"Charlie! I watched your last fight, I think you surprised a lot of people when you pulled out that submission," Carlos said when he spotted Charlie. "Congratulations on your number one contendership, I'll be rooting for you."
Maribel wrinkled her nose as she looked at her mate, and shook her head before meeting Charlie's gaze. She flicked her eyes around, but quickly realized that Santana wasn't going to play referee. Apologies had never come easy to her, and she had thought that she would have a bit of cover from her daughter and her mate, but it seemed that they were both waiting for her to own up to everything. "I'm entrusting my daughter to you," Maribel finally manages, spitting out the words.
"Mari that isn't—"
"I will," Charlie promised, as far as she was concerned this was a pointless endeavour. She knew that she would never be one of Maribel's favorite people, so getting an apology was never going to be on the cards for her, but it had taken Maribel a lot to say that and she could at least acknowledge it and move on. "Um welcome to our place, watch your feet, Harper's gotten into Lego, which I didn't know was that expensive."
"Lego! Remember when Santana wanted to build herself a palace out of Lego?" Carlos said with a laugh.
"She gave up rather quickly, after she spent an afternoon just working on the wall."
Santana suddenly appears, "We talked about this, no embarrassing stories! You promised!"
Charlie looks at Santana and snorts, "That wasn't an embarrassing story Santana, you learning about my pantless youth is an embarrassing story. That's just normal kids stuff."
Santana rolled her eyes, "Any story in which I wasn't the perfect child is an embarrassing story," she pokes Charlie in the side. "And you not enjoying wearing pants, is hardly a surprise given how quickly you're in a pair of shorts the moment we come home." Santana shakes her head and glances at her mami for a moment and nods her head, if Charlie was okay with whatever that apology was, then she'd have to be okay with it as well.
"Ma?" Harper said, finally appearing behind Santana and taking a quick peek at the guests at the door before ducking behind Santana's legs again, when she realized she didn't recognize them.
Carlos grinned, "If it isn't Harper! You know I gave you one of your first checkups!" Carlos said in a rather cheerful tone. He squats over a bit so his height didn't seem so intimidating.
Harper takes a quick look at him and then up at Santana, "I know how scary he looks, but he's my papi, he's not going to hurt you."
Carlos sputtered, "I look scary?"
"Terrifying," Santana nods, keeping her face neutral as Harper finally gets the courage to interact with her parents.
"You don't look scary," Harper says pulling away from Santana and moving closer to her ma, approaching the Lopez's slowly. "Are you my grandpa?"
"I'd like to be," Carlos informs Harper.
"I has a grandpa," Harper points out.
"Well, I can be your abuelo," Carlos responds with a shrug.
"Abuelo—what's that?"
"You haven't been teaching her Spanish?" Maribel asked.
Santana smiled, "Of course I have, Charlie and I decided that she should be able to fluently curse in Spanish, and she watches Dora the Explorer." Santana's grin gets bigger when her parents shoot her an annoyed look. "Harper quiero presentarte a alguien, ellos son mis padres maribel y carlos, y quieren ser tus abuelos, puedes llamarles abuelo y abuela. Tu abuelo es un doctor igual que yo y tu abuela—Bueno ella es una abogada, pero somos amable al respecto."
Charlie's eyes widen and she turns to Harper, who seems to understand what Santana had just said. "When did you teach her Spanish?"
Santana smiled at her mate, she knew that Charlie wasn't annoyed by the fact that she didn't understand she was more confused as to when Harper had become fluent. "I've known her since you brought her home, you said she was smart so I started to teach it to her and she picked it up really quickly."
"Why didn't you teach me Spanish?"
"You never asked?"
"Will you teach me Spanish?" Charlie asks, blinking she was surprised that she even needed to ask her mate.
Santana hummed and looked at Harper, "Harper, tu mamá se ve tan perdida, crees que debamos enseñarle a hablar español tambien?"
Harper looks at her ma, who flashes a giant smile at her and she immediately heads back to Santana, clearly unimpressed. "Naaa esto es solo nuestro," Harper said shaking her head.
Santana grins at Harper, and then looks up at her mate. "She says it's only for the two of us."
Charlie's jaw drops, "Harper!" Harper laughs, and ducks behind Santana again and Charlie huffs, Harper was her kid too, it wasn't fair that Santana was winning this competition between them.
Maribel huffed, she had heard the comment about how her job wasn't as good as Santana and Carlos's and she would like someone in the family to follow her into law. "Ser abogado es muy divertido."
"Quiero ser como mami santa y abuelo," Harper announces hugging Santana's leg.
Carlos grinned, "I win again dear."
"It's only because you're all omegas," Maribel huffed looking at Charlie. "Well she certainly can't follow in your footsteps."
"I don't want her too, so if she wants to be a doctor or a lawyer, I'm glad she has these resources in the future." Charlie said still huffing. She needed to figure out something that she and Harper could do together. That would be just their thing.
Maribel smiled at least Charlie, "Harper, I put bad people away for work."
"She already said she wanted to be a doctor like me and her abuelo, so that's what she's going to be. Ignore your abuela, she's getting old and senile."
"Santana!" Charlie and Maribel say at the same time, even as Santana whisks Harper away.
"Would you like extra bacon on your burger Harper?" Santana said, ignoring both alpha's.
"Yeah!"
"Can I get—" Charlie huffs again, she was being picked on by her omegas. This was not how she had envisioned this day going. She was outnumbered by omegas. She could only hope that when she and Santana did have a kid they'd have an alpha. Just so she wouldn't be so outnumbered, though with Santana it was probable that any child that they did have would like her more anyway so she was doomed.
~ O ~
"Are you still upset about dinner?" Santana asked from where she was wiping off her makeup. Her alpha was currently pouting and while it would be a turnoff normally. Charlie looked absolutely adorable doing it.
"I just think that I should have an activity that's just mine and Harper's you guys can have your secret language."
"I mean, there's nothing stopping you from learning Spanish on your own time Charlie," Santana pointed out.
"We both know that I'll be terrible at it, you make fun of me when I order Taco Bell—"
"Which isn't Spanish."
"Which is totally Spanish."
Santana let out a laugh, "I didn't even realize that I was teaching her until she started to respond to me in Spanish one day, Harper is a genius Charlie. Like our daughter is a legit genius, she just picked it up. It's not like I sat her down and taught her the very basics. I mean I probably should, it'll be an easy A in high school, which will look good on her transcripts. If she's serious about medicine—I mean I know she's a kid but her grades need to be the very best. We should also start thinking about getting her into a really nice school."
"She's five," Charlie reminded her. "Right now she wants to be a doctor, I don't think we should make this a thing until she's at least 10," Charlie said, getting up to join her mate in the bathroom and wrapping her arm around her in a hug.
Santana huffed, she had been the one to remind Charlie that Harper was just a child, and it did seem like if they said anything now, she might not want to be a doctor in the future. "Fine, but I do think we should send her to a good school."
"You're seeing Marley next week aren't you? Ask her, what school she'd recommend. See how she's doing and if she needs anything from us as well, like Dani's been clinging to Marley lately, and they're trying to figure out what they're going to do about children."
"We're helping them with a surrogate," Santana informed Charlie. "They managed to save a few of Marley's eggs, so they're just trying to save money for a surrogate."
"We can afford to pay for the entire thing?" Charlie asked.
"Yeah, but you know how proud Dani is."
"Well it's a loan then and when Dani gives back the money we put into a fund for her kid, like a college fund?" Charlie offers.
"I mean that could work," Santana says, reaching for her heat control. She rests her fingertips on it and looks up at her mate, "I know we briefly talked about it, but Harper is okay with the idea of us having another kid together. I mean if we get pregnant soon, I can have our kid right before I have to start my fellowship, you'd have to do most of the work when it comes to—"
"Yes," Charlie said, placing a hand on Santana's and pushing the birth control aside.
Santana rolled her eyes, "You just want to get me pregnant."
"Yes," Charlie repeats again, leaning in and nipping at Santana's neck near her mark.
Santana lets out a low groan, as she rests against her mate's shoulder, "I'll probably be crazier if I get pregnant," she warns.
"Don't care, you'll be beautiful, and Quinn said that it was like Rachel was in constant heat," Charlie hummed against her neck. "You'll finally be able to keep up."
Santana blinked and pinched Charlie in the side, "What?"
Charlie lets out a laugh, as Santana scowls at her. "We'll need to start looking for a place won't we?"
"A bigger place, Harper isn't going to share a room. I promised her that."
"Maybe a place with a yard? We could do little barbeques, invite family. Harper can have birthday parties there."
"That sounds amazing," Santana admits. "You'll be the parent that goes to all the PTA meetings though and you have to be the one that does all the bake sales and things."
"Santana, I can't cook!"
"I'll do the baking, I'm saying that you do all the irritating parent things that I don't want to do. Like on field trips to museums and stuff, I'll take the amusement parks and all the fun stuff. Oh, and when Harper gets to high school, you're not allowed to chaperone."
"Why not?"
"Because you'll make our daughter a nun."
"Good!"
Santana rolled her eyes again hard but laughed and kissed Charlie, "We should practice."
"We should." Charlie said sweeping Santnaa off her feet and carrying her back to the bed.
~ O ~
The doors to David Martinez's gym open, causing a few eyes to turn to glance at who was kicking up a huge fuss, and interrupting a very intense sparring session as both Charlie and Matt exchanged blows. Charlie for the most part hadn't gotten distracted, Matt had a killer left-hook that had caught her a few times when she wasn't paying attention, and she really didn't want Santana on her ass about another concussion.
"Are you proud of what you did?"
Mack's rather shrill voice is finally enough to break Charlie's concentration as she's suddenly grabbed and thrown onto the mat, her body landing in a crash and she can feel her hip bounce against the ring, she hisses in pain and immediately tries to throw a punch at Matt's amused face, but he dances out of the way.
The alpha's immediately scatter as Mack makes her way to the ring, they could all smell her pregnancy. "Well?"
Charlie slowly sits up and crosses her legs as she turns to look at Mack, "What are you talking about? And why are you here?"
"You know what you did. I just want to know, do you think that it makes you a big strong alpha to get mine fired and blacklisted when we have twins on the way?"
Charlie tilted her head, "I really don't know what you're talking about Mack and you're currently making a scene where I work—"
"Do you think I'm an idiot?"
"Strando lost his job and you're pregnant with twins, my condolences, I know what it's like to be jobless, and have a child foisted upon you when you're unprepared. It's a good thing you still have a few baby items kicking around," Charlie responded, she wasn't going to admit to anything with witnesses.
"I know you were behind it."
"I'm a mma fighter, I actually don't have that much power and I don't make as much as you think I do," Charlie points out. "Have you given any thought to the idea that Strando is a waste of an alpha and you could do far better?"
"He's my mate but you wouldn't know anything about that would you? I mean how long has it been? Do you really think that fancy pretty omega of yours wants to be with a gamma?"
Charlie stiffens and she clenches her jaw, but despite the insult she doesn't get up from her spot, Mack was pregnant and even she knew better than to start yelling at a pregnant omega. "Santana and I are mated, Mack. We've been mated for awhile now. So even if I am a gamma as you say I am, Santana is perfectly fine with that, and she loves me."
The words stun Mack and she grits her teeth, "So what? Strando was right about you. You're nothing more than a pretentious alpha who uses her wealth to get what she wants. Until we can get this sorted in court, Harper is going to be with me every weekend. You're not allowed to miss any more weekends."
"And how are you going to feed her? If your finances are as bad as you say, then why should I assume that Harper will be safe in your care?" Charlie shoots back.
"You created this situation, so as far as I'm concerned you owe us money to support ourselves," Mack snapped at Charlie. "Strando had a good paying job till you came along."
"You know what I'm not doing Mack, paying for you and your brood of children. If you and Strando can't afford to feed the children you already have, then it's not my responsibility to help you out. I'm not that good of a person and quite frankly I'm sick of how you treat my daughter. She knows that she's not wanted at your place, she doesn't even like you Mack. So I don't understand what we're doing. You're not going to get your hands on my family's fortune. Plus, pisisng me off is not the smartest idea that you and Strando could possibly have, especially if you both believe that I had something to do with Strando's current situation."
"You think that bitch is going to be a good mother to—"
The growl that escapes Charlie's lips is enough to cause Mack to nearly fall on her ass as nearly every alpha in the room moves in an attempt to keep them separate, David being the first person into the ring and placing a very firm hand on Charlie. Her temper rarely flared at all, but for anyone to come in here and insult an omega of one his alpha's was basically asking for trouble. "I think you need to leave," David said, turning his attention to Mack, as he digs his fingers into Charlie's shoulder forcing her to sit on the ground.
Mack scowled at him, "I expect to see Harper this weekend Charlie, and we are going to need some money if you want her fed."
Charlie inhales, and looks up at David, "Do you mind coming to court and letting the judge hear that she wants me to give her money or she's not going to feed her daughter."
It takes Mack a moment to realize that there had been several people who had heard her threaten Charlie and she immediately balks, "Whatever, we'll find something for her to eat. We don't need your blood money."
David places another hand on Charlie's shoulder forcing her to stay seated. "Of course I will, now sit Charlie. You're not going to do anything that will jeopardize your custody of Harper. She really isn't worth it."
Charlie inhaled deeply struggling to control her breathing, Mack was a pregnant omega, she couldn't attack. She couldn't say what she felt, no one would take her side even if Harper was in danger. But Strando not having a job was good for her, and it meant that she would have an easier time convincing a judge that Mack and Strando were not fit to be anywhere near Harper.
