I drove while Han just kind of sat there, looking straight ahead and watching the road. I almost expected conversation, but I didn't wait too long before turning up the music playing. I drummed my fingers and mumbled under my breath to the song before making it to the condo I arranged. "Not too fancy, but not infested with rats," I said, reaching back and grabbing a duffel. "You've arranged for a room, right?"

"Yeah," he said before looking at a smirk. "Your room."

"I'm happy I prepared to have two kids with me then," I said, sighing heavily. "C'mon, I got the key card earlier." I went around to the side entrance, knowing it was close to the elevators. I stepped inside with Han slightly behind me. He didn't say anything as he leaned against the wall and crossed his arms, staring at me. I was nervous, the pocketknife feeling heavy in my pocket as I pressed the button for floor nine.

"So, Perizada," Han drawled. "Got anything you want to tell me?"

"Nope," I lied with a perfectly straight face. I mastered my poker face back when I started popping pills in high school, after juvie and before Brian became a cop. I could lie through my teeth and have barely any spikes on a lie detector test. I'd tested it before. Han didn't seem to believe me though as he moved towards me and reached into my jacket pocket, which held my phone and my knife. "What are you doing, Han?"

"What do you mean what am I doing?" Han asked. "Gisele said you got a weird look after calling someone back. She described as something between shock, disbelief, and fear. What are you hiding, Perizada?"

"Don't call me by my full name!" I turned on him, my phone flying out of my pocket and onto the ground. I was lucky it didn't crack as I reached down to pick it up, only to have Han snatch it and regret that I didn't have a password set. "Give it back, Han! I'm serious this time!" I pushed him against the wall on his front, taking his arm and twisting it back. He grunted, my phone falling again, once again managing to not crack the screen.

"Ow! Now I know you're hiding something, Perizada!" The elevator doors opened on floor eight and I looked awkwardly at two people, who looked American, blinked at us. "Oh, uh... We were just..."

"I was just getting my phone back and getting off," I said with a fake smile. I scooped it off the floor, releasing Han, and walked out. Han looked like he wanted to say something, but I gave him a look. "I will see you at the room shortly. Most likely after I cool off."

"Perizada-" He flinched as I threw an eraser at him. "What the he-" I hit the button for the doors to close as the couple got on and watched with a smirk as the doors closed and the box went up. I took out the knife and pricked my arm, just barely drawing blood. I lined up the blade and left a shallow slice on my bicep before pulled out my phone, jacket wrapped around my waist as I allowed myself to bleed slowly. I looked at my phone and deleted the unknown call from my log.

Without looking at it after hitting the delete button, I locked my phone and went towards the stairs. As I opened the door, I was met with an aggravated Han. "Yo," I said before sliding past him to get to the condo. I was careful that I went on the opposite side that I had cut, trying to hide it as best I could. He grabbed my arm, though, and I had to stop. "What?"

"Perizada-" I cut him off for the second time that night punching him in the face, making sure it would bruise. He fell back, and I walked up the stairs to get to my room.

"I said not to call me by my full name, not once, but twice. My kids hate when their teachers say my full name. Do not call me Perizada ever again. That is a one way ticket to piss me the fuck off." I turned on my heel and walked away. "By the way, what I was hiding was this." I brought up the knife. "I don't need it at the moment, so grab it on your way out or you won't be in allowed in the condo." I dropped it, knowing fully that I would let him in no matter what and that I would later regret hitting him over something so stupid.

I just had the slight hope that I would actually make it to room 917 before I went back down to apologize and help him. I made it to the door when I stopped and turned back around, going down the steps and to the spot where I left Han. He was looking down at the knife I had dropped at the foor of the stairs. I sighed under my breath and padded down softly to sit next to him. "I'm sorry."

He chuckled. "Isn't going to change what you did."

"Of course not," I said. "But it's a good way to start making up for it." I maneuvered to in front of him and pulled his face to mine. Where I hit him was already turning purple with a bit of green around the edge. "Jesus, I didn't mean to hit you that hard." I touched the swollen spot tenderly and he still flinched. I pulled back, looking at the ground. "I'm sorry. We should get ice on it."

I stood up to walk away when he grabbed my arm and looked at the red area with a thin slice still bleeding on my bicep. "Make up for it by never doing this to yourself again... I'll be your punching bag any day." He got up and stood, waiting on me. "Let's get to that room of yours then." I nodded and stood up, following him up the steps and to the condo I rented.

I opened the door to the only one within my range that wasn't infested in this hell hole. It was nice enough, but rather small now that I was seeing it in real life. There was a couch that rolled out into a bed and a door that led to a room that was roughly the same size with a smaller television set. "So, where do you wanna sleep?" I asked Han.

He shrugged. "I'll take... the couch, I guess." I noticed his bag as he set it down and watched as he took his shirt off before looking away. I walked into the small kitchen that had enough room for a stove, coffee maker, and fridge, not much else. I reached into the freezer and pulled out the ice cream I had put there earlier. "Want any?"

He looked at what kind it was and shook his head. I shrugged before grabbing a paper bowl and plastic spoon. I sat down next to him on his already made couch-bed and looked at what he was watching. "What the hell are they saying?" I asked, not hearing a word of English or Japanese. "No habla!"

Han gave me a look before chuckling and going back to the tv. "They have American movies if you want to pop one in. Most recent is that Letters From Juliet chick flick."

"Oh, I wanted to see that!" I said, excitement bubbling up in me. "My girlfriends said it was super cute and everything." I looked at his face and felt embarrassment bubble up and my cheeks flush. "Unless you want to watch something else..."

"It's fine," he said, but I could tell he really didn't want to a chick flick. I sighed and got up and go pick another movie. "I said it was fine."

"Look on your face says it isn't, Han," I said, looking over at him before going back to the movies. "I don't have to watch it now anyway. Julianna said she wanted to watch it too. Charlie will end up laying down and actually sleeping during it, hopefully. How does X-Men First Class sound? I haven't seen it yet."

Han held his hand out for the disc and looked at it, reading the back and making sure he really wanted to watch it and wouldn't fall asleep or anything. He shrugged and handed it back. "It's not a chick flick or a horror."

"You seem like the type to be unfazed by horror movies," I commented. His lips quirked up before he forced them back down. "So I hit the bulls-eye? Damn. I'm good, man." I put the DVD in and skipped through the ads to the menu. I was in the bed that sat in front of the television, pulling up my black hair into a ponytail.

We were about five minutes in when there was a knock at the door. I was now dressed in a tank top with pajama pants, which took a two minute pause that Han complained about. I opened the door. "Yeah?"

"Mommy!" Chalie and Jullianna practically dragged me to the ground and they jumped around me and pulled. I looked at Rosa, Vince's wife.

"Were they that much trouble? I'm so sorry, Rosa. Julianna, Charlie, it is- well, it's right around bedtime. Would you like anything to drink, Rosa? What about junior, there?" I dragged each kid on my legs inside, followed by Rosa. She blanched when she saw Han. "Oh, uh, Rosa, that is Han, a friend of mine, and I think he met Vince."

"Han?" Charlie stood up. "Is he trying to replace-"

"No, Charles. No one is going to replace your father, darling. Why don't you two go jump on him while Auntie Rosa and I talk?" Julianna shrugged before grabbing her brother's arm and dragging him to the bed that was originally mine. I knew I had already lost it when they walked through the door. "Was I supposed to pick them up? Or were they seriously that bad?"

"No, no," Rosa said, shaking her head furiously. "The kids were perfect. Vince is just drinking and I don't know how drunk he'll be after that fight with Dom. I thought I would bring them back."

"Here, let me get you some coffee so you're wide awake for the road," I said as she yawned. "He might not drink that heavily, at least I hope he doesn't. He kept me from drinking back then." I sighed and stretched my arms as I heard Charlie and Julianna laughing.

"Well, I should go." She lifted up Junior as her excuse, which was completely valid. "Thank you for the offer though." I nodded before walking back to the door with her.

"Thanks, Rosa. Mind if I bring them again tomorrow? If you're not busy, that is..." Rosa smiled and nodded her head.

"You've got great kids, Perry."

"Thanks." No one had ever complemented me on my kids' like that, so it was kind of awkward on my part. When I walked back into the strangely quiet room, I found both of my kids on the floor asleep. I looked at Han. "What the hell did you do to my kids? Well, to Charlie?"

He shrugged. "I just told them to watch the movie, and then... bam, they were asleep, like that." He snapped his fingers. I looked at Han incredulously before shrugging and going into the spare bedroom as Julianna and Charlie were spread over what was my bed. I said I had lost it.

"Where are you going?" he asked, eating popcorn that he had gotten up to pop, which was revenge for my two minutes to change.

"Kids have taken over the bed, Han," I said. "So, I'm going to go to sleep in this room. Sleep soon, 'cause they will not let you when they wake up, babe." I opened the door to the extra room when he sat up. I saw the movement from the corner of my eye. He walked into the room I was about to enter and grabbed two pillows.

Throwing them on the other side, he grabbed another blanket from his bag. "There. Now you can sleep in here watching the movie." I looked from him to the makeshift bed then back to him. I shrugged and climbed in on my side, feeling the mattress shift as he climbed in too.

I didn't know when exactly I fell asleep, but I did remember Han falling asleep before me. I felt a slight victory. And I was the full time mom.