It’s a Salamanca!
Summary: Lalo has a daughter no one knows about, and wants to keep it that way. But when she demands to live with him, he really doesn’t have a choice.
Pairing(s): Lalo Salamanca & Teen!Daughter OC, Lalo Salamanca X OFC (Past)
Warnings: Teen angst, Lowkey Daddy Issues
Lalo wasn’t known to be the most domestic type. But, he liked the idea of being a father some day. If he were being honest, he’d had a whole litter of kids if it were up to him. His uncle instilled him with the values of family, and he took that very seriously. So, a fling of his mentioned she was pregnant, Lalo was overjoyed. He was ready to drop everything and get married; however, she didn’t exactly feel the same.
They tried to make it work for the first few years. She moved out to his compound in Chihuahua and at first it was nice. Lalo was very attentive to her during her pregnancy, practically waiting on her hand and foot. But things took a turn for the worse, as it started to be too much. Lalo never let her leave his sight, and when he had to leave for business, he had Miguel glued to her side. Not to mention she couldn’t even leave if she wanted to. ‘It’s dangerous for you to leave in your state,’ he would tell her, ‘If you need something, I’ll have Yolanda or Miguel get it for you.’ She felt trapped, a prisoner in her own home. Things only got worse after the baby was born.
Still, they were more than happy. She gave birth to a healthy baby girl they named Evelina, or Eva for short. She had big brown eyes and tufts of dark hair. When Lalo first laid eyes on her, he felt a love he had never felt before and knew that he would do anything for his daughter.
Eva’s mother, however, felt like she was going insane. Her postpartum hit hard and Lalo knew deep down he couldn’t keep her here anymore. Her mood swings were becoming too much for him to handle, but Yolanda had said something about it. The older woman knew that Lalo couldn’t keep his baby mama here without someone getting hurt. So, he packed up all her stuff and let her go back to her family. However, he had Eva stay with him. For a time, that is.
As happy as his Tió Hector was for Lalo to have a kid, he advised him that she should be with her mother. Honestly, Hector saw Eva as a distraction from the business and until Lalo had a son, he shouldn’t be too involved. Of course, Lalo didn’t even wanna think about the idea of letting his baby girl go, but Hecotr’s word was law. Plus, his baby mama was able to heal from their time together and wanted Eva to live with her. His hands were pretty much tied at this point. Lalo felt like his heart was being carved from his chest. Eva was only 2 years old when her mother took her, ever since then, things weren’t the same.
He still tried to have a good relationship with his daughter. He sent her letters and gifts, calling when she was old enough to use the phone. When she was 5, Eva visited him one summer and Lalo felt complete again. She definitely had grown since the last time he saw her. Her hair had grown into brown, wavy locks that were usually tied up into pigtails. But, she still has those big brown eyes that would make anyone’s heart melt. She was sweet and had a little bit of a mischievous side to her, but it was mostly to sneak pieces of candy before dinner. Lalo didn’t want her to leave, but knew things would only be worse if he didn’t.
It had been 9 years later since she visited her father. Lalo still called and sent gifts, but it didn’t fill the void she felt in her heart. Even Eva’s stepfather couldn’t make up for the man she new to be her real dad. It hurt even more that her mother seemed to act like he didn’t even exist. She hated when her mom did that. From what Eva saw, her mom was the reason she couldn’t see her dad. Why he lived so far away. Her mother didn’t blame her, she never told Eva the truth about her dad and the Salamanca family. She didn’t want to taint her life. But, like Lalo always said, the Salamanca blood runs hot.
Eva had gotten into another fight at school, her third one this year. She was nearly expelled, but her mother pleaded that she needed another chance. So, the principal settled on suspension.
The ride home was tense. Eva was slumped in the backseat as she crossed her arms and started at the window, refusing to speak to her mother. Who was sitting in the passenger seat as her stepfather drove. “Three week suspension. Three weeks! This isn’t just a vacation for you, do you even realize this means?” her mother exclaimed.
“Are you even gonna ask me my side—”
“No! That doesn’t matter. What matters is that your suspended and that girl has a broken nose!”
“She deserve it she’s a cunt!” Eva remarked.
“Language!”
“She is!” she sat up to finally look at her mother, “How come you never have my side? Dad said to always defend myself no matter who it is.”
“Yeah, I’m sure your father did,” her mother grumbled.
“Why do you do that? Dad’s the one protecting me—”
“Protecting?” her mother scoffed, “You think your father’s always right, don’t you? And I’m just mean ol’ mom trying to ruin your relationship.”
“Yes I do! You’re horrible and I hate you! I wanna live with dad!” Eva exclaimed.
Her mother rolled her eyes, “Yeah, sure you do.”
“I do! I’m gonna call dad tonight and I’m going to live with him.”
“You know what, fine. Be my guest.”
When they got home, Eva immediately stormed to her room and slammed her door shut, like every angsty teen. She felt tears form in her eyes as she pulled out her phone and dialed her dad. “Please pick up, please…” she whispered to herself as she heard the other line ring.
“Hello?”
“Papa?” Eva said with a small sob.
“Mijá? Qué pasó? What happened? Are you okay?” his voice was filled with concern.
“I can’t do it anymore, I can’t live here. Please, I hate it here!”
“Mijá…” he sighed solemnly.
Lalo knew he couldn’t really. He lived a dangerous life, and Hector would never approve. But, Hector couldn’t really make that decision anymore. Still, he doubted his ex would agree to this.
“Please!” Eva continued, “I don’t wanna be here anymore, I don’t wanna be around her. She said I could live you, please Papa!”
When he heard how distraught Eva sounded, his heart twisted in his chest. Needless to say, Lalo to booked the first flight for Eva to fly to Albuquerque. Which, she was confused at first, but he simply explained he would be in the States for some business. Eva said nothing to her mom when they dropped her off at the airport. She didn’t care. All the mattered what that she’d finally be with her dad. A small apart of her was nervous though. 9 years was a long time of not seeing each other, but she just knew things would be okay.
Lalo didn’t tell Nacho much, other than to drive him to Albuquerque International Sunport. Then again, he never told Nacho much about anything. The younger of the two did eventually ask, “Who are we picking up?”
“An…associate of mine.”
Nacho was suspicious but said nothing more of the matter. While they waited, Lalo anxiously looked over the crowd. Would Eva still love him despite his absence? Maybe she resented him all these years? He wasn’t sure. Through their calls, he assumed her mother didn’t turn her against him. Hell, Lalo was pretty sure his ex didn’t even tell Eva what his actual job was. He intended to keep it that way. Eva deserved a good life, and Lalo would give her one if it was the last thing he did.
He quickly spotted those familiar doe-eyes and saw Eva sprinted through the crowd, “Papa!”
His arms flew up as she practically jumped into them. Eva clung onto him and Lalo held her right, as if she’d disappear if he let go. “Mijá,” he said, peppering kisses to her temple, “I missed you so much.”
“I miss you too,” she murmured, pressing her face into the crook of his neck.
She had grown significantly, but was still shorter than him. She was maybe 5’2, and her brown hair had grown long to reach her lower back. But, it was tied into a loose ponytail. In Lalo’s opinion, she looked more like her mother than himself, but Eva’s mom always said how she looked like her father. Especially her smile.
Nacho just watched with wide eyes. Never did he think Lalo would have a daughter. Hector or Tuco never mentioned her, and neither did Lalo himself. Which was surprising considering the man never shut up. Then again, he understood why. His daughter had a huge target on her back. Especially since he knew he would have to tell Fring about this.
When Lalo set Eva down, Nacho regained his composure and his usual stoic expression. “Nachito, this my daughter Eva. Mijá, this is Nacho my…coworker,” he introduced.
Eva couldn’t help but chuckle a little, “Nacho?”
“It’s a nickname,” he muttered.
Just from the look of her grin he knew:
She was a Salamanca.