She watched as it sparkled and glinted in the light as she looked at it. She wondered briefly if it would ever be worn again for a wedding, or a future quinceañera. Placing the tiara carefully in its box she shook her head dispelling those thought for another day. She shut the lid and moved off the counter sighing deeply.

It was early in the morning, but she couldn't even think of sleep, rising she quietly made her way to the bedrooms, Alex half hanging out of his bed mouth open, sleeping deeply. Eleana and Carmen wrapped tightly in blankets not making a sound, and her mother practically passed out on Penelope's own bed still in her dress, and abnormally disarrayed. She looked so exhausted Penelope could bring herself to wake her and get her to her own bed.

She smiled and walked back through the living room, carefully avoiding the various family members sleeping there and making her way to the door. It was all over. After all that planning and stress it was all over. She'd had to deal with the fall out tomorrow but for now she could relax.

Just as she thought that there was a light knock on the door.

"Hey Pen" a familiar voice whispered.

"So much for relaxing." She rolled her eyes sarcastically as Schneider let himself in. "You do know it's three in the morning."

"I said I'd come check in on the family. See if anyone was awake."

She placed a hand on her hip and stared up at him.

"How often do you do that? 'Cause that's creepy."

"First time. I promise." He grinned down at her then his brow furrowed. "Maybe second. There was this one time I was lonely." He gazed off to the ceiling. She just shook her head.

"All sleeping." She smiled.

"Except you?" he looked down at her again.

"I got too much sleep last night! I could go another ten hours." She laughed. "Besides my mother has taken over my bed."

"But she's so tiny."

"I know, but the woman can spread." The both laughed only to stop suddenly as one of the cousins stirred. Schneider grimaced then gestured upstairs. She smiled and nodded following him out the door.

"So why are you up?" she asked as they walked through the door of his apartment. He shrugged.

"I rarely sleep by night. I can sleep during the day."

"And wake in time for dinner?"

"Eh no!..." he puffed up his chest. "...I would never miss lunch with Lydia."

Penelope rolled her eyes again and flopped down on his couch.

"Of course, you wouldn't. You are there more than I am."

Schneider went quiet, sitting in beside her. She looked up at him and saw an abnormally serious look cross his face.

"I like it there." He said almost inaudibly.

Her heart melted and a smile spread across her face. She reached out and placed her hand on his.

"We like having you." She replied.
He looked down at her hand and she could see a slight smile forming on his face too.

Realising the moment had gone on a fraction too long, Penelope pulled back her arm, looking at the space between them.

"Thank you for all you're help tonight. I don't know if I said that."

"You did, and you're welcome. How are you doing?" he asked.

"I'm angry." It was her turn to shrug. "I'm happy Eleana enjoyed herself despite her father's selfishness." He nodded. "I'm sad my little girl is growing up and I'm proud she's so sure of herself."

Schneider's nodding had slowed down.

"Basically, I'm a hot mess." She laughed. "But thanks for asking. I'm sure it's more than you've asked most of the woman here at three in the morning."

"Hey…" he started then realised there was no point. "… you are not wrong." He nodded as they both began laughing.

"This is nice though, having someone to talk to." She conceded.

He just smiled as her eyes narrowed.

"Why did you shave?" she asked leaning in closer to him.

"Girl are you joking? It was important family event I couldn't turn up looking scruffy! I'm lucky my casual and formal personas are as devastatingly handsome as each other."

This time she almost hurt herself rolling her eyes.

A silence fell over them, a comfortable one that came with that hour in the morning. The silence was broken by Penelope yawning loudly.

"You should get some sleep. You do still have family around tomorrow."

"You're right. Lots of Cubans to feed." She smiled and stood up.

"I'd offer you a bed here but I really don't want to get on Lydia's wrong side."

"Very kind but I need to go to my own room to get myself out of this dress. It will not be graceful."

He stood up moving towards her

"Can I help?" he offered before really thinking about what he was saying. She was stunned for a second, the thought of Schneider taking off her dress was not the most unexpected thing to happen that day.

"No… no I'll be ok." She nodded furiously, suddenly very aware of how bare her chest was as she wrapped her arms around herself. "Goodnight Schneider."
"Goodnight Pen."

/ \\ / \\ /\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\

"I'm going mad." She said taking a gulp of her drink. "Completely mad."

"Alverez what are you on about!" Jill asked slamming her drink down on the table.

"Yeah are you going to tell us or just freak out all night Mami?" Ramona raised a perfect eyebrow.

Penelope looked between the two of them, eyes widening.

"I can't… no I can't you'll think I'm crazy!" she threw her hands up in frustration and covered her face.

"Hey you've been acting weird since we collected you. this is meant to be a night out to celebrate surviving your daughter's quinceañera and to forget what a jackass your ex is! Not to freak out." Jill smiled at her, trying her best to calm her friend. Ramona just reached out and took her arm.

Taking a second Penelope took a deep breath and tried to clear her head.

"Is it Victor?" Jill tried again.

"No…" Penelope smiled weakly. "…it's his choice if he wants to ruin his relationship with his daughter. She knows I'm here for her and she is loved."

"Then what is it?"

"I…" she huffed once more. "… right have you ever looked at someone and just see them differently? Like for months no years you see them one way in this perfectly defined category in your life and then… and then one night you just…"

She looked up to see both of her friends looking at her with completely puzzled faces.

"Eh… What?" Ramona broke the silence.

"You're going to think I'm crazy. This is not what I should be thinking about right now. He's… uh!"

Jill gasped.

"Oh my god." She sat back, grinning. "You've got feelings for that haircut!"

Penelope felt her cheeks heating up and her hands moved to cover her mouth.

"What? Who!" Ramona was now only more confused.

"Schneider!" Jill burst out laughing.

"Finally!" Ramona joined in.

"What?" Penelope was now even more confused. "I thought you two would think I was crazy. It's Schneider! Schneider!" she elongated the name as she repeated it slowly.

"I know!" Jill nodded. "That old hipster wannabe."

"The one that does everything he can to make you and your family happy?" Ramona's grin was off the charts.

"The man child that eats our food! The rich boy that plays in an awful band wearing glitter! The man with a different woman in his bed every few hours…." She started ranting.

"The man that can't take his eyes off you when he thinks you're not looking." Jill said solemnly.

"What?" Penelope's pitch raised. "No… no way… you think?" she felt the grin grow again.

"Alverez focus." Jill snapped her fingers. "what's happened."

"Nothing! No nothing's happened." She took another gulp of her pink concoction. "The night of Elena's quince I couldn't sleep and he called down to see if we were all ok. So we went to his apartment to sit for a bit and I just…."

"You slept with him?" Jill attempted to finish the sentence.

"No! I told you nothing happened. We just talked. But something… something changed." She took a deep breath "I wanted him to kiss me" She admitted earnestly

"So why didn't you kiss him?"

"Are you no hearing me correctly. It's Schneider! What self-respecting woman would… you even said it the day we met!"

"I know but I didn't know the guy behind that embarrassing pen stunt then."

"Look I don't have much experience with men." Ramona started as the other two laughed. "But from what I've heard this guy loves your kids, actually fixes things around your house and isn't a bad looking specimen. What's the problem?"

Penelope took a second to think over what she'd said, then finished her drink re-evaluating her earlier crisis.

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