guy didn't know a word of English...no...don't..." She rakes her fingers through her hair while panting heavily. Terror coats her tone and she lets out another round of heart-wrenching cries. He turns on his bedside lamp so she doesn't have to be so scared in the darkness.

"It's just me, Blanca. You're okay, you're not alone," he soothes her. "No dejaré que nadie te lastime, estás a salvo conmigo."

I won't let anyone hurt you, you're safe with me.

Finally, she glances over at him. Her face clouds with confusion at first, and then relief. "Diablo?"

"Sí, es Diablo."

She covers her face with her hands. "Lo siento...I didn't mean to wake you up." He takes her hands in his and she studies him intensely. "You aren't mad at me, right? ¡Dios mío, lo eres! I'm sorry..."

Oh my god, you are!

"No, of course I'm not, honey. It's not your fault...you were having a panic attack! Sinceramente, me alegra que me hayas despertado...¡podrías haber rodado tan lejos de mí que te hubieras caído de la cama!"

I'm honestly glad you woke me up...you could've rolled so far away from me that you would've fallen out of bed!

Blanca clings to him. "Muchas gracias..."

"De nada, sweetie." Diablo gathers her in his arms again. "Oh, mi amor, you deserve to be treated like a princesa. I love everything about you."

Blanca sniffles and he wipes her tears away. "¿Seriamente?"

"Sí." He gives her some Kleenex and she honks into her nose a few times. She tosses it into his trashcan and dives into his embrace once more.

"Don't let go," she begs him. "Por favor..."

"I ain't gonna, preciosa," he promises her. "No matter what, I'm not leaving your side."

Thank you for reading and reviewing, Juliette45, VeraRose19, and A Star In My Universe!