Author's Note: Okay, I'm very glad to produce the next chapter! I was afraid I wasn't going to get it up because fanfiction was acting goofy, but here it is! Enjoy and review! The next one will be up very shortly.

Not mine.

Chapter 16: Family part 1

"Babe?"

"I…um…I…" I was speechless. Soon I was just doing fish impressions. I literally had no words.

"It'll be okay. They love you."

"They don't know me."

"Lester and the guys have been talking you yup for years. And they'll be ecstatic that we're getting married and you're not pregnant."

Hey, that's right. Ha, I had one up on Rachel.

"I think I need a nap."

"Babe, you just woke up."

"I know, but talking to my mother makes me exhausted."

"We'll leave at five." I nodded as I continued to the bedroom.

I sat on the bed, wide awake. He was really going to see my family without a fight. Usually to get Joe over there I had to promise him sex. Sure he was bribing me with his family, but he wasn't making me offer my body.

Oh who are we kidding? I would anyway.

Ranger had gone back down to five and finish up his work and I heard the locks tumble and quickly rolled to my side and pretended to be asleep. I felt the bed dip down under his weight and he began to kiss my neck.

"Babe, wake up." Apparently the ESP wasn't working.

"Carlos? What time is it?" I asked, trying to sound sleepy.

"It's a little after four. I'd thought you'd want to get in the shower before we left." I rolled to look over at him and he frowned.

"Did you get any sleep?" He asked, fingering what I could only imagine to be bags under my eyes.

I shrugged.

"No one is forcing you go to my parents on Sunday."

"I know, Carlos, I want to go."

"I don't want you to worry about it. I'll be fine."

"I'm going to jump in the shower, okay?"

"Need any help?" He asked grinning stupidly.

"Nah, I'm good."

Once I was scrubbed, plucked, gelled, moisturized, conditioned, waxed and any other beautifying things I could think of, I emerged from the bathroom and headed for the closet.

Getting in there, I stopped. What the hell…?

"Ella loves to shop for you." Ranger said, coming up behind me and putting his arms around my waist.

"But…Carlos, you don't have to."

"Sure I do. You need to be treated like a princess and I have enough money to do that in three lifetimes and still have enough to live comfortably."

"This is…"

"No price, Babe. That still applies."

I knew that I was never going to win this battle, so I decided to enjoy it. I felt like Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman, except I wasn't a hooker and Ella had brought the clothes to me.

Picking a knee-length black skirt, a blue scoop neck top and black FMP's, I deemed myself ready to face my parents.

"Babe, you look beautiful." Ranger said with his eyes darkening.

"You look handsome." I replied. And he did. Instead of Ranger, I was taking businessman Carlos in his black dress pants and black button up shirt. Yum.

"I don't know about this."I said when we pulled up.

"Babe, come on. We'll tell them what's going on, eat dinner and take dessert home." He ended, eyes darkening even more.

Sensing my half approval, Ranger jumped out of the car and opened my door before I could change my mind.

"Hello there Stephanie, hot bounty hunter man." My Grandmother said.

"Hey, Grandma. Where's mom?"

"In the kitchen finishing dinner."

"Hello Mrs. Mazur. Aren't you looking lovely tonight?" Ranger said, pouring the charm on a little thick.

"Well, aren't you the one?" We entered the door and she went back into the kitchen to help my mother.

"You know, you don't have to impress her. She already loves you."

"I know." Ranger went into the living room where my father was sitting. They shook hands and had a brief conversation. I couldn't hear what was said, but I was curious as Ranger stood there and nodded. I think that was the most I've seen my father talk in ten years.

"Oh, good, you're here. Dinner's ready."

"Hello, Mrs. Plum. Thank you for inviting me to dinner. I haven't had a home cooked meal in a long time." I knew that was a lie because that's all he got from Ella, but I let my mother have the complement. God knows she's going to need all the buttering up she can get.

"So have you had a roll in the hay with that wonderful package yet, Stephanie?"

I blushed and my mother poured more wine, drank it, then poured another glass. My father looked at Grandma and then went back to his meal.

"That's right, Grandbaby! Grab a hold of that package!" She said raising her fork. Ranger moved back from the table and closer to me. I even think he paled a little.

"So, Stephanie," my mother dived in while passing me the potatoes. "When are you due?"

"Mom, I'm not pregnant."

"What?"

"I said that to get Joe off my back."

"Why would you want Joe off your back? Myra Slotnik's daughter doesn't want men off her back? He is your last chance at marriage. Why me?"

"Because, Mrs. Plum, Stephanie and I are getting married." Ranger said, bringing my left hand onto the table.

My mother gasped at this. She was rendered speechless.

"Wohoo!" Grandma said. I snorted into my wineglass.

I looked to my father, who didn't seem fazed.

"Well, there's the church to consider, and the hall, and caterer and…"

"Mom, stop. We've only been engaged for like a month."

"But you've got to have these things booked a year in advance."

"We don't even have a date yet."

"Well, set one and then we'll talk."

"Will you let me choose what I want?"

"Of course, Stephanie, don't be silly." She slapped me with her napkin.

The rest of the meal was enjoyable until my Grandma decided that she wanted to plan the Honeymoon. I think my mother got out an extra bottle of wine tonight.

I asked Ranger what my father had told him and he gave me one of his patented one word answers, "later."

"That seemed too easy. Was that too easy?" I asked Ranger in the car as we were leaving.
"It went exactly as it should have. What are you so worried about?"

"I don't know. Maybe God is going to smite me down. Mom seemed too…too happy."

"She was drunk, Babe."

"No, not that. Did she seem, relieved to you?"

"Maybe because both of her daughters are going to be married soon?'

"Maybe," I said, still not feeling relieved. The rest of the ride home and the elevator ride up was silent. When we got into the door, Ranger slammed me up against it and began to kiss my neck.

"Now about dessert…"

Oh, boy.