September 15th, 2003

Carlos was now twenty-seven years old. It didn't feel much different than twenty-six. He had a pretty nice birthday. Kim, Kylie, and Joey had thrown him a 'surprise' party. Kylie handed out purple party hats. She insisted on purple and Kim had made a chocolate Carmel birthday cake. It was Carlos' first real birthday. No one ever really threw him a birthday in the faster home.

"Do you think I'm moving too fast?" Carlos asked as he restocked the bus.

"With me? No." Kim said. "Okay we've only been together for like nine months, but if it didn't feel right, we wouldn't be doing it."

"Right." Carlos smiled, closing the door. "Let's eat." He extended his hand and Kim grabbed it as she jumped down. If she was with anyone else, she would be going too fast, but with Carlos this felt perfect. The couple walked up the stairs. The station smelled like grilled cheese sandwiches. "Great. I'm starved."

"Make your own food." Jimmy handed everyone but Kim and Carlos a grilled cheese sandwich. Kim frowned deeply.

"You could have made us one, Jimmy." Kim said to him.

"Should have. Would have. Could have." Jimmy chuckled.

"Asshole." Carlos growled under his breath as he grabbed the loaf of bread. Kim glanced at Carlos with a sideways glance.

"Just ignore him. He isn't worth it." Kim said softly.

"I know, but you'd think he'd make an effort." Carlos said, "Joey does stay with me half of the time." Kim nodded with a shrug.

"Yeah, but it is Jimmy after all." She pointed out to him.

"I know." He sighed slightly. He hated Jimmy. He had always hated Jimmy. What was it with the guy? He rubbed him the wrong way. "Just wish he wasn't such an asshole to me." Kim kissed Carlos' shoulder.

"Hell would be frozen over if Jimmy wasn't an asshole." Kim whispered. Carlos chuckled grabbing a couple of plates. Jimmy glanced at them.

"Do you guys have a problem?" Jimmy asked. Kim looked at him over her shoulder.

"Yeah. It's with you." Kim smirked and put the sandwiches on the plates. She looked at Carlos, "Let's eat upstairs."

"My pleasure." Carlos slipped his arm around her waist and led her up to the bunks. Jimmy growled.

"What's your problem, man?" DK asked.

"I hate Nieto." Jimmy said.

"Do you hate him because he is with Kim?" Dave asked.

"Why would you ask that?" Jimmy asked.

"Because we know you, Jim." Dave said, "We know what you and Kim have been through. We can see that it's tearing you apart when you see Carlos and Kim together. Admit it."

"I'm not admitting anything." Jimmy said, "I'm going outside." DK and Dave groaned.

"He's being ridiculous." DK said.

"Of course he is." Dave said.

* * *

Carlos kissed Kim's temple as they cuddled on his bunk.

"I could stay like this forever." Kim smiled. Carlos nodded.

"Me too." He said, "Let's hope we don't get a call."

"Hoping." Kim said as Jimmy walked up the stairs. He looked at the two of them cuddling. He cleared his throat. Carlos looked at him.

"What do you want?" He asked.

"I think the three of us need to talk." Jimmy said. Kim shook her head.

"No we don't." She said.

"If Joey is going to be spending a lot of time at your house, we need to." Jimmy said. Kim sighed and sat up.

"Then talk." She said. Jimmy ran his hand across the back of his neck.

"I'm not going to pretend I'm okay with this relationship. It's moving really fast, but I understand why you did it." Jimmy said.

"You do?" Carlos asked. Jimmy nodded.

"Of course. Kylie is a sweet little girl. If I had to do what you did to keep Joey, I would do it in a heart beat." Jimmy said. "I think you're too good for him, Kim. I don't want to see you bring yourself down." Kim shook her head slightly peeved.

"I only brought myself down when I was with you, Jimmy." She said. Jimmy sighed deeply. Carlos smiled. Score one for his team.

"Kylie and Joey don't need to see us fighting." Jimmy said, "Can we at least try to get along." Carlos narrowed his eyes. For once Jimmy made sense. Carlos nodded.

"Call it a truce?" Carlos asked. Jimmy smiled and nodded.

"Fine." Jimmy shook Carlos hand. Carlos hated touching this man, but for Kylie and Joey he would do anything.

September 29th, 2003

Kim scooped Kylie up into her arms as everyone got out of the car. Kylie was so excited she could barely contain herself.

"I want a white one!!! No!! A brown one!!" She cried.

"You'll get whatever they pick out." Joey chuckled.

"I want tres!!" She cried loudly. Carlos chuckled.

"We can only have one puppy, hija." He said.

"We're all picking him or her out together." Kim said. "We all have to agree." The family filed into the pet store. Kylie jumped from Kim's arms and ran over to the display of kittens.

"I want one!!" She cried.

"No gatos, mi hija." Carlos smiled, "The dogs are this way." Carlos led the children to a barking section of the store. Kylie and Joey both gasped with excitement. There were so many dogs to choose from.

"They're all so cute." Joey said.

"Only one." Kim said as she looked through the cages. "Remember we live in an apartment so the dog cant get too big."

"Then we'll move into a house." Joey said taking Kylie's hand showing her some tiny little puppies.

"Oh mami!" Kylie squealed pointing to a Dalmatian puppy, "Like Pongo!!!" Kim smiled.

"Yeah it is." She said.

"It's so cute." Joey said tickling the puppy's nose. Carlos nodded.

"Yeah. It is." He said. Kim put a collar and a bowl in the cart.

"I want him." Kylie cried. Kim chuckled as she grabbed a bag of puppy chow.

"Yeah, he is really cute." She said, "We had one at the station."

"I remember." Joey said, "Can we get him? He is really cute."

"I don't know. They need to run." Carlos said.

"We can take him to the dog run." Joey said, "Look at Kylie. She wants him." Kim and Carlos looked at Kylie. The Dalmatian puppy was licking her face. She was giggling wildly. This was the happiest he's seen her since she's moved in. Carlos looked at Kim.

"What do you think?" He asked her.

"I think he is very cute." Kim said.

"I want him, Mami. I really want him." Kylie said. Carlos smiled.

"All right." He said waving a salesperson over to them. "Hi. We'd like to get this puppy."

"I wanna name him Pongo!" Kylie cried. Kim giggled.

"No, Sweetheart. Something else." She said. The salesperson took the jumpy puppy out of the cage and slipped a leash on him.

"Then I call him Daddy." Kylie said. Carlos took out his checkbook.

"But that's my name, hija." He said.

"Okay. Joey, what's his name?" She asked. Joey thought for a moment.

"Jake. His name his Jake." He said. Kylie smiled.

"Can we call him Jake??" She asked. Kim nodded.

"If that's what you really want to call him." She said.

"I do." Kylie said as she hugged their new dog, "Mi Amour, Jake."

* * *

Carlos slipped his arm around Kim's shoulders as they watched the kids play with Jake at the park. Kim smiled softly.

"They look really happy." She said.

"Well, wouldn't you be if your parents bought you a puppy?"

"Yeah." Kim chuckled. Carlos kissed her temple. He still couldn't believe he was here. Two years ago, he wouldn't have thought he was settling down with kids.

"A dog is a big commitment." Carlos stated. Kim chuckled.

"We're not breaking up anytime soon so don't think we're going to have this huge custody battle over Jake." She said.

"That's not what I was thinking." He said. Kim arched her eyebrow.

"Don't lie to me." She said to him. Carlos smiled.

"All right. That's exactly what I was thinking." He said, "I love you and I love all the joy you bring into my life."

"When you say things like that, I love you even more." Kim said. Carlos smiled triumphal. Everyday with Kim made his love for her grow.

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