April 26th, 2003

Carlos walked ito Kylie's room. She was sitting on her bed, swinging her little legs. She was sitting there quietly. He smiled softly.

"What are you doing, Hija?" He asked her as he stepped into her room.

"Where Momma?" She asked. Carlos sighed softly and picked Kylie up. He sat down in the rocking chair, cradling her close.

"Both of your mommies are in heaven." Carlos said, "You have two mommies." He held up two fingers, "Uno. Dos. One. Two."

"Uno. Dos. One. Two." Kylie pointed to his fingers as she counted.

"That's right. Two mommies. You have your foster mommy. She went to heaven a few months ago and you have your birth Mommy, Vangie." Carlos said, "You probably don't remember her. Can you say Vangie?"

"No." Kylie giggled. Carlos smiled softly and kissed her hair.

"Vangie liked to ride bikes. We'll get you a bike soon like Vagie's and um…I really don't know too much about her." Carlos said, "I guess you could say she was a free spirit. She had cute pigtails most of the time."

"Oink. Oink." Kylie giggled. Carlos chuckled softly with a nod.

"Yeah, Pigs go oink oink." Carlos said. "I don't know much about her. I'm sorry. I don't think we can find out from your aunt." Kylie looked up at Carlos.

"Yo ma daddy now." She said. Carlos' heart thumped in his chest. She called him her father. Finally. Finally she thought of him as her father. It warmed Carlos' inside, right down to his soul.

"Yeah. I've always been your daddy. I made you. Your part of me." Carlos said, "You have my blood in you." Kylie wrinkled her nose.

"Ewwww." She moaned. Carlos laughed.

"Not my real blood, Ky." He smiled, kissing her cheek, "Are you okay now? You looked very sad earlier. I don't want my baby girl to be sad."

"Okay now." Kylie said.

"Good." Carlos said standing up, "Come on. Let's go bug Kim."

"Kim ma mommy." Kylie said as they went into the living room.

"Ah…." Carlos rubbed his neck, glancing at Kim. She looked up from her magazine. She smiled softly at Kylie.

"If she wants to call me that, then that's fine." Kim smiled at them, "Don't take another mother away from her." Carlos smiled softly.

"Okay." He said, "But that means we're in this for the long haul."

"I knew we were in this for the long haul right when Kylie come to us and when we moved in with each other." Kim said, "And I don't mind one bit."

"Mommy. Mommy." Kylie giggled softly. Carlos smiled and sat down. It was really nice that Kim didn't mind that Kylie called her Mom.

"I don't mind either." Carlos said, "it's kind of nice having something stable like this." Kim snuggled Into Carlos and nodded.

"Yeah. A real family." Kim smiled. Kylie slid off of Carlos' leg and went to her room, "She seems t be adjusting so well her." Carlos nodded.

"It's nice isn't it." He said, "She's learning Spanish very well." Kylie came back out to the living room with one of her dolls.

"As long as she learns in English too." Kim said.

"Ask her to count. She can." Carlos beamed proudly. Kim sat up.

"All right. Kylie, can you count to five for me?" She asked. Kylie nodded.

"One. Two. Three. Four. Five." She giggled.

"Very good! How about in Spanish?" Kim asked.

"Uno. Dos. Tres. Kato. Cinco." Kylie said. Kim chuckled softly.

"Close enough." She said. Kim smiled watching Kylie. She had always wanted a little girl and finally she had one. She had the perfect little family.

May 10th, 2003

Kim sat at the table, watching Doc stir the soup. Thankfully it was his night to cook. He glanced behind his shoulder.

"You have something to say." Doc said. Kim smiled softly.

"What make you think that, Doc?" She asked.

"Cause I know you." He said, "You have that look." Kim chuckled.

"Okay." Kim stood up, "I don't want to go all high school on you, but has Carlos said anything about me? About us?"

"Constantly." Doc said, "it's either you, Kylie, or Joey?" Kim's face softened.

"Joey? He talks about Joey?" She asked him. Doc nodded.

"Yeah. He was bragging about some book report Joey aced or something the other day." Doc shrugged as he grabbed a couple of carrots from the fridge. Kim smiled softly.

"Yeah. He got an A." Kim said and shook her head, "Anyway, Has he mentioned us like in a…..ah…."

"Serious marriage settling down sort of way?" Doc smiled

"Yeah." Kim bit her lip, "I mean, I know it's ridiculous cause we live with each other now and that's fast enough. Now we have Kylie….Never mind." Doc chuckled.

"He mentioned that he's saving up for it." Doc said.

"Saving up for what?" Kim asked. Doc looked at her and smiled.

"A ring." He said. Kim stared at him. A ring? As in an engagement ring? She smiled softly. That was a major step. Of course, the adoption agency thinks they were already engaged, but….

"Thanks." She smiled slightly walking to the stairs, "Call me when dinner is ready." Doc nodded turning back to the soup. Kim ran up the stairs. DK was snoring away in his bunk. She smiled and walked over to Carlos' bed. He was sound asleep. Kim touched his hair and pushed it off of his forehead. He needed a haircut. Kim slid into the bed with him. Carlos opened his eyes and yawned.

"Is there a call?" He mumbled. She shook her head.

"No. I just wanted to be close to you." Kim said. Carlos smiled and wrapped his arms around her; "You can go back asleep."

"Ah huh." He mumbled. Kim watched his eye lids flutter shut.

"Are you going to propose to me?" She asked. Carlos opened his eyes wide.

"Wh-Where did you get that idea?" He stuttered.

"Doc mentioned something." She said. Carlos sat up nearly knocking her off of the bunk.

"I'm going to kill him." He growled. Kim's eyes sparkled.

"So you were?" She asked. Carlos nodded.

"Eventually…" He ran his hand through his hair. "But now that Doc ruined it…" Kim chuckled softly.

"He didn't ruin anything. I was pressuring him to tell me." She said. "It's not like you were going to propose tonight, right?"

"Right…I'm just saving up…. It'll be like a couple of years." Carlos sighed. DK groaned loudly.

"Will you two shut up? I'm trying to sleep over here." He said.

"Sorry." Kim chuckled as she looked at Carlos, "Just forget I mentioned it all right?" Carlos lay back down.

"Fine." Carlos yawned. Kim smiled and kissed his chest.

"I love you. Now try to get some sleep." She said.

"Shhhh!!!" DK hissed.

"I love you too." Carlos smiled softly. Kim got up off of his bed and looked at DK.

"You asleep?" She asked.

"Shut up, Zambrano." DK moaned. Kim jumped onto his bed and straddled him. DK groaned loudly.

"You asleep?" She asked again. Carlos chuckled softly.

"I'm trying!" DK said. Lombardo pegged his pillow at Kim.

"Shut up will you?" He said. Kim chuckled as she patted DK's chest.

"Sleep tight, Boys." She climbed off of DK, winked at Carlos, and walked back downstairs. Carlos smiled softly. He couldn't believe Doc had told her. He would have to have a few words with him later.

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