“Jack,” Celina called out entering the quarters. “You here baby?” Standing in the middle of the room she waited listening for any sound. After several seconds of silence, Celina knew she had the room to herself. She had told Jack to meet her here after his duty shift but Celina needed to do something first. =/\=Computer lock the controls to the door. India Hotel Tango Delta Sierra and turn off all universal translators in the room =/\= she called out the code as she moved to take a seat at the coms station. She was wearing a huge smile for several reasons but at this exact second, it was completely due to giving the personalized command code for the door. The Orion Incident, as they referred to it, had truly changed them. One of such changes was the personalized code to his quarters. No syndicate member would ever find their way onto the Manhattan but Jack was one to never take chances. His intelligence training had taught him a specific skill set that allowed him to create the code to his door that was off the record and almost impenetrable. What was actually making her smile, however, was the access code. India Hotel Tango Delta Sierra was the official code but the reason for this combination of words was the statement: I hate this damn song. Celina should also hate it but to her, the song stood for all the positive times in their relationship. While Jack continued to claim it was made from the devil himself, little things like his code showed Celina he too felt it was tied forever to him.

Activating the long-range comms Celina waited. It wasn’t long until she saw the familiar face she was looking for. “Mi conejito,” Miranda, Celina’s grandmother, said with a smile lighting up her face. “Isabella it is our mi conejito,” she yelled out motioning for someone to come into visual range of the screen. Celina’s smile increased more hearing her family pet name being blared out from the speakers. That was until Isabella got her turn to speak.

“¿Qué te pasa? Tú no llamas. Tú no escribes. Qué,”Isabella began to ramble in Spanish before Miranda cut her off sharply. Celina shook her head with a grin getting the standard reprimand that she did not call or write enough for their tastes.

“English, please. Addie Shears might be there and he might be thinking we are talking about him. Guardar los españoles para cuando estamos hablando de él,” Miranda said the last part in Spanish generating a giggle between the two grandmothers on the other end of the line.

“That is what I was calling to talk to you about,” Celina said slowly raising her hand and showing off the ring on her middle finger. Her statement did not stop the giggling gaggle of grandmothers. It was the bling of her ring crossing several thousand light years that stopped Miranda and Isabelle cold. Leaning in as if it would close the distance between them the woman began to ramble again.

“Mi Dios Miranda que tiene que haberle costado seis meses de salario,” Isabella said moving her head back and forth as if this would give her a better glimpse at the diamond her Celina’s hand.

“Más. Mira la banda. Es una antigüedad,” Miranda countered almost breathless.

Celina belted out a large bubble of laughter. This was just like her grandmothers. There were no congratulations or we are so happy for you. It was just two old women scrutinizing the ring. “It was his mother’s ring,” Celina said in English and then stealing a glance at the door decided it was best to proceed in Spanish. “Jack and I wanted to tell you together but I just couldn’t wait a second longer so you have to act surprised when we do this again. Do you know how hard it was not to run from him the second he put it on my finger and call you,” Celina said happily. It was then she saw hamsters take to the wheels in her grandmothers head. Celina had to head the critters off at the pass.

“Bien, pero tienes que ser amable con él cuando llamo de nuevo y te decimos que estamos unidos juntos. Sin mencionar la iglesia o el padre Pepe o cómo nuestros hijos van a llevar el traje de seda de bautismo a la masa de todos los Rodriguez han usado desde el 1800 ‘ s. (Okay but you have to be nice to him when I call back and we tell you we are enganged together. No mentioning the church or father Pepe or how our children are going to wear the silk baptism suit to mass all Rodriguez’s have worn since the 1800’s.,)” the words rolled off her tongue in fluent Spanish. if Jack walked in she did not want him to know what they were talking about right now. “I just got him to ask me so no questions about anything wedding related because we have not decided anything yet,” Celina said firmly pointing a finger at them. Her grandmother’s love Jack except for one thing: he was not Catholic. Celina cared less but Miranda and Isabella had worried about this since the first time they met him. Celina told them they were going to raise any children in both the Muslim and Catholic faith which almost killed the women the first time. Celina’s parents were fine with the idea and encouraged it but the grandmothers were old and set in their ways. Once Celina had come to the realization that if they died over this choice then Isabelle and Miranda had had a good life and Celina would light a candle for them every Sunday.

“Celina,” Miranda leaned back crossing her hands over her body. “We love Addie Shears and everything about him.”

“It is Ardashir. Are Dah sheer not Addie shears,” Celina sighed shaking her head.

“What is she talking about. That is what I said. Addie Shears,” Miranda said in her thick Puerto Rican accent.

“You know how she gets. Ignore her,” Isabella said. It was then Celina heard Jack at the door. He was right on time as usual. Hopefully, Miranda and Isabella would be able to pull off a surprise convincingly enough.

“Bien bien recordar acto sorprendido. Te estoy llamando de vuelta, (okay okay remember act surprised. I am calling you right back),” Celina said quickly turning off the comm and diving over the back of the couch so that she would appear to be relaxing on it when Jack walked in. If her family was not such a force of nature, she could have announced her engagement like a normal woman. However, when her grandmothers were involved, everything required a bit of prep. They were two of the most stubborn people Celina had ever met so heading them off with what they weren’t supposed to say before they tried to say it was always a good plan.

Lt. Celina Rodriguez, CTO