TW: racist/sizeist/misogynistic slurs

Thank you for beta'ing, MsSchneeheide!

Meanwhile, at the Indigo Club, the adults give themselves some time to sober up before Fahri calls his driver to come and get them. As they start to file into the limousine, Blanca feels a strong chill on her neck and goes to put on her scarf, but then realizes she doesn't have it. "Oh, fuck! ¡Casi me olvido de mi bufanda! Let me get it. I took it off since it was warm in there."

I almost forgot my scarf!

"I'll go with you!" Diablo volunteers.

"It's fine, you don't have to...it's slow hours now."

"Está bien, mi amor, I've gotta use el baño again anyway, it's the alcohol!" He slips his fingers through hers and they head back into the bar. It's empty with the exception of Tiffany, who's cleaning up the place. Diablo goes to the restroom and Blanca searches under their table for her scarf until she finds it.

She jumps when an older man sneaks up behind Tiffany and grabs her roughly. Blanca goes to help, but it looks like Tiffany is defending herself; she elbows him in the stomach and he jumps back with a groan. "Shit, Daddy, don't scare me like that, what the hell?! I thought you were my rapist, god damn it!" She covers her mouth and puts her hand to her heart. Blanca stands there and holds her accessory, watching the interaction out of pure interest.

"Sorry, Tiff," he mutters in a Southern drawl, hanging his head. Father and daughter share a hug and she smiles at him. He leans on the bar. "I reckon you just about knocked the wind outta me!"

"I gotta protect myself, how would I know it was you? It ain't like you been around much. Last time was Pennsylvania when I was eight…" She clears empty beer bottles and wipes down surfaces.

"Yep, then New York, laying low in North Carolina and Texas, but now back to this city." He sounds more familiar the longer he speaks. Blanca hasn't heard that voice in years, but she's suddenly reminded of her stepdad. "I wanted to invite you to Weebreck Lake this weekend for a bass fishing tournament. I know how much you love it…and you're my favorite person to go with."

Tiffany raises an eyebrow. "Really? You think I still enjoy that? I ain't eight anymore, Daddy…there's other people you could go with, like your best friend Trey, or my brother Donny. I'm surprised I'm your first choice."

"Of course, yeah, you'll bring me good luck." He gently chucks her chin. "Even if you ain't the best, you're fantastic in my book! Two hundred dollars for each of us to win, whaddya say?"

Searching his face, she nods reluctantly, tosses a rag, and sits behind the bar. Opening a beer, she offers it to him. Her dad accepts the bottle. She pours herself a shot, they make a toast to taking home first prize, and drink.

"Mlue Boon," he says, reading the label incorrectly. "My favorite!"

"You mean-"

"Yeah, god damn dyslexia…"

"I've been told I got that too. So…how's Trina? She's the reason you took off…I thought you were in this state all this time."

Blanca screams out loud when she hears her mother's name and then he shows his face, proving that she's right in her assumptions that it really is him. "Chad?! ¡Eres un fantasma! ¿Pero cómo...?"

You're a ghost! But how…?

"The fuck you talkin' about, Chad?" Tiffany demands. "That's his middle name, basically. Chet Charlie Doggett, tell her, Daddy."

"Yep, it's true," he admits.

"Douchebag white boy name either way," Blanca mutters. "What else have you lied about?"

"You know this dude?" Tiffany wants to know.

"I did! Trina Flores was my mami's name…my ex killed them both, or so I thought."

Chad gives her a confused look. "All he did was give me an exorcism…I shouldn't have cheated on my wife with your mama. Bless Trina's poor soul, may she rest in Heaven, 'cause she fixed me, got me off meth-"

"Yeah, looks that way," Tiffany snaps.

"Dying of thirst ain't how I wanna go," he states simply.

"Then drink water regularly, you gringo redneck," Blanca says in a strained voice. "I didn't even know you were married, nor that you had a child." She looks at Tiffany sympathetically.

Tiffany glares at him. "How could you? You didn't mention me once?"

"Hey!" Chad holds his hands up. "Calm down, ladies…I just had to leave my old life behind for a while so I could get clean…ain't like your mama did shit to help me, and you and Donny were just kids…"

"How could you go seven years without telling my mamí about your ex wife and children?" Blanca hisses. "That's not something you should hide…or were you too ashamed to admit you abandoned your familia?"

He shrugs. "Made it easier not to even think about 'em. Hangin' around there made my addiction worse…but I've been clean for six months now…I sometimes fall off the wagon, but get myself back on track. I just have beer, really. You and Dean doin' okay?"

Blanca just stares at him. "¿Qué? That asshole's history. He said he choked you and Mami to death…"

"I fought back and told him I was possessed by the Devil and couldn't help my outbursts. I had to say I didn't give a shit about ya…I just wanted to have power…I was almost done with you both anyway…all that drama was just…unbearable…"

"You only pretended to care about us?" Blanca demands, appalled. "You hated Dean so much, though…"

"It didn't start out that way, but Dean pissed me off, makin' fun of my dyslexia. He called me stupid…but I was proud to admit that at the time."

"So that overprotective stepdad thing was just a ruse?"

"You took it as the truth. I wasn't about to look dumb and weak."

"Yeah, just givin' a shit about yourself…I feel bad that he was ableist, but you only yelled at Dean and punched him because you wanted to fight someone!" Blanca realizes aloud. "Maybe we thought you were my dad, that's why Mami stuck around…but it could've also been Rodrigo or Julio. It's a Mamma Mia situation."

"Possibly…I had a one night stand with a Trina when I used to live in the Dominican Republic around the mid seventies."

"On your honeymoon with Mama?" Tiffany asks incredulously.

"She was too stoned to notice me gone."

Blanca scoffs, feeling a little betrayed that he didn't even bother to help and check up on her or at least kill Dean. "Whatever. I bet you would've said I was dumb and that you told me so…because Dean abused me for almost seventeen years 'til my daughters and I finally escaped him. Don't you dare come near us…you don't deserve to know them, and stay away from me forever."

"Oh, come on now, that's a little harsh!" he protests.

"You're a fuckin' selfish bastard!" She spins on her heel and sees Diablo, who had been taking a while to come back out of the bathroom. Concern is written all over his face. "Lo siento…come on." Winding the scarf around her neck, she quickly leaves with Diablo following her.

"¿Quien era ese?"

Who was that?

"Nobody," she mutters, feeling tears come to her eyes. "He's fucking dead to me anyways…"

Diablo doesn't push her on it. As soon as he helps her into the sleek black vehicle, she just announces that she's found her scarf and everyone is happy about that. Blanca and Diablo snuggle into each other. She swallows her emotions as best she can and sniffles.

"What's our last film gonna be?" Shani asks.

"We'll end the night with After the Sunset!" Poussey announces. "If that's cool with y'all?"

"The Salma película?" Flaca gasps. "Ay, now you speakin' my movie language!"

Poussey is just sliding the Netflix DVD into the player under her television set when someone knocks on the door. They groan loudly in unison. "Really, they're back already?" Elena asks.

Poussey strides over and peeps through the hole. Maritza and Flaca both jump as the rapping becomes more urgent. The hostess turns back with a worried expression. "Yo, it's a pig," she whispers.

"Great, the only white person here doesn't have her fuckin' green card," Janae mutters as Flaca and Maritza usher a terrified looking Shani into another room. She hides in a closet with them and they're careful to be quiet. Unfortunately, Franziska had to leave after truth or dare.

"Did you young ladies know that the noise level was way too high? Your voices are bothering your neighbors and it's getting close to midnight. Are you chicks having some kind of wild party in here? There was a report of stomping."

"Just a fun girls' evening, sir," Taystee informs him politely. "We were dancing to music-"

"Hey, fatso, don't get too close to me."

"Man, she wasn't-" Poussey starts. "She's not-"

"Shut up, animal!"

"Excuse me, she was just answering your question!" Janae barks.

"Yeah, I wasn't doin' shit!" Daya snaps.

"Yell at me again, and you'll see what happens to you and your thug buddies!"

"Okay...we're sorry, Officer Herrmann, please forgive us," Elena tells him in a feigned, respectful tone. "We'll keep it down."

"Mm-hm, we're waiting for our parents...we're gonna watch one last movie, but we won't have the volume past fifteen, we promise," Ceci adds.

"It's just exciting...we don't hang out in groups like this often," Katie chimes in.

Maritza, Flaca, and Shani are hardly breathing as they tremble with nerves. "As long as you chicks can act like civilized human beings, I won't come back here."

"Thank you," Elena squeaks out.

"You're welcome, sugar," he drawls, making Maritza shudder. "One more complaint about you being too loud, I'll take you all in handcuffs. You're lucky you have a sexy, white-passing, hot tamale as your friend. Such a soft manner of speaking too, just like my wife...except she's a fuckable blonde with big tits." With that, he leaves, shutting the door behind him.

Slowly, Flaca, Maritza, and Shani exit the closet, their eyes filled with unshed tears. Maritza would've offered anything to make him go away, but she's relieved that their friends were able to do the job. "Y'all didn't have to do nothin' slutty, right?" she checks. Shani almost flinches at this.

"No," everyone choruses, but Elena still appears to be pale as Shani.

"He was starin' at me creepy," Elena mumbles. "He whispered in my ear that he wished I was old enough to be his personal whore."

"Yeah, he's a sleazebag, Ellie," Flaca tells her, giving her a protective side hug. "You gonna let your mami know?"

Elena shakes her head. "Ain't like he touched me. Mami would just get in a shitload of trouble for standin' up for me."

They all sit on the floor again in front of the television. Maritza feels Elena shiver beside her. "Why don't you share this with Fahri, then? Maybe they'll listen to him better since he's a dude and lighter skinned than your mami. Plus, they both got Charles and Donaldson..."

Ceci scowls. "Maritza, it doesn't matter. That oinking asshole's just gonna deny shit or cry freedom of speech and nothin' will happen to him."

"Fahri might beat him up and Gloria would totally kick his ass, too!" Daya exclaims.

"Yeah, but they'd be arrested for assault," Elena mutters. "Just start the movie, it'll take my mind off things." She lays down, her head in her older sister's lap and her legs curled under her in the fetal position. Ceci strokes her hair calmingly. The girls and Shani smile sadly at them and Maritza relaxes in Flaca's comforting arms.

Just after Blanca and Diablo have gotten home to his apartment, she gets a text. Hi, Tiffany form the Idnigo Club, jsut letting ya know you left your wollet here...I'm closnig up in an hour, you cin get it now, or will you like me to hold it you for?

"Oh, ¡carajo!" Blanca mutters. She turns to her boyfriend. "También dejé mi billetera en el bar. I dunno what's been wrong with me lately...pero tengo que volver allí y conseguirla."

I left my wallet at the bar, too...but I gotta go back there and get it.

"There's nothing wrong with you, baby," Diablo assures her. "We're all a bit scatterbrained after a night of drinking! Solo necesitamos mucha agua. Te llevaré de regreso allí."

We just need lots of water. I'll take you back there.

She shakes her head. "No gracias, mi amor. I'll take a cab, then the subway...besides, the girls should be coming home soon, even if Maritza is sixteen and can take care of Raiza, no quiero que vuelvan a casa a una casa vacía como niñas latchkey...¡nos hace parecer irresponsables!"

I don't want them coming home to an empty house like latchkey kids...it makes us look irresponsible!

"¡Tienes un punto! Be safe, okay? If you need anything, por favor call me."

You have a point.

"I will."

Diablo hands her a wad of cash. "For the fares, going there and coming back home!"

Blanca counts the money, which totals fifty dollars. She shoves it into her purse that she's still carrying. "Oh, muchas gracias, I'll pay you back! Hopefully, it's just gonna be an hour ride each way."

He wraps his arms around her and plants a kiss on her forehead and then her lips. "Don't worry about it."

She beams and they leave his apartment together with their arms around each other's waists. Blanca hails a taxi and when it stops, she and Diablo go over. He opens the back door for her while their mouths touch a few more times, and then, she gets inside.

She's really hoping that Chad isn't still there.

The night has been so fun, even with Diablo's head pounding painfully and his girlfriend losing track of her wallet. At least she's retrieved it now. He's never seen Blanca let herself that loose before, and he's glad she finally was able to. He just feels bad that she'll have a wicked hangover tomorrow morning, so he plans to get her inside safely and give her lots of water. He's taken Advil and he'll bring her some, too.

When he gets her at the Indigo Club, she's slurring her words. "Oh, nothing tastes as good as drunk feels...except you...but then I remember that alcohol existed...oh, it's a toss-up!" He sweeps Blanca up in his arms, carries her to his truck, wraps her in a blanket, and holds her against him so she won't slide into the floorboard. After he buckles her in, gets behind the wheel, and is about to step on the gas, she clumsily opens the window and leans to one side so her head hangs out. Diablo sees her eyelids flutter closed as she moans.

"Baby, no, that's dangerous," he murmurs, pulling her into an upright position. He reaches over her lap and makes her seat lean back a bit, then closes the window and turns on the childproof locks.

"Whaaaat? I'm hot!" she cries, fanning herself.

"Encenderé el aire acondicionado," he assures her as he does just that. "Alright, it should cool down in here shortly."

I'll turn on the air conditioning.

She groans and shudders. "I might throw up..."

"Tengo un balde para ti." He shows it to her.

I have a bucket for you.

"Gracias..." She falls asleep against the window, moaning. Soon enough, he pulls over a few times and holds her hair back while she pukes into the bucket he brought with him.

He can remember the first time he's taken care of her like this.

At Danny Chapman's pool party, Diablo watches Blanca slip her beautiful blue beach dress over her head and throw it onto the table. Then, she kicks off her black flip flops and steps into the water, wading out a few inches. He can't stop gazing at her in her yellow bikini and she doesn't seem to mind, for she's smiling back at him. It's probably because Dean isn't here due to his job at the beach. She paddles over to a bunch of kids who barely notice her, her head bobbing above the water, but then she plugs her nose and dunks her head under. She comes up spluttering, and she swims to one side of the pool. She gets out and gracefully dives off the diving board, making a little splash. She looks just like a mermaid. Blanca comes up coughing and goes under again, so Diablo quickly swims over to her and carries her to the side of the pool.

"Are you okay?" he asks, alarmed that she might have been drowning.

"I'm f-f-fine, just c-c-cold," she stutters. "This p-p-pool hasn't been h-h-heated in a w-w-week."

He lifts her out and sits her on the cement. Then, he exits the pool. "You were having trouble getting your head up out of the water, Blanca."

Her teeth are chattering so much that he guides her over to the table and puts a towel around her, rubbing it against her shivering frame to try to warm her up."G-gracias," she stammers. Her lips are blue and freezing as she touches them.

He wraps her up in the towel and brings her inside the house. Karla runs to them, alarmed. "What's wrong with her?" Diablo asks her best friend.

"A little while ago, Dean pushed her into the water...he was splashing her and some other girls too much, but she had the worst reaction to it. She can't breathe well, especially in cold water. When she jumped in, it must have been a shock to her body," Karla explains. She puts her hand on Blanca's forehead. "She doesn't have a fever, she's just very cold. Can you stay inside with her?"

"Certainly."

"Blanca, are you okay?" Gloria asks, coming in, followed by Fahri.

"Sí, I'll be fine, I just didn't know it was that freezing."

"He almost killed her!" Aleida shouts as she walks out the back door with Leon.

"Thanks for taking care of her, man," Karla tells him before she and Ramón stroll off.

Diablo nods. "Anytime!" he calls after her."I can't believe that moron," he mumbles, helping her to a couch. He takes a seat beside her.

"I should have told him to stop."

"Por favor, quit blaming yourself. I hate him more than ever for what he did to you. Now you have to test how cold the water is! It's ridiculous!"

"It's no big deal, I just forgot to check today. It was so hot that I thought I could handle it."She's gasping for air and then she coughs. "My heart's beating so rapidly right now." Some water dribbles out of her mouth, so he wipes it for her with the towel. She slumps back against his chest and he holds her steady. It's difficult for her to talk because she's concentrating on breathing hard, so she closes her eyes and falls asleep in his arms, sighing happily. She looks so sweet just laying there, small, fragile, and delicate. Like an angel.

"Tu cocina está tan lejos. Who designed this shit?" Blanca asks a half hour later while she stumbles into his house with him holding her up. He makes sure she doesn't fall. She flails her arms and slumps against him. Her legs are like jelly and it's as if she'd had more after her two beers and three shots of vodka.

Your kitchen is so far away.

He notices that she still seems upset, along with Maritza. Both of them insist that they're fine when he asks, but he knows they aren't. The only cheerful Flores is Raiza. "Mi hermosa paloma, ¿qué pasó? Why would you do this to yourself, hm?" He guides Blanca to their bedroom and carefully lays her down.

What happened?

She groans and mumbles her response, breathing heavily as she fumbles with the zipper on her jeans, unsnaps the button, and peels them off to reveal her undies. His eyes scan her bare legs for a split second, and it breaks his heart, seeing her old physical scars. At least her current injuries are starting to fade. She pauses to wipe her nose and scratch her neck. "I dunno...I'm just so hot and shaky...my mouth is way too dry...and shit's really slowed down," she explains quickly. "I don't like this body I'm in!" He helps her wiggle out of her black leather jacket. She starts to pull up her silky, sheer, long-sleeved red blouse and then strips it off so she's just in her red lace bra and black panties with the same design. There's more evidence of trauma on her torso and arms. When she rolls onto her side, he can see some on her back, too, and a scar is on her right foot, by her pinky toe. He struggles to remain composed as he hurriedly turns on his window air conditioner. "Either I'm hallucinating or those devils on the curtain are dancing..." She fans herself and squirms, squeezing his hand. "My heart's beating too fast. You wanna fuck?"

Returning the gesture and feeling her rapid pulse, Diablo gazes down at her in worry. "It's not a good time, mi amor." He knows she's only in the mood because she's intoxicated.

"What, you don't find me attractive?" Blanca clutches his blue plaid shirt.

"Of course I do!" He stammers. "I love you so much! It's just that we're not in our right minds at the moment. Maybe when we have clear heads in a few days or whenever you're comfortable."

She pouts. "You're no fun."

"Lo siento, I'd never take advantage of you, my lady. Te amo mucho."

"Such a gentleman!" Blanca yanks his face down so they can kiss. Their tongues tangle as they moan softly together, but thinking better of it, he pulls back and redirects her hands back to her sides. She reaches under his top and threads her fingers through his chest hairs, making him start to turn hard. "You're so fucking hot when you respect me...but I need my pussy rubbed...and licked...I wanna suck your huge cock...I swallow, you know." She skims her tongue over her lips and bites the bottom one in the exact way he likes, but he doesn't listen to his penis that's now throbbing against his briefs under his sweatpants. She's staggering over her words and may not even know what she's saying.

"Jesus, Blanca," he mutters, surprised. "Por favor, we can't. Not now, ¿entiendes? You're drunk, babe, and that's not how I want our first time to be. I adore you to the ends of the earth and I know you. When you're sober, you'll be relieved we didn't do anything. I'm not Carlos, that was awful what he did to Karla."

"Ugh, they weren't a couple..."

"Even though we're together, it wouldn't be right." An uneasy feeling crawls over Diablo; he can't even think about doing something so disgusting to her. She'll regret it if she wakes up and realizes they had sex while drunk and high on speed and he'd hate himself forever. It's unfathomable.

She rolls off the bed and lands sloppily on her hands and knees while giggling. He goes to help her up, but she stands, using his desk for balance. She sturdies herself with one hand on the back of the chair, leans against it, and laughs, then flops into it. "Realmente te quiero ahora mismo, I don't really wanna wait anymore! Let's make love..."

I really want you right now

Yet, he wants the moment to be special. "No, when it happens, quiero que sientas cada momento y lo recuerdes...you drank a little too much, honey...and what you really need now is a good rest." Diablo lifts her up in his strong arms and carries her to the bed. Blanca clings at him and fumbles with the buttons on his shirt. He gently holds her hands down. "No, mi corazón, no quieres esto ahora. Believe me."

I want you to feel every moment and remember it...you don't want this now.

"Fine." She rolls her eyes while waving him away. "I ain't gonna force you. I'll touch my own clit...at least I know exactly where it is. My love, we can always do it when you feel more comfortable and into it," she murmurs sweetly.

"Okay, let me get you some agua y Advil." He starts walking backwards out of the room.

"I've downed vitamins with beer before," she insists, her eyes unfocused.

"The last thing you need is more alcohol!" Diablo walks to his kitchen and pours Blanca a glass of water from his red Brita pitcher. He also makes her an ice pack. Seconds later, he sets it and two red pills on her bedside table. He takes a spot next to her, rubbing her back in soothing circles while pressing a kiss to her cheek and the ice pack on her forehead. She beams giddily and stares at him with hooded eyes as he switches from giving her a massage to caressing her hair repeatedly. "Oh, baby, what did you take?"

She blinks a few times. "Another shot of whiskey...Pennsatucky gave me vitamins. I liked how they made me feel...outta my head for a moment."

"Probably speed," he mutters. "I tried it once in prison...it fucked me up and I never took it again." He cups her face. "I'll take care of you, okay?"

Blanca nods weakly.

After assisting her to sit up, Diablo slides the Advil through her parted lips. He tries his best to keep the water steady in her trembling grip. He tips it toward her slightly open mouth and she guzzles it down. "Bien hecho," he praises her. "¿Has bajado el Advil bien?"

Well done. Did you get the Advil down okay?

She gulps. "Mm-hm. How are Maritza and Raiza? I haven't seen them..."

"They're sleeping, I put 'em to bed a while ago."

"Oh, gracias...they wouldn't wanna see me like this." She waves dismissively and supports herself against the wall on her side of the closet. After grabbing her favorite nightie, she gets into it and curls up on their bed, closing her eyes. "Knowin' Mari, she's still up..."

"Probably." He fixes the garment on her body so it's not so hiked up and kisses her forehead first, her lips second. Then, he settles in next to her, but gets under the covers. He leaves them off of her until she's nearly icy to the touch.

In the kids' room, Maritza wears a long sleeved blue and pink shirt and casual black pants as she lies on her back in bed, staring up at the ceiling, gasping, whimpering, and trying to hold in sobs as tears leak out of her eyes and trickle into her hair. She's just had a nightmare of Herrmann brutally raping Elena in a dark alley somewhere and it spooked her awake. She really hopes that scary incident won't transpire anytime in the future. "It's not a vision..." she assures herself shakily. "It won't come true..." Her phone buzzes and she pulls it out from under her pillow. The screen displays a message from Elena on the group text. She's afraid to read it.

"That did not just happen," she hisses to herself.

Girls, Ceci and I are with our abuela...Karla volunteered to take us there and I cried while she hugged me, she's the sweetest. Mami stunk of booze so we didn't tell her shit...or stay over...but I will, soon. She held me in the backseat while I continued to sob. Even with her brain a foggy mess, she knew I was hurting. I refused to say anything and she let me wail my lungs out.

I sat up in front with Karla. Ceci continues.

"Oh, gracias a Dios..." Good, I'm glad you're safe! Maritza writes back.

Yeah, same here! Yay! They all take such good care of you, Flaca adds.

Yep, that's great! Katie puts in.

Awesome! -D

Lucky! -T

Fantastic! -P

Cool -J

You can pass this along to Shani, since she was there, too. I meant to ask, how do you know her anyway?

Like I said before, we just became friends on the streets, that's all! Maritza answers Elena. Night, y'all! ¡Te amo mucho, Flaca!

¡También te amo, mi querida! xo, Flaca

Beaming and feeling just a bit better, Maritza slides her phone back under her pillow and slowly drifts back to sleep, hoping for more pleasant dreams this time.

Thank you for reading and reviewing, Juliette45 and MsSchneeheide! Yep, the devil believes in sober consent, he punishes rapists in Hell after all...