I got so many Hickey's people will think I'm a Leper (1 Year Later)

Somehow, the marks seem to keep the girls away. Dunno why, but feels like every time I'm with one of the women in my life, she feels the need to mark me in some way. Put the big "Mine" button on. It doesn't bother me much. I get a few looks from old ladies in public these days, but I've always gotten them. These days it seems its for different reasons, but I get by.

Maria was amazing that night. What was scary was that she had turned up pregnant a couple months later, and her family was NOT happy. Got a wonderful investigation from Child Protective Services who immediately demanded that she turn over all records of her boyfriends and who the father was so they could immediately demand child support. We highly suspect it was her mom who called in the tip, because honestly, that woman is a controlling bitch. Which of course is how Maria ended up losing her job, thanks to a damn ethics probe. Seriously, when somebody decides to push the "Screw you" button these days it's a nightmare.

So of course, we had taken her and Sofia in. Once Maria was out of town, the investigation just seemed to dry up. Guess they had other things to do with their time. It had been hard, with the Twins crammed into one room and a Pregnant Maria and her daughter in the other, but we had managed it. Mostly with me on the couch until we had gotten them safely into another apartment. With a potential investigation, we weren't taking any chances. We would have preferred to have Maria stay with us, and she would have as well, but appearances and discretion trumped what we wanted at that point. Her son Miguel is a little wonder, and she and Nikki are two of the greatest moms I've ever seen who were willing to do the Boston Marriage thing.

Nikki had gotten a call that night from her husband, asking him to bail him out of jail for some fight or another. She had taken one look at the phone and then at Helen and Charlotte making out on the couch, and hung up. Apparently she and Kaila decided to take the plunge that night and ended up making love in a sleeping bag on the floor. The next morning she had called her family and told them that she was getting divorced and wasn't going back to the house in Illinois.

It had taken a bit of doing, but eventually we'd managed to get Maria into the unit next door, mostly with the help of Nikki and her family, who sprung for some of the cash once we explained the situation. I owe em, and have been shocked at their acceptance. Once it was clear Nikki had made up her mind to help Maria and to stay with us, they had fallen over themselves to make her comfortable. I swear that family is happiest when they've got a crisis. Every single member seems like they're doing something, or has a solution or is ready to pitch in. Even when Nikki turned up pregnant after her divorce, they embraced it, and couldn't wait to suggest names. Which is how Nikki and I ended up with a daughter named Katerina, I might add.

Helen and Charlotte weren't surprised much when Helen ended up pregnant. They'd been talking about having a kid for a while, and the break in at their apartment just solidified their desire to get out of the city. They didn't think they need to raise their kid in a town that spray painted threats on their doors just because of who they chose to love. We would have happily put them up for a while, but luck was with us, and another apartment had opened up on the far side of the complex, closer to the shit world war two buildings at the far end. The relocation took almost all of their cash, and we were stunned when Nikki's family had come through for them as well. Apparently, being a friend of the family means being a friend of the family, without hesitation. Their only condition was kinda silly, but heck with it, little Ceto is now officially baptized in the Greek Orthodox Church.

Kaila and I didn't break up. I won't abandon a pregnant woman, and I think it's the reason Maria decided to keep me in her life. We did end up having a happy little boy named Danny, but it's weird. I don't seem to spend as much time as I used to over at the Twins apartment. When I do, I find that I talk more with Carla. Kaila flat out refused to get the tattoo after thinking about it. She felt it was branding and didn't want to give up her twin games. Which was why she was rather upset when Carla ended up getting a flame tattoo on her right arm for the hell of it. Looks like the twin games are over anyway.

I seem to be kinda floating right now. I've got three apartments with a kid in each. Starting to feel like I'm falling a bit apart these days with the work, but I'm happy. It won't last forever, of course, we all know that. But for now, it's enough that we have our kids, and we are at least breaking even.

I'm just a little worried about all the favors I owe Nikki's family. At some point, I keep worrying that they will ask me to perform them a service...