JE owns the rights to anything familiar

Thank you to everyone for your infinite patience in waiting for an update. I didn't intend to let so much time pass but real life got in the way. I hope you enjoy.


Hector had come a long way since we first got together and I knew he shared more of himself with me than anyone, even Stephanie, yet as I felt his body tense while I held him close I feared this tragedy would set him back a few thousand steps.

He was allowing me to hold him for a minute while he let a few tears escape for the loss of his brother but I could tell he was getting ready to bolt. He would run and not let me help carry the burden of grief filling his heart.

As predicted, he pulled out of my arms and put unwanted distance between us. "I have to get out of here." His voice was thick with emotion and he swiped at his eyes in anger, for his brother or for the loss of control, I wasn't sure.

I knew there wasn't anything to say that would get him to stay but I tried anyway.

"Hector, don't do this. Let me..." I didn't know what but there had to be something. He had the potential to do very dangerous things in his current state of mind and I wanted to prevent anything I knew he'd spend the rest of his life regretting. He was still trying to come to terms with what happened after his sister and didn't need anything else hindering that uphill battle.

"I need to run," he said. Although he was retrieving his running shoes out of the basket by the front door, I knew he meant more than the literal action. He pushed his feet into the shoes and tied them quickly.

When he reached for the door I latched onto his arm and pulled him against my body. "Please stay with me." I knew he wouldn't but I had to try. What I didn't expect was the gentle kiss and the softly spoken promise.

"I'll be back. I need some time, but I'll be back." He brushed his palm against my cheek and then he was gone. I watched him run at a bruising pace until he disappeared out of our neighborhood and then I did the only thing I could think of.

I called Stephanie.

She and Ranger had also somehow avoided the flu plaguing half the Rangeman crew and I knew the two of them had been working just as much as Hector and I to cover shifts so was surprised when they both showed up at my door twenty minutes later.

"Who is working today if we're all here?" I wanted to know as I ushered them inside and to the kitchen.

"Bobby and Tank are back, they're not at hundred percent, but good enough to cover. Lester and Ram too," Ranger replied.

"Well, this sucks," Steph said, getting right to the point while I made coffee. "I knew we should have made you go on your honeymoon instead of staying here."

Ranger laid a hand on her shoulder. "It wouldn't have stopped this from happening, Babe." He met my eyes and then got to the point himself. "How worried are you?"

I poured Stephanie a cup and slid Ranger some tea. She lifted it to her lips and took a sip before asking, "Yeah, how bad was it when he left?"

I cradled my own cup in my palms and bounced my eyes between the two of them across the breakfast bar. "Do you know what happened after his sister?"

Stephanie crinkled her eyes in confusion and Ranger let out a slow breath, which told me he knew everything, and set down his mug of tea. "Things are different now. He's not that person anymore."

I agreed, to a point, but that part of Hector would always be there. It was buried deep now, but still there.

"Do I want to know what you're talking about?" Stephanie asked with concern.

"No," Ranger and I answered in unison.

Steph knew Hector had a past, a bad one, but I was really glad she didn't know about that particular event. From the expression on Ranger's face, he was too.

"Okaaay," she said slowly. "Obviously it's...horrible, so what can we do to keep it from happening again?"

I shared a look with Ranger. I think we both knew if he went completely dark, there wasn't anything anyone could do. "Does he think it was gang related?" He asked me and I nodded.

"I think so. He's only talked to me about his brother a couple of times but that was the impression I got of the situation."

"Shit," Stephanie muttered and I had to agree.

Ranger ran a hand through his hair, the only sign of tension he'd yet to express. "I can reach out to some contacts and see if there's any chatter about what went down. We might be able to get ahead of it if anyone's talking. What do you want to do here? I can put a couple of men on trying to pin down his location but you know as well as I do if Hector doesn't want to be found, we won't find him."

And that was the truth. I had to hope he would do as he said and come back but half of me wanted to be out there, combing the streets, even knowing it would be complete blind luck if I found him. "He said he needed time and he'd be back so I really don't know. I think we should probably just wait but..."

"But that's torture," Stephanie surmised.

"Yeah."

Ranger checked his watch. "How long has he been gone? A half an hour?"

"Just about."

"Let's give him another hour. If he's not back, we'll work on a plan to start searching. I'm gonna make a few calls and see what I can learn." He kissed his wife softly on the mouth and then disappeared out the back door for privacy.

I watched him go and tried to quell the rush of anxiety filling my stomach. "Hey," Steph said sharply, bringing my head up. "He'll get through this."

I nodded and lifted my cup to my mouth for a sip of the rapidly cooling liquid. "There's more to the story," I told her, having not got through the whole thing when I'd called. She gave me double raised eyebrows and I explained about Emilio's daughter.

"Holy crap," Stephanie whispered and sank next to me onto an empty barstool. "And she's with child services right now?"

"Yep. I don't know what's going to happen there, but I think if Hector doesn't take her she'll end up in foster care."

"Wow. That's...have you...have the two of you talked about having kids?"

I snorted out a sardonic laugh. "Are you kidding? We've only been married a week. We haven't even talked about getting a joint checking account."

"What if he wants to keep her? Are you going to be okay with that?"

That was a good question and one I wasn't sure I could answer. Truthfully I'd never really thought about it before. Steph seemed worried that I might leave him or something if he kept the kid. "I don't know, but I'm in this, Steph. With him, always. Okay?"

She let out a breath and squeezed my shoulder. "I know, I just...you know how I get about him."

"I do know and he's lucky he has you."

"He's lucky he has you," she countered.

"I'm lucky I have both of you." And there he was, standing in the doorway to the kitchen, a light sheen of sweat covering his face and neck from the punishing run. Relief thundered through my blood at the sight of him and I had to stop myself from dragging him into my arms.

"Hec..." Steph was interrupted by Ranger returning to the room from the back deck, drawing Hector's attention. They nodded at each other as Ranger slid his phone into his pocket.

Steph and her husband expressed their condolences and Hector thanked them quietly before saying he'd contacted detective Matice and set an appointment for later this afternoon.

"But first, I have to identify the body."

"Oh Hector," Stephanie breathed. "Do you want us to come with you?" He cut his eyes to me and I nodded once with my approval. The more the better as far as I was concerned. Even if he didn't want to admit it, Hector needed the support.

"I need to get cleaned up," he said. "Maybe we can leave in an hour?"

"Whatever you need," Ranger offered. "We'll be here."

I followed Hector up our long, curving stairway and down the hall to the master bedroom. I didn't care if he didn't want me with him; I wasn't letting him out of my sight. As we entered our room, he spun around and grabbed my hand. Rubbing his thumb over my ring, he met my eyes and my heart broke at the sadness swimming in his. "I realized while I was out there that you're...you're the only family I have left." I bit back a sob and pulled him into my arms. It wasn't a good time to bring up the niece he didn't know existed before today but I did know quite a few people who would protest that statement.

"I know of a Mother and a sister who would strongly disagree with you and I'm pretty sure there is a blue-eyed, curly-haired woman right downstairs who would kick your ass if she heard you say that...probably her badass husband too." Not to mention a whole building full of men who had our backs on a daily basis. "It takes more than blood to make a family, Hec."

He pulled back and looked at me. "You're right. I don't know how I got lucky enough to have all of you love me, but I'm grateful." He dropped his head to my shoulder and kissed my neck before pulling me into the bathroom.

We showered and dressed and then with Ranger at the wheel, headed into New York.

The office of the medical examiner was first on the agenda. No one should ever have to do this, but here we were. Ranger and Steph waited in the lobby while Hector and I were led into a drab office and introduced to a grief counselor on staff. I knew from going with my Mom when my own brother was killed that identifying a body is not at all like it is on TV or in the movies. There's no dramatic drawing back of a curtain or sheet to reveal the body in question, it's all done by photograph in an office and most of the time it's just a formality as the person making the identification is usually sure at that point the deceased is a relative or friend.

The counselor expressed his condolences and walked us through what would happen, explaining the picture in detail, letting us know if we'd see marks or any trauma on the face. When he was done, he handed Hector a clipboard with the picture attached face down and told him he could take as long as he needed and that he would remain with us if we needed anything.

Hector held my hand and stared at the back of the photo for several long minutes before he eventually turned it over. I was expecting some sort of reaction, but I didn't know it would come from me and not him. I gasped at the image on the picture and then I couldn't seem to get enough air into my lungs. I bolted up from the hard metal chair and ran from the room.

He found me in the men's room a few minutes later, throwing up all the coffee I'd consumed that morning. When there was nothing left to purge, he helped me to my feet and gently wiped my face with a wet paper towel. "I'm sorry," he said quietly. "I shouldn't have...I wasn't thinking."

I took the towel from him and tossed it in the trash. "You were twins? Jesus, Hector." I ran a hand through my hair and wasn't surprised to find it slightly shaky. I was being irrational, I knew, because he was standing in front of me, very much alive, but the photo of his dead twin had been a shock and took me to a dark place.

"I'm sorry," he said again, shaking his head. I pulled him into my arms and held on, the warmth of his body seeping into mine, which had gone indescribably cold.

"Okay," I murmured into his hair. "It's okay. Are we done here? I'm ready to be done here."

We left a few minutes later with Ranger driving again and went to talk to detective Matice. I stayed outside with Stephanie while Hector and Ranger went in, not wanting to deal with any more surprises.

They weren't in there long and I didn't know if that was a good thing or a bad thing. When we were back in the car, I asked what was next, even though I knew. "Child services," Hector answered. "Matice called ahead, they're expecting us."

Ranger met Hector's eyes in the rear view mirror and with a nod, pulled out into traffic. When we arrived at the building, Stephanie and Ranger vaguely said they had something they had to do but would be back soon to meet us. I found it odd they were leaving since they'd come to support Hector, but he squeezed my hand when I opened my mouth to say something so I clamped it shut again.

We were led to the office of Ms. Melissa Campano and she greeted us with a warm handshake and a small smile. Her straight hair was the color of carrots and she'd tied it back from her face into a tight ponytail, accentuating her rounded cheekbones. The green of her eyes reminded me of the sage growing freely in my mother's yard...and why the hell was I thinking about that?

"Have a seat gentlemen." She indicated the chairs in front of her desk and Hector and I lowered into them.

Flipping open a file, she skimmed though some notes and then lifted her eyes back to ours. "You were recently married?"

How she had that info already was puzzling but Hector answered in the positive. "Good, that will help."

"With what?" I blurted out without thinking.

Ms. Campano didn't seem fazed by it. "With a judge approving the guardianship indicated in Mr. Barillas' will."

"Wait, I thought it was a given if it's in a will," I shot back.

"Most of the time the wishes of the deceased are always honored if they are indicated but in the case of child custody, a judge makes the final determination after reviewing the file and interviewing the named guardian."

"And what if..."

"What if I don't want custody," Hector finished the thought I hadn't meant to voice.

Ms. Campano closed the file folder and pressed her lips together in a tight line before responding.

"If the appointed guardian is unable or unwilling to take over custody and care of the child, he or she would go into foster care and hopefully be adopted out...is that what we're looking at here, Mr. Barillas?"

Hector was silent under the scrutiny of the social worker so I took his hand and squeezed tightly. We hadn't talked about it but I wanted him to know I was with him no matter what decision he made.

"I don't...I don't know." He speared his fingers through his hair and let out a short breath. "I didn't even know she existed until this morning, let alone that I was named guardian...I can't..." He trailed off and Ms. Campano gave him a sympathetic smile.

"I'm sure it's scary and overwhelming, but nothing has to be decided right now. Why don't we go meet her, then we can talk about it some more. Come with me." She moved out from behind her desk and gestured for us to follow.

We headed down a short corridor and then the woman was opening a door through which we also followed. The area seemed to be one giant play room filled with brightly colored toys of every shape and size and what looked like dozens of children.

"There." Ms. Campano pointed to a woman in the corner of the room holding what had to be the most beautiful little girl I'd ever seen. She was outfitted in a dark pink dress that had little animals on it and her longish black hair was being held off her face by a headband the same color as the dress...but it was her eyes that got to me. They were Hector's through and through. A deep chestnut, the color of well-aged whiskey, framed by the longest, darkest lashes which brushed her cheeks every time she blinked. She also had his nose and his chin, but those eyes. Christ.

Hector inhaled sharply beside me and I cut my gaze to his face. It made sense, as he as Emilio were twins but I could tell the resemblance was a shock for him too. "Hec," I started and squeezed his fingers with mine but he shook his head.

And then everything seemed to slip into slow motion when the little girl turned her head in our direction. Her entire face lit up and she began wiggling in her caretaker's embrace. "Papa!" She called, and stretched her chubby little arms towards Hector.

Holy crap, she thought he was her Dad. Hector looked at me, eyes filled with panic as the woman holding her headed our way. Before either of us could say anything, Grace Elena Barillas was launching herself into her uncle's arms.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and held on tight. Hector's hands came around her, holding her close as his eyes filled with unshed tears. A few beats went by before he started shaking his head. "I can't...I can't do this." He extracted his niece and thrust her back to the woman who'd brought her over.

The poor little girl started crying as Hector fled the room and I asked Ms. Campano to give us a minute before chasing after my husband.

I found him outside, pacing the sidewalk, his whole body vibrating with tension, and he flinched when I circled my fingers around his bicep, not aware I'd even come outside. "Hector...c'mon, let's go sit." I motioned to a line of benches surrounding a small courtyard on the side of the building.

He let me tug him down onto a bench and wrap my arm around his shoulder. "We'll figure this out," I insisted and pulled him closer. "Either way we'll figure it out."

"I can't," he said again. "I can't do this to you."

Wait, what? "What are you talking about?"

"We just got married, Zip. I can't ask this of you. We haven't even had a discussion about starting a family, this is too much...and we don't know the first thing about raising a kid, and a girl on top it. Fuck. This will change everything."

So I was what he was worried about? God, I love him. "Look," I started, "I get it, it's a huge responsibility and, yes, a life changing decision but I'm all in, remember?" I touched his wedding band, gliding my finger over the smooth titanium. "Always." I'd had the inscription done the day I bought the ring. My heart, my love, my life - for you, always.

He buried his face in my neck and kissed me there. "I don't deserve you," he mumbled against my skin. "I don't fucking deserve you."

"Hey, you're going to have to cool it with that word if there's gonna be a kid in the house."

I felt his smile before the laughter sounded. "It's Stephanie we'll have to worry about."

"What the hell did I do?" A familiar voice questioned. "We haven't even been here so I couldn't have done anything."

We looked up and found Steph and Ranger standing in front of us. In her hands was a black carseat that looked just about the right size for a one-year-old. "Just in case," she said with a shrug at our raised eyebrows.

"I..." Hector stalled for a beat. "We're still talking it through." He cut his eyes to me but I knew the decision was already made. There was no way we were leaving that kid here. I knew the second she'd been placed in his arms. "Like, what the hell do we do with her when we're working?"

"I can help with that," Ranger announced as he and Steph settled beside us on the bench.

"What?" I asked. "How?"

Stephanie was smiling, obviously in on the secret.

"Rangeman is opening up a daycare facility at the Trenton branch next month." He continued on at our shocked and silent faces. "With Lester's brood, Tank's kid and now Bobby with one on the way, it just makes sense. We're renovating two of the conference rooms on the 2nd floor, the license should be finalized in the next two weeks and I'm sure we can help out with babysitting until it's up and running...you know Ella's gonna go nuts - finally a girl."

"Not to mention my Mother," I chimed in and suddenly the thought of becoming instant parents didn't seem an insurmountable obstacle. Still scary as hell, but we'd have help, a lot of it.

Hector looked at all of us, his never ending support team, took Stephanie's hand and then kissed me before saying, "Let's go get our daughter."