"Do you think this is what they always talk about in the movies?"

She looked over at him from the couch, eyebrow raised.

"What?"

"This…" he gestured between them "…how much better it is with your best friend" he said like they had been talking about the topic the entire time.

She just sat up straighter and continued to stare at him. he moved slowly to stand behind her.

"You know, all those rom-coms where the girl is having trouble finding love and at the end she realises she was in love with her best friend the entire time, and it is everything she wanted. Now I know what that feels like!"

She rolled her eyes instead of mocking him she hopped up on her knees and kissed him gently.

"Do you remember that chat we had about how somethings you say make me question what in the world I was thinking?" she said as her cupped her cheek in his hand. She watched his face fall.

"Yes…"

"That was basically the opposite." He grinned broadly and kissed her again.

A loud rap on the door startled them both, there wasn't really enough time for them to react before…

"Schneider! Number 3 is saying their dishwaser is broken again can I borrow… Mom?" Elena stopped short in the door frame.

Penelope thought quickly and opened her mouth wide.

"Elena…" Schneider squeaked dropping his hand.

"What's going on?"

"I have a toothache and Schneider was looking to see if there was anything there." she said wiping her mouth with the back of her hand.

"I couldn't see anything." He replied quickly.

"Ooook." Elena's eyebrow raise an exact replica of her mother's a few seconds before.

"What are you doing barging in here like that?" Penelope said trying to flip the conversation quickly.

"I need…"

"Yeah Elena I could have been doing anything." The young woman's face moved to puzzlement.

"But you do it to us all the time."

"Yes, but four of us live in our apartment, we are much less likely to be up to anything… salacious in the living room." Penelope got herself off the couch.

Elena laughed heartily.

"Yeah you and Schneider up to something salacious." She laughed again.

"I'm going to go get you the tool belt." He said quickly moving back to the kitchen.

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

"morning e-Schneider."

"Good morning Lydia." He said swooping down to kiss her cheek.

"Your breakfast is on the counter." She said waving him off.

"You are the best." He said kissing her again. she smiled and puffer her chest out. "Morning guys."

Alex waved in acknowledgement and Elena smiled looking up from her phone briefly.

Just as he sat down Penelope came out of her room.

"Moring family… and Schneider." She smiled at him sure they were all distracted.

"Morning." Alex replied.

"How is your tooth today?" Elena asked distractedly.

"My wh… oh it's ok actually thank you. I think there must have been something stuck." She said brushing the comment aside.

"What is wrong with your tooth?" Lydia quizzed grabbing her daughters face.

"Nothing Ma." She tried to bat her away. "I just had a twinge yesterday."

"You have good strong Cubano teeth. They do not get twingers."

"I told you it's fine!"

"You need the VapoRub!" Penelope laughed and pulled away.

"I am not putting that stuff anywhere near my teeth! I will be fine. Now I must go to work. Come on kids lets go." She said gathering her bags. "I'll be late tonight Mami, I'm going for dinner straight after work."

"Ok darling have fun!" Lydia waggled her fingers smiling broadly.

As the flat emptied Schneider sat enjoying his breakfast, thinking absentmindedly about just how lucky he was.

"These eggs are amazing Lydia. So good."

"I'm glad you like them, it is a special dish. Family secret"

"I'm not going to ask. But I'm guessing there's some rum involved." He grinned.

"I could never say." She sat at the table opposite him leaning in with a grin. "So e-Schneider. What are you doing today?" her wide smile unnerving him immediately.

"I must do a hard ware store run, Elena has left me a list. And I'm collecting Alex after school to take him to his game." He shrugged.

"And tonight?" she probed.

"I'm going…out" he cursed himself for not thinking quicker.

"Out?"

"With my… my sponsor!" he said nodding wildly. "Why?"

"Just wondering. You have been out a lot lately. And I called to your apartment yesterday morning and it was locked."

"I… I must have locked it." he shrugged.

"It's just…. Lupe has been very 'out' too lately. I thought you might be out together."

She knew he was the weaker one. She knew he'd be the one to crack. He had to get out of there.

"what would make you think that?"

"Ah e-Schneider a mother knows these things."

He could feel a bead of sweat beginning to form at his temple.

"What things. Lydia what are you talking about?"

"The energy is different there is something…. Different." She said leaning into him. It took every ounce of strength he had not to flinch.

"I got a new shampoo?"

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

"Penelope, have you seen Mr Boyles test results, I can't remember where I put them."

"I left them beside the phone on your desk." She said gesturing behind her.

"Oh yes. Very good. Thank you"

"Eh hello?" a quiet voice turned her head towards the door. Standing there sheepishly was Schneider, a big grin on his face and a brown bag in his hand. She looked around quickly to check the doctor had left.

"What are you doing here?" she hissed moving towards him

"I'm just dropping off your lunch." He said holding up the bag.

"You… you made me lunch?"

"It's just a chicken salad thing, I fancied trying to make it for myself and had some left over." He shrugged the grin getting larger.

"that is…. Very sweet of you."

"It's just a salad" he shrugged, a slight blush creeping up under his beard.

"You want to come in?"

"You sure that's ok?" he said looking around.

"Yes, Lauren and Scott are out at lunch, might as well."

"I actually saw them leaving. Said I'd better wait"

Her heart wrenched slightly at his words.

"You waited outside until they left?"

"Of course, I knew you wouldn't want them wondering why I was here."

"Schneider.. I'm…" she reached across the table to take his hand.

"Schneider!" Dr Berkowitz came back into the room. Schneider stood up quickly,

"Hi Leslie how are you!? You… you man… standing there right now" he stammered nervously.

"I've been better. I just realised I left my fruit salad on the roof of my car this morning and must have driven off with it there." he said gloomily.

"Oh that's sad."

"Anyway, what are you doing here?" Penelope saw Schneider's eyebrows raise.

"He's here for lunch with me!" she said smiling. Schneider turned to her, confusion crossing his face.

"Oh very nice. Very nice." The doctor nodded "Well enjoy!" he said leaving the room.

"God you're jumpy" she grinned and dug into her food. Schneider grinned and sat back beside her.

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

"Hey hey buddy it's ok, just take a deep breath and calm down, I'm on my way." He said down the phone. "fifteen minutes tops! Promise." He finished hanging up and getting out of bed.

"Who was that?" Penelope asked sitting up.

"Alex" he replied while hopping into his jeans.

"What's wrong!"

"Nothing, nothing calm down" he waved at her. "he forgot the write up for his science project and needs it this morning."

"he forgot it? Why didn't he ring me?"

"I guess because it's in my living room."

"He's never been this worried about forgetting something before."

"He worked hard on this. He's been up here the last few weeks concentrating on it. I'm going to drop it in to him now." He leaned across the bed and kissed her cheek. "I'm also going to go collect those banners for Elena and take Lydia to the optician's, so I will see you after work ok"

He grabbed the last of his things and headed for the door.

"Schneider…" she called, he turned eyebrows raised. "…thank you." he just grinned and kept going.

She sat for a while staring at the door after he had left.

He was running around like a crazy person for her family. She couldn't help but smile goofily.

"Oh no." she said after a few seconds. "I'm going to have to tell them…."