As Charlie, Amita, and Hugh drove in silence towards the Burger King near the movie theater, Charlie recalled the last time he was in Rose's apartment.

Charlie woke up to the noise of vomiting. Concerned, he asked from bed, "Are you okay?"

"Fine.." She muttered after a pause and rinsing her mouth. Rose got out of the bathroom. Her medium brown hair hung loose"Must have been something from the take out."

"Maybe..." CHarlie sat up.

"Who's Amita?" she asked,suddenly. Her deep blue her stared right into him.

"Amita?" He repeated uncomfortably.

"You said her name in your sleep." Rose crossed her arms.

"No one. " Charlie insisted nervously.

"Liar" Rose shook her head. "She's probably a student or a colleague, which is it?

"Student." Charlie admitted, but argued. "But I don' even remember what I dreamed about. Maybe my dream was about teaching." He didn't mention that Amita was a favorite graduate student on whom he had a slight crush, and he had just agreed to be her disertation advisor next year.

"I doubt it. Not going by the tone." She frowned.

"I've been thinking, ...I don't think that this will work out." Charlie said, not looking at her

"Why?"

"All we do is eat, and then its straight to bed."

"Yeah so?"

"I want more."

" You want someone to discuss math theories with? Huh? Maybe you should hook up with Amita then."

"Rose!Come on!" Charlie protested. " Anyway my mom needs me."

Just then, His cell phone rang.

"Hello?"

Don seethed. "Mom has her chemo appointment in ten minutes. Where the hell are you?"

"Working on a project." Charlie lied. "I'll be there."

"Don't bother." Don furiously hung up the phone.

"Who was that?"

"My brother."

"The one who lives in New Mexico?"

"Yeah...he came home to help with with my mother.

"At least you got some support."

"He says its until mom gets better, but..." Charlie swallowed. "I heard him talking to a moving company last night."

Rose put a hand on his shoulder. "Go home. Be with your mother."

Amita's announcement that they were at Burger King interrupted his thoughts.

After an employee took their order, the trio sat down in a booth.

"So, uh...what has your aunt told you about me?" Charlie asked.

"That you're my dad and that you'll take better care of me than she will." the boy replied. "And that my mom couldn't find you. That's why you didn't know about me."

"I'm so sorry!" Charlie said somberly. "If I had known, I would have been there sooner."

"Are you my dad's girlfriend?" the boy asked Amita, suddenly.

"She's my wife." Charlie corrected him. "And your stepmother."

"I'm not trying to replace your mother." Amita assured the boy, and gave Charlie a sharp glare.

Just then, their number was called.

"I'll get it." Charlie got up.

When the food came, everyone dug in. Soon, the boy asked, "What movie are we gonna see?"

"It's about a boy who goes on an adventure to save his baby brother." Amita replied,and looked at her watch. "We should finish eating in twenty minutes."

0909090

At the movie theater, Charlie bought a large popcorn, and three medium sodas.

After the movie, the couple brought the child back to his aunt's house.

"Amita and I already fixed up a room for you." Charlie told the boy as they walked towards the front door. "Soon, you'll get to met Grandpa Alan, Uncle Don, and soon to be aunt, Robin."

"I gotta another grandpa?"

"Yeah."

"Cool."

"I'll see you soon?"

"Yeah."

"Here's my cell number." Charlie gave Hugh a piece of paper. "Call me anytime. If I don't answer, leave a message and I call you back as soon as I can."

"Okay."

Aunt Sarah came out, thanked the couple, and sent Hugh to the house.

"By the way." She told them "I told Hugh that his mother couldn't find you, because I didn't want him to know that, well, Rose didn't want you to know about Hugh."

Charlie nodded.

0909090

Some time passed, and Charlie, with Amita and his lawyer beside him, went to court to start the process of getting custody of the boy. The judge assigned a social worker to Hugh's case.

Before the couple knew it, they were subject to interviews and home inspection.

The week after, they were interviewed by Sharon, the social worker assigned to Hugh.

"So both of you teach and consult?" she asked them, looking at the file. They were in her plain, windowless cubicle.

"Yes." Charlie replied. "But we'd be willing to cut down on our consulting."

"Amita, how do you feel about raising another woman's child?" Sharon, a blonde with brown-hazel eyes asked bluntly.

"I'm fine with it." Amita said.

"It's hard enough being patient with one's own children" She pointed to a picture of some children, presumably hers, on her desk. "Let alone someone else's."

"I'm willing to take on the challenge and give that little boy a stable home life." Amita replied.

"His own aunt doesn't want to take care of him. He's difficult" the social worker challenged.

Charlie, despite his best efforts, started to grow annoyed. "Look, he's my son, and we've shown you that we can provide a stable home life. What more do you want? Would you rather give him to strangers who only take him in to gain a little extra cash?"

"I'll need to see your home." Shraron said.

"Fine with us."

They set a date for the home inspection.

On they day before the social worker's visit, Amita, Charlie and Alan cleaned the house from top to bottom. The results made them proud.

"This place looks like a home from Architectural digest." Alan tiredly smiled.

"Hopefully, this will impress the social worker." Charlie commented

0909090

Sharon, came into the Craftsman the very next morning.

"Welcome to our Home." Charlie said.

"Is this a craftsman?" She asked.

"Yeah." Charlie replied.

"I used to live in one." Sharon said.

"Really?" Amita asked.

Charlie piped up,"You know, I uh..grew up in this very house."

"Did you?"

"Yeah. I bought it off my father a few years back." Charlie explained.

WIth the the couple gave their tour, and ended it with the back yard.

"I see you have a koi pond." Sharon remarked.

" I'd be willing to put a barrier around it." Charlie replied quickly, kicking himself.

"It's not that deep." Amita added.

"And the fish are harmless." Charlie said.

"It's fine." Sharon assured them.

098080980

Finally, after the Fall semester started at Cal SCi, Sharon called.

"You can have temporary custody of Hugh."

"That's great! Thank you!" CHarlie exclaimed.

"DCFS will still have legal custody, at least for while, but you can take him home." With that, Sharon hung up.

Happily, Charlie ran to where Amita taught a lower division course.

He waited at the doorway until she looked his way during the lecture.

Charlie mouthed, "We have custody."

TBC