Lazy Imagination

"𝑃𝑜𝑟 𝑙𝑎 𝑓𝑎𝑙𝑡𝑎 𝑑𝑒 𝑡𝑢𝑠 𝑙𝑎𝑏𝑖𝑜𝑠 𝑙𝑙𝑜𝑟𝑒 𝑝𝑜𝑟 𝑝𝑟𝑖𝑚𝑒𝑟𝑎 𝑣𝑒𝑧 𝑦 𝑚𝑎𝑙𝑑𝑖𝑗𝑒 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑜𝑐𝑒𝑟𝑡𝑒 𝑝𝑜𝑟 𝑛𝑜 𝑑𝑒𝑗𝑎𝑟 𝑑𝑒 𝑞𝑢𝑒𝑟𝑒𝑟𝑡𝑒"

Raquel y Sergio juntos 1 Hour - Money Heist - La Casa de Papel Original…

I am so in love with this music, and I discover that it’s the musical theme created for Sergio&Raquel!! It’s perfect. Sorry for my recent obsession with these two idiot lovers, but if you like beautiful romances, this is for you, I highly recommend them, this is one of the best romantic relationships on TV for me, and my top 1 ship which is very limited, but them … damn them !!! . The show is also excellent, I regret not having taken the time to watch it earlier. (spoiler about Sergio&Raquel below this paragraph) Two people, on two opposite camps (enemy and lovers at the same time,.. just perfection), who fall in love. I love every moment Raquel pointed her gun at Sergio, slapped him or hit him hard (even bite him… Poor Professor xD But the scene just after is the best of them, when she is tied up and she kissed him… wow… the kiss is beautiful and so intense) And every moment he made her uncomfortable in front of her colleagues with his inappropriate questions. I adore that, despite her ethics, her values, her work, she chooses love. that she understands that he’s not the bad guy, and that she denies her life, her freedom, her job, for him. She throws everything in the trash (except her mother and her daughter of course xD) for him! And that’s wonderful, because he really deserves it, and her too, after her ex-husband, the piece of shit who beat her! She finally finds a good man in the most romantic and beautiful way. She would rather die than betray him, and it’s just beautiful. And so painful when he thinks she died to protect him. It’s also too good to see him open up so much to her, tell her all these beautiful things that he experiences for the first time. This man, so rigorous and perfectionist with his plan, risking to screw it up because he wanted to be with her. When he watches her sleeping, he realizes that he’s falling in love, for the first time in his life, and that he is fucked, because the head of operations of a robbery must not fall in love with the inspector who is in charge of the investigation and negotiations… It doesn’t have a happy ending, and yet… She chooses him…   It’s a very beautiful love story and this music, creating for them both, is just wonderful. I can’t wait for season 5 and also disappointed that it will be the last. I will miss these two lovebirds. I will learn how to make gifs and I will make lots of them !! 

Also, Spanish show are amazing ! (La Casa de Papel, Gran Hotel, Velvet and many others.)

ESCAPAR

Summary: AU | Raquel decides to stay with Sergio instead of visiting Angel in the hospital, afraid she will get arrested in the process. So she ends up escaping with the gang and has to learn how to live as a fugitive.   [AO3] [spirit]

Chapter 9 - Bonnie y Clyde PT. I 

“Nonna, is there any other way out of the house?” Raquel had an urgent tone and when she turned her eyes back to Nonna, her expression had already changed, Inspector Murillo taking on full control. The old lady also noticed the change in the air and frowned in concern.

“What happened?”

“Yes or no?”

“Y-yes … by the kitchen”

Raquel did not have to wait any longer. She worked well under pressure, it needed seconds for her to activate the police mode and calculate a effective strategy. In the end, there is not much difference between running away and chasing someone. All this dancing is about who gets to the finish line, the competition is what really matters, and Raquel wished she had prepared herself better than with just a pistol attached to her waist. She passed through Nonna without a word and walked to the kitchen, finding Sergio already putting on his black jacket, his hands dripping from the dishes he was washing.

“How did they find this place?” She asked even if she knew the answer.

“They made the math, just like you did in the hangar,” Sergio said without looking at her. He seemed less calm than normal but not completely relaxed and that took off Raquel’s confidence. She saw his fingers tremble and helped him with his jacket and backpack, picking up his car keys in it’s front pocket.

“We’re not going to need it,” he announced, taking the keys from her hand and throwing it in the sink’s drain “I have a plan”

“Of course you have” Raquel mocked and Sergio gave her a half smile before heading to his grandmother to give precise instructions in Italian about how to behave when the police knocks on her door. Then, he looked around and began throwing all the plates and cups that were left for drying, shattering them into a tiny pieces. He messed up the kitchen table, tore the curtains out of the window, and destroyed everything he could to set the perfect scene of a fight.

“I need some of your hair,” he told Raquel, who ripped out a few strands without a second thought. He spread the strings across the floor and left his own fingerprints on chairs, tables, and walls. She did the same, trying her best to help, until a crazy idea came to her mind, making her body shiver.

“How about some blood?” She asked, and he turned around to stare at the knife in her hand, ready to slice a part of her own body.

“I think it’s exaggerated, Raquel. And I would never ask you to do something like that, it’s very dangerous… ”

But Raquell didn’t even listen to what he said. She was used to improvising, which was what she did best, especially when she had little time to decide what to do. And following her impulses was what she loved most in herself, she felt free , like the owner of her own destiny when she did so.

It wasn’t difficult for her to open a small cut in her hand, deep enough to drain a good amount of blood. With the adrenaline, didn’t even feel much pain: the bright red liquid flooded in her palm, and she clenched her fist, letting the drops fall onto the kitchen floor and sink. She also left bloody stains on the white walls and refrigerator until he held her wrist softly, to stop her.

“That’s enough” he said, wrapping a dishcloth carelessly on her injured hand “We have to go”

“Be careful!” Nonna shouted when they were almost at the door and Sergio came back to kiss on her forehead.

He whispered something in her ear again that made her open a sad smile before turning her back to her. Raquel felt her heart small and she could not stop looking back as Sergio pulled her out the doorway, into the  night immensity dark of the night. Nonna looked so fragile, waving from the open kitchen door, and Raquel was terrified for her, knowing everything the police could do to reflect on Sergio. She wanted to go back and take Nonna along with them but could watch as the Professor led the way. She even tried to yell a “thank you” but she was too far away to be heard.

They ran together, hand in hand, down the hill with the dark night casting a shadow over them. There were no sirens or sounds of gunfire, but everything seemed far more threatening in the deep silence and any small noise alerted her senses. Raquel couldn’t get her injured hand off from her waist, where the gun rested, but Sergio did not even notice, making his way through the high grass, to a small abandoned barn, lit by a very deem yellow light.

“Sergio, who owns is this place?” She asked as he forced the wooden doors to open. “Do you really want to argue about this now?” He complained without looking at her. “Of course, you already have the dirty pile of police charges, we don’t need another one for trespassing!”

The door opened with a bang and raised a lot of dust, dancing in the air, lit by the weak light. The interior of the barn was very dark and seemingly empty, except for a large gray cloth covering something big that Raquel couldn’t identify at first. Sergio entered without second thoughts but Raquel stood in the doorway, covering.

“It was from Nonna’s husband. They used to stock grapes from the old harvest” he replied, removing the cloth and taking a good look at what lay beneath. The black motorcycle looked pretty old, too big to be vintage, and like everything else there was also a filthy. Sergio smiled and smoothed the leather bench. “But the bike is mine”

Raquel had already witnessed his abilities on motorcycles but still doubted that the big metal junk would work. She was pretty sure that would be a waste of time, but she kept quiet while Sergio rummeged in the engine. Her hand tingled and she desperately wanted to remove the pistol and stand guard. But it made no sense to show off when there was no real danger, only the high bush and an old plantation of grapes in the distance. Raquel listened but there was no sound. Not even the crickets sang on the night of the full moon. The void made her uneasy because she preferred the noise, the scandal. She knew how to handle screams, sirens and shots. But the feeling of not being fully protected and not being able to trust her senses made her spine twitch.

“There’s little gas,” he finally said, pushing the bike out of the barn. “But I think we make at least six miles with it.”

“It’s enough to get to the road,” she reasoned as he closed his black helmet around his head “But when they realize that we’re still here they will close the borders … if they haven’t already done so”

“It’s a risk we will have to take. I hope I didn’t spend all my luck on the robbery.” The motorcycle rumbled beneath him and Raquel stepped away involuntarily. He looked uncertain at her, from behind the glass of his helmet, and held out another one for her. “You’re coming, right?”

The inspector didn’t allow herself to hesitate anymore. In parts because she desperately needed to leave that place but also because she remembered the promise she made him, that she would help him when he needed. I’m with you. Her words echoed in her mind in the few seconds Raquel took to take the helmet from his hands and put it on. And she smiled, feeling her heart calm down a bit as she wrapped her arms around his waist behind the bike. Sergio rolled the bike, and with the wind blowing her hair, she felt invincible.

He drove along bumpy dirt roads until they reached the main highway that led to the border between Italy and Switzerland. Raquel recognized the blue and red lights first: two little dots glowing in the black night that grew bigger and bigger until they multiplied, becoming a police parade, blocking the main road. There were at least five police cars, and Raquel knew they couldn’t, by themselves, take all the cops inside the cars without some of them calling reinforcements. Sergio, in front of her, let the air out of his lungs slowly and the inspector understood without him having to say a word. It would lead into a chase. Searching and capturing. A matter of hours until closing the borders

Shit. She thought and craned her neck to look at the gasoline level of the bike above Sergio’s shoulder. He turned his head to look at her. “I know someone who owes me a favor,” he said, and the sound came muffled. “Maybe we can get a helicopter to get out of here, the helipad is near and we won’t spend that much gas.”

He took a disposable cell phone from his jacket pocket and dialed a number. While the professor was talking nervously in Italian on the phone, Raquel glanced forward again, staring at the cars in the distance. Days ago she would be in one of those vehicles, holding her badge in her chest with pride, eager for the glory of putting the greatest thief in Spanish in jail. She would handcuff him, recite a prison warrant she knew by heart, and sentence him a lifetime behind bars. Then she would go home happily, with a latte in her hands and her daughter coming to her after a long period of work. Raquel closed her eyes and wished that she could unite everything that she loved the most in the same scenario. Her old life, her career and the possibility of a future next to him. She wished things were that simple, exact, like one plus one is two.

But when she opened her eyelids again, she could only see equations too difficult to solve.

It wasn’t long until Sergio turn off his phone and followed her eyes to the parking police cars. “We need to do this first, you know.”

The inspector sighed “All right”

And without saying anything else, Sergio accelerated his bike as much as he could.

ESCAPAR

Summary: AU | Raquel decides to stay with Sergio instead of visiting Angel in the hospital, afraid she will get arrested in the process. So she ends up escaping with the gang and has to learn how to live as a fugitive.   [AO3] [spirit]

Chapter 8 - Nonna

They spent other fifteen days in Switzerland until Sergio finished all the business and made sure they were completely safe out of the country. Raquel wanted to go early, bargained as much as she could, even suggested they’d go with her annoying bodyguard stuck with them, but in the end, she was left with count the days in front of the TV in the living room, watching as the world would continue to spin.

Madrid remained in the same chaos. Protests exploded everywhere, and although the people with Dalí masks in the streets hailed the bravery and audacity of the thieves as superheroes, they only seemed to instigate the police even more, who were constantly making search operations as a witch hunt. Raquel heard her name repeatedly in the mouths of several reporters, some defending her and others doubting her innocence as the last hostage of the heist. Sergio’s face appeared several times as well, and Raquel watched the video of herself kick in his arms at the port of Madrid on repeat until she couldn’t stand it anymore and turned off the TV.

Maybe that’s why she decided to carry the concealed black pistol with her on the trip, even if she had promised no guns. Feeling it full with ammunition in the holster under her skirt brought a twisted feeling of security, and Raquel concluded that no one is entirely safe when hiding from the police. She didn’t show it, but she was electric, fully on alert. Her police senses were constantly on since they left the apartment and took a clandestine plane that would take them to Italy.

Sergio’s hands was also sweaty on the wheel of the gray BMW, indicating his nervousness, but for a completely different reason: the encounter between Raquel and his grandmother. He drove slowly, almost below the speed limit of the deserted road, and feeling stupid for letting something as silly as Raquel meeting what was left of his family make him so apprehensive.

It’s not that he didn’t trust Raquel with this information: his confidence skills improved a lot after they talked about what happened on the port. It was Nonna he did not trust. The old lady was very sweet, affectionate and protective, but could be a hell on earth if you mess with her family. And his relationship with Raquel was new and still complicated, full of mood swings and unfilled gaps. Sergio did not want to scare her or let her down when everything seemed to get better.

“Hey,” Raquel whispered softly resting her hand on his leg. “I know you’re worried. I need to admit I’m also not completely relaxed about this, but it’s going to be ok!” “Yes, of course it will,” he said and forced a smile. “I just… I never introduced anyone to my grandmother, I’m not used to… dealing with that kind of situation.” Raquel laughed sweetly and came closer to give him a soft kiss on his cheek. “I can’t believe you’re more nervous because I’m meeting your grandma than with the fact that we’re fugitives?”

“Well, you are not a fugitive, you are my hostage. But yes, there is also that,” Sergio laughed along adjusting the glasses on his nose, then turned the wheel around with a curve of the road. “The truth is, I didn’t have as many relationships in my life like you did. None, to be specific. And I’m used to be prepare for everything but this is still unknown territory to me” “Well, no one is fully prepared to meet their in-laws. And our troubled relationship doesn’t make things any easier” she smiled sweetly and turned her gaze to the road, now adorned with a breathtaking green landscape view. "Think of it as a simple dinner with special people. What’s the worst that could happen?”

Raquel took Sergio’s hand in silence, shortly after he pressed the bell of the house where his grandmother lived. The residence was the typical sweet fairytale house, directly coming out of a romcom set in Italy: it was on top of a low hill and far from any kind of civilization. The entrance path was framed by white wooden fence keeping a beautiful garden of red roses and the smell of fresh apple pie being cooked escaped through the half-open windows.

During the whole trip, the inspector didn’t think much about how she would be introduced, but a second before the door opened, Raquel felt scared of a rejection. She was surely far from being the princess any mother had dreamed of for her son, and for the first time she felt dislocated with her independent, strong and rebellious aesthetics. But the insecurity soon gave way to a larger feeling that filled her heart when she saw Sergio’s eyes watering as he faced the small lady with white puffy hair who opened the door, looking suspicious.

"Hello Nonna,” he said, and his voice was shaky. Nonna frowned her wrinkled eyes at Raquel first and then directed her eyes to hiim, opened them wide in surprise. “Sergio?” She called and a smile came to her lips. “Is that you?” “It’s me” Sergio now cried and laughed at the same time and Raquel only let go of his squeezing hand when the professor hugged his grandmother.

It was such an important and delicate moment that Raquel’s heart grew three times in size when she saw him so happy. He was in the arms of the woman who raised him without asking for anything in return, who loved him as his son, and included him in the family even without any obligation to do so. Raquel thought of all the love her own mother felt for her, and how this love doubled in size and crosses through her body, involuntarily, when Paula was born, as if very thin imaginary lines connected all three women forever right there in the maternity hospital. The inspector smiled, seeing nonna hold Sergio’s face the same way that Maribi used to do with her and saw the power of a mother’s love washing over him.

“I thought you were in jail! Or worse, dead! So many things happened, the TV does not stop talking about you. Your brother …” Nonna started but stopped when Sergio nodded positively, closing his eyes.

As if the mentioning of Berlin was a trigger, Nonna suddenly felt Raquel’s presence by his side, shifting the weight of her body under her uncomfortable feet. She gave her a glare that went quickly from sadness to rage and soon to disgust and Raquel could not bear to stare back. She looked at her feet instead and played with her watchband hoping that awkward moment would be over soon.

"Nonna” Sergio cleared his throat and readjusted his posture “I assume you already know Raquel Murillo” “Sergio, my dear, I’m very happy that you came to visit me, I missed you so much! But I will not accept cops inside my house,” she said firmly, almost outraged, resting her hands on her hips. “They’re killers using guns and badges and they’ve destroyed our family, you know that.”

“Grandma, listen to me, Raquel’s is different. We…” “Sergio, it’s okay” Raquel interrupted softly “She has every right to …” “No, she needs to know! She needs to know, Raquel, you said it yourself that she is a part of my story and I want to be able to share it with you too.” Sergio put an awkward arm around Raquel’s back, resting a cold hand on her waist, and stared at his grandma shocked gaze with his chin up.

“I love her, Nonna. I didn’t predict it, I didn’t plan it and maybe it was a mistake, but it happened. You’ve always taught me that we have to take responsibility for our mistakes so I’m doing it now. Raquel was the best mistake I’ve made so far and if she can’t hen I will not either.”

Nonna was silent for a long time, alternating the look of judgment between her grandson and Raquel while the inspector stared at him in shock as well. Then the elderly straightened her posture and looked uncomfortable in the doorway, wiping her hands on the apron that covered the flanel dress.

“I thought your brother was the only stubborn rebel in this family, Sergio, but I assume you both got this behavior from your father…” she said at last, pursing her lips in frustration. Then she just turned around entering the house again “Alright. Take your shoes off before coming in, I just cleaned up. The lasagna will be ready soon.”

"It was delicious” Raquel dared to praise after a particularly quiet dinner. Sergio told his grandmother all the details of the robbery that didn’t pass on the TV, and she listened to it quietly, casting curious glances at them. She was a very suspicious lady, Raquel concluded, a typical Italian grandmother who, despite her age, had a talent for cooking and would protect her family tooth and nail if necessary.

“Thank you so much for the dinner, Mrs…?” she trailed off, glancing to Sergio and realizing that she had not remembered to ask his grandmother’s real name.

“Uhm … Nonna doesn’t reveal her name to anyone” he whispered, adjusting his glasses and Raquel frowned. “Her husband was one of the leaders of the Italian resistance during the second world war. They had to adopt codenames so the Fascist government wouldn’t find them.”

Raquel studied the little old lady, eating another bite of lasagna, and thought of all that she had suffered in her life to keep her family alive and together. She had to bury not only her husband, but her children and one of her grandsons, and has to live alone isolated all those years where memories haunted her. Suddenly the house looked less like fairytales and more like a melancholic and painful place. The inspector looked around, at the countless family portraits resting on shelves of the wooden dining room, and couldn’t even imagine the whole story behind them.

"It must have been unbearably difficult,” Raquel suggested.

“Well, it was Nonna who taught me Bella Ciao when I was little. During the robbery I tried to teach the lyrics to the gang as a motivation…“ Sergio added, trying to shift the mood and Nonna opened the first smile of the evening. “I’m not quite sure if they got the message of the song, though”

“I’m not surprised if they didn’t. You only know the true meaning of war if you are in one” Nonna looked wisely, and Raquel noticed a few similarities with Sergio in the way she talked. “But I’m proud of you, for honoring it”  

"You are a very strong woman, Nonna, it’s quite admirable.” the inspector smiled, searching for the right words as if she was stepping in eggs “And, about earlier, I understood your reaction, you were completely entitled to it. But, if I must say, I don’t think I want to be a member of the police force anymore”

Nonna stopped with her fork halfway through her mouth and Sergio immediately looked at Raquel with a confused expression. She simply ignored him and continued.

"After what happened during the heist, I found out that I don’t agree with some principles of being an inspector, especially regarding the national security service of Spain…” she looked at her empty plate and felt nauseous when she remembering all the many occasions she felt humiliated by Colonel Prieto, by her ex-husband, or by any other man that believed to be better than her was just because was born with the XY chromosomes. “They believe everything is in black and white. But some things are… in shades of gray”

When Raquel finally met the professor’s gaze, she saw a whole universe in his eyes and vaguely remembered that Nonna stared at them from the other side of the table. He smiled and she softened, making her giggle as they touched their hands under the table like two teenagers in love.

“Well… I think we’re done here.” Nonna interrupted, resting the cutlery on the empty plate. “Honey, can you please wash the dishes? I want to have a private conversation with the inspector”

Raquel inhaled slowly and Sergio nodded in silence. He picked up the dirty dishes and exchanged a brief worried glance with her before retiring to the kitchen. Nonna got out of her chair, with some difficulty due to age, as soon as he was out of sight.

“You know I don’t usually look for news of what is happening in Spain, I only see what they say in the local newspaper here.” she said, circling the table slowly and Raquel didn’t know if she should get up to help her. "But I mean the whole world when I say that the newspapers have a lot to say about you, young lady”

“I know,” she said, feeling defeated and ashamed somehow.

“For a long time, I agreed and disagreed with much of what the journalists said. I thought you only wanted the harm of my grandson. But today, I saw the way he looks at you and how you look at him, and I realized that it does not matter what I think.” Nonna opened the cupboard behind Raquel where she supposed there would be plates and cutlery but instead she found books and records.

“I mean, I just an old lonely lady, who am I to judge?” “You are very special to him, ma’m” Raquel smiled and got up to make room for the old woman to rummage inside the cupboard.

"When I was younger, I fell madly in love with a beautiful, intelligent, brave man who lived two houses after mine. We dated in secret for a long time because he was from a much poorer family than mine and it was outrageous if we were even seen together.” Nonna seemed to speak on her own, but Raquel partially identified herself with the story and wondered how much the newspapers had revealed about her relationship with Sergio.

“And when the war hit us, they called me crazy for giving up everything I had to escape with a revolutionary, futureless delinquent” Raquel watched the lady pull out a small green wooden box from the highest shelf and close the cupboard. She set the box on the dining table and opened it, containing: two cigars, some wrapped papers, two silver rings, and a necklace that caught Raquel’s attention.

“When we ran away, Salvatore gave me this necklace as a gift,” she said, pulling out the jewelry with shaking hands, and Raquel could see the pendant. It looked like a small cage meticulously carved in silver that nestled a light pink pearl inside.

“Salva…” she murmured to herself, raising her eyebrows as she understood Sergio’s tribute to his grandfather. But Nonna couldn’t know that.

“Yes, well we never had codenames for each other. He was always my Salvatore” she smiled, spinning the pendant around her wrinkled fingers. “You see, every pearl when inside an oyster’s shell, has a different color shade. And people say that every color has it’s meaning, as a lucky charm. This one means love and I want you to have it.”

Raquel’s eyes widened, completely baffled. “No, no, no, it’s a family treasure! I can’t…”

“Of course you can.” Nonna grabbed her hand and put the necklace inside the palm before closing the inspector’s fingers around it. “I may not agree with Sergio’s choice, but it’s the one he did. Can’t come back from it now. And I support it, as long as he is happy… ”

The lady released her hand and Raquel studied the jewelry more closely. It didn’t look very refined but it was beautiful. The loose pearl inside the silver arrangement gleamed in the light as if it was made with stardust and she felt she could break it with any more abrupt movement.

“Just don’t ruin everything, will you, dear?” Nonna asked, patting her on the shoulder and she felt she was about to cry. Raquel wanted to thank the elder for the gesture but when she looked up again, something caught her attention and the smile on her lips faded, being replaced by panting breathing and racing heartbeat.

Through the window behind Nonna, at the end of the night-drenched landscape, a red-and-blue siren glowed on the horizon.

ESCAPAR

Summary: AU | Raquel decides to stay with Sergio instead of visiting Angel in the hospital, afraid she will get arrested in the process. So she ends up escaping with the gang and has to learn how to live as a fugitive.   [AO3] [spirit]

Chapter 7 - Conocerte

The afternoon turned into evening and it faded into dawn while Sergio and Raquel made love. They took their sweet time enjoying the sensations that their bodies could produce together, and even with Raquel’s characteristic impatience, everything was made or done calmly: touching, feeling and tasting every inch of each other’s bodies like the world had stopped spinning. They reached the climax together and slowly, almost painfully, Sergio watched her squirming in pleasure on top of him as if it was the most beautiful painting he had ever seen.

When they were finally satisfied, it was late and they were sweaty and tired. He programmed a song to play on the stereo system of the TV - jazz, because that was the only thing she was a little familiar with - and he wanted to sleep right there, clinging to her body while Rachel smiled, feeling him dance his hands down her spine. Sergio and Raquel have never had a moment so peaceful and sweet like that, not even during the heist. It was always urgent and intense, both competing for dominance and power even when she didn’t know he was the professor. They used to fuck, not make love. And she loved the fetish but there, lying with the lazy beats of the song and the night breeze blowing through the open window, Raquel thought that if they dared to close their eyes to rest, it would all fade away.

“Paula played in my room for hours” she said out of the blue, her voice really low. She remembered the image of her daughter happily playing on the screen of the notebook earlier “Mama couldn’t get her out of there, not even for dinner”

Raquel didn’t wanted to ruin the relaxing atmosphere with more pain and misery but she kept on thinking about her family and what she felt while seeing them on the screen and not being able to contact them, to tell them she was fine and that she missed them badly. And lying on Sergio’s chest, hearing his heart beats as a lullaby, it made her feel safe enough to open up, to share her angst and hope that he would do the same in return because that was what a relationship really meant. To share.

“How were you getting the signal?” he asked after a few moments. “It’s cameras” she shrugged “They can be remotely operated. I hided a few around the house when I was married to Alberto to make sure he didn’t abuse Paula when I wasn’t watching. Never found anything, though. And when I got divorced, I thought it was better to leave them, because of my mom’s disease…”

“How is she?” he asked, trying to read her expression in the dark. It was a strange mix of melancholy and numbness.

“My sister is there. She keeps on forgetting and asking for me but Laura always comes up with a different story to cover up for my disappearing.” she sighed “Who would know that she cares about anything besides Alberto, after all”

Raquel laughed a little but it was bitter and Sergio curled his mouth in a straight line. He wanted to comfort her but didn’t know how, feeling that he was the biggest cause of her problems. So he chose to queeze her against his bare chest and kiss the top of her head, making sure she would understand that he got her back, no matter what. She smiled softly in response.

“Listen, about what I said…” he cleaned his throat nervously and she propped her chin up to look inside his eyes “I’m sorry, but I still mean it. We need to stop playing like rats and cats. I believe it is not… healthy, for neither of us.” he started, reaching out to put his glasses back on. “But I understand now what you did. Seeing your family on that notebook… you wanted to protect them the same way I wanted to protect the thieves inside the mint. So yeah, you were right. I would have done the same.”

Sergio slipped a strand of her hair behind her ear but was too embarrassed to meet her gaze. She remained silent, only furrowing her brows, and that made him feel even more awkward, not quite sure about what words to use next.

“I just… Raquel, I really want to make this work. We can create plans and execute them perfectly until the day we don’t need to anymore. We can come up with something to get your mom and your daughter out of there and run away to Palawan the way we dreamed that morning. I will help you with that. But I need to know if you will help me too when I need. You see, I’m not an expert in relationships, for I only had a few, but whenever…”

“I will help you” she interrupted taking the hand he used to brush her hair away from her face to make him stop talking “I said I was with you before and I still am. I’m sorry if my impulsive actions made you doubt that.”

Raquel locked her brown sad eyes in his again and when they finally met, Sergio felt his heart skipping a beat. He cleaned his throat. “It is perfectly ok. You miss your family.”

“I missed you too, today” she smiled, leaning her head to peck his lips. But Raquel’s expression changed while they were still kissing and Sergio felt her body tensing a bit. He parted their lips.

“What is it?” Sergio whispered so low that Raquel was sure she could only hear it because their lips were centimeters apart.

“Hm?” she murmured, her eyes still closed. “I thought you…” he started but stopped mid-sentence, scared it would only trigger another fight “nevermind, I guess it was all in my head.”

She huffed, impatiently.

“I just… Look, it’s been a week since we met. And you know my mother, my daughter, you probably studied my past for your perfect plan… you even met my ex-husband and knocked him out.” she arched her eyebrows dramatically and Sergio chucked “But, when it comes to you… I’m always a step behind. I’m always wondering, I’m never certain of anything. Because, I met the professor and I got to know Salva. But, at the end of the day I still know nothing about Sergio.”

Raquel said it all at once, feeling a silly insecurity as if she was confessing an embarrassing secret. It was his turn to stay quiet thought. He threw his head back, looking at the ceiling with a reflective look.

“You know me more than you believe, Raquel” he said at last “I guess I am a little bit of Salva and the professor. I’m the guy who flirted with you on the phone but I’m also the same guy that planned a future with you in your bed that day. Nothing changed”

“What about your family? Your past…” she asked but regretted immediately. It was a too sensitive subject and she knew Sergio would have to think about Berlin. But Raquel didn’t took back the question. She had her ups and downs as well and it was fair enough if he shared his ugly parts as well. And since the heist, the inspector needed to know who was that stranger she was sleeping with.

Sergio sighed and intertwined their fingers together as if it was something to distract him from the pain that was yet to come.

“I was very ill since my birth and my mom died from medical issues in the labor. I never met her.” he stopped and Raquel thought he was done talking but then he continued.

“As i told you before, I spent my childhood at different hospitals and my father used to plan and execute heists to pay for my clinical expenses. He died in front of a bank in the middle of one of his robberies when I was 14.”

“You two seemed to be very close” she said, caressing his chest to soothe him.

“We were. He told me his adventures as a bedtime stories, stealing money from the rich to give to the pour like fucking robin hood” Sergio laughed still looking at the ceiling but Raquel saw a single tear rolling down his eyes. “He was my hero, my friend. Everything I had. And when he died, I was devastated. I became a sick orphan over the night and would have gone to the foster system if it wasn’t for an egocentric stuck up teenager who entered my room at the hospital saying ‘hello, little brother’”

Raquel left his chest and sitted, feeling a little bit claustrophobic with the mentioning of his brother. The fact that the sweet Sergio had someone as disgusting and outrageous as Andres de Fonollosa for a sibiling was too much for her to digest. And, as brothers, Raquel wondered how many similarities the two of them shared. Was the selfless jerk gene running in his veins as well? She remembered the time she met Berlin, inside the royal mint, and anger boiled on her stomach when she recalled his stuck up attitude and sarcasm. But then, a new feeling was emerging from her guts, that she never thought she would ever feel for someone like Andres: pity. It didn’t feel right to her, how the courses of the universe turned and two different people could mean so much for each other as Andres seemed to be for Sergio. Or as Sergio meant for her. She felt a little dizzy, with a lot to process in her mind and he sitted as well, leaning in the arms of the couch, watching her mind working as her browns frowned.

“About what happened at the hangar… when Helsinki blew the tunnel…“ she started.

“Yes, I know” Sergio sighed and wished she didn’t left his chest because feeling her skin in his made him feel less lost and hurting by Andres death.

“I… I don’t know what to say”

“It’s ok” he assured and gestured for her to come back to his arms. She hesitated but did as requested, sitting with her back leaned on his chest, her head lying confortably on the crook of his neck. Sergio embraced her and smelled her hair as if it would give him all the strength he needed to carry on.

“Andres and I, we were very close. I know he might not be an example of a man but he saved me from that hospital when I was so young and he didn’t know a thing about me.” he continued, feeling goosebumps as Raquel softly scratched her nails on his forearm.

“He took me to live with his grandmother in Italy for a few years, enough for me to finish high school and save some money to live by myself when I was 18. It was about that time when the idea of the heist started to become a reality and I spent my days and nights planning, studying and getting ready for it. He didn’t want to distract me with the news of his illness so I only knew about it last year”

Raquel turned her head and placed comforting a kiss on his neck. “I’m so sorry, Sergio. I can’t imagine what’s like to lose so many important people in such a young age” she rested her forehead on the side of his neck, listening as the air entered and exit his throat, heading for the lungs.

It was quiet for a while. The song on the TV was over, the crickets didn’t sing outside and the breeze didn’t blow out the gray curtains. It seemed like they were frozen in time, stuck in a void where the memories of a painful past that they could never really change, floated around them. He looked down to her, the strong stubborn inspector and the fragil sweet Raquel. The woman he loved with daydreaming eyes that told so many stories. He could see all the scars she had and, even the ones he caused, seemed to match perfectly with the ones himself collected through tough years. It was quiet for a while but the sound of their broken hearts beating in sync was enough to fill up his ears. He sighed. She brushed away a stubborn tear in the couner of his eye and gave him a half smile. Maybe all the pain was worth it in the end.

“I have something else to tell you” he smiled softly, trying to break the sadness in the air “since we’re being honest with each other, I feel like I should confess my last deep secret” Raquel frowned and looked up, trying to read his expression. She failed completely “I don’t like your secrets” “I know” Sergio chuckled “but I think you will like this one” “What is it?” “Well, let’s say that you are not the only one who has a mother in this relationship”

Raquel seated again, shocked. She took a few seconds to process the information, staring at his bright brown eyes to find the smallest trade of lie in her mental lie detector. She found nothing but a amusement and truth. Then she laughed, unbelieving. “You’re kidding me” “I’m not” “But you just said…” “Andres’ grandmother is still alive, I believe.”

“What?” that’s all raquel could say and she crossed her legs in front of him, an amused smile on her face, and Sergio felt like he was about to tell a great story to a kid.

“Well, she was the only mother figure I have ever known, so if you give it to consideration…”

“Why you never told me about her?” she interrupted again “I wanted but we didn’t have time” he said, reaching for her hand “I’m sure she would be really happy to meet you” Sergio smiled, watching their fingers intertwining again.

“Then let’s go” she whispered and it made his eyes flew to her face. The words had the exact same excitement and emotion he used a few days earlier, when Sergio suggested they should run away to a country in Caribbean. He saw her eyes shining and Sergio refrained a smile. She giggled when he raised an eyebrow, pretending to consider her request.

“I want to meet her because she is a part of you. And I need to know everything, the good and the bad” she reached and place a kiss in each of his five fingers “I promise i will be a good daughter-in-law”

Now was Sergio’s turn to adjust his posture and sit properly in front of her, feeling over the moon with her excitment. He shifted his hand to grab her pinky finger in his own, and opened a large smile. He felt so sure about his feelings that started to believe they could actually make that confusing relationship work for a while, even if not forever. But forever could wait, just like all the problems they would have to face ahead.

“No more pointing guns at me?” he asked.  “No more guns” “No false scenes to alarm the police?” Sergio suggested and raquel made a face. “Yeah, that too” she chuckled, a little embarrassed “but no more lying or hiding things from me as well!” “Ok” sergio laughed “it’s a deal”

But instead of kissing the finger as the ritual demanded, he pulled her back to his arms and kissed her deeply, their dancing tongues only stopping when she smiled between his lips.

ESCAPAR

Summary: AU | Raquel decides to stay with Sergio instead of visiting Angel in the hospital, afraid she will get arrested in the process. So she ends up escaping with the gang and has to learn how to live as a fugitive.   [AO3] [spirit]

Chapter 6 - En casa

Sergio spent the rest of the travel behind the navy blue curtains and Raquel supposed he needed his space, because so did she. Instead of going after him, she let the slumber of the sleep take her over one more time and woke up a little after dawn, with the plane landing in Switzerland.

She watched curiously, by the plane’s window, the professor climbing down the stairs and talking to a strong man in black suit, arms crossed and sunglasses on. The security waited for him beside an black motorcycle and only nodded when Sergio gave him quick instructions, watching his boss put on the helmet and leave in the vehicle.

The man, Raquel found later, was Juan, her private body guard hired by Sergio with specific orders to “keep her safe” when he wasn’t around. But she got the message between the lines. He was making sure she wouldn’t do another impulsive selfish plan that could risk everyone else’s lives. She felt quite offended by his decision and huffed when the man picked her up inside the plane.

Juan escorted her to the clandestine airport’s garage, where she was guided to a fancy dark-gray BMW that made Raquel roll her eyes. She tried to make him speak about where Sergio went or what was he doing in Zürich but he ignored her questions the whole way, driving slow through the streets and only repeating that he was taking her to a safe point until Sergio was back.

It was a beautiful winter morning in Zürich. The tiny neighborhoods they crossed by car were very similar to Madrid in the first hours of the morning: the streets were empty, grass in backyards still wet from last night’s pouring and birds sang on top of the trees, completing the peacefulness in the air. The deem rays of sun sneaked through the clouds and reflected on the windows of the car, touching Raquel’s skin. But she didn’t felt warm at all. Not without him, anyway.

They stopped in front of a building just exactly like every other residence in the street. So common and familiar that nobody would spot a recent billionaire and his hostage, staying on a house like that. Raquel frowned, glancing at Juan through the rear view mirror and back at the cute little structure.

“Home sweet home” he said. “Home?” she laughed, ironically. He didn’t commented, just pulled a key from his suit pocket and handed it to her. “Apartment 103. He says you can decide if I should stay inside the car or enter the building with you.”

Raquel smirked. It was very much like Sergio to make sure she didn’t step out of the line but still give her some free will. “You can stay, I’ll let you know if I need anything”

She closed the car door behind her before Juan could say anything else and quickly entered through the front door of the building, curiosity shining in her eyes. There was no doorman and no elevators so she took the stairs to the first floor, easily spotting the apartment.

When she turned the key on the door, she didn’t know what was expecting. A immaculate hidden mansion or maybe another dark humid hangar. But definitely not a humble, sweet home as that was. The wooden vintage furniture combined in with the painted light blue walls, adorning by the grey curtains and rug. It was so…domestic. And, even though not big, very much cozy. So familiar that seemed like it was already being habited by someone: there was pans, plates and bowls on the kitchen, food on the fridge and new clothes on the closets.

She took off her shoes and placed the keys on the corner table, next to a jar of white daisies. She wondered if he chose the place with her in mind or if it was just part of his plans, from before the escaping. If it was the first option, he knew her very well because the place was perfect. She could clearly see Paula running around the long corridor, showing her new drawings, Maribi knitting while her telenovelas was on TV and Sergio cooking dinner because Raquel always insisted on burning the meal.

The image was very vivid in her head but Raquel felt sad. The silly smile dropping from her lips. Yes, it was very sweet. But it couldn’t erase everything nor change what was done. That house wouldn’t teletransport her daughter and her mother, or magically fix things between them. But, most importantly, the house was temporary, as everything in their relationship. And just like that, a cozy residence in a street of Zurich became a ghost house to Raquel.

“Raquel?” Sergio called when he opened the door to see the house in deep darkness. It was a little past sunset when the meeting with the swiss bankers ended. He had a few contacts in Switzerland who made possible the discreet deposit of almost one billion euros, properly laundered, in a safe bank account.

He also could split the money with all of the six thieves, transferring big amounts to different accounts, and pay all the extra expenses of the operation, such as the millions to everyone who helped them inside and outside the royal mint. Be a jerk, but a jerk with an honor, as his brother liked to say.

All that process took hours of negotiations and in the end, Sergio felt tired. But, riding his motorcycle fast in the streets of Switzerland, not even the jet lag of the trip could make him not think about everything that happened the day before.

Andres’ death kept on rewinding behind his eyelids every time he closed his eyes, his last words muffled by the sounds of shots and then the tunnel explosion. He was his whole family and now he is gone without even the chance to bury him or honor his name. He played the scene over and over inside her mind, trying to figure out something that he could do to save him but there was nothing. Only guilt and lonelyness. 

That was also why he wasn’t ready to talk yet, when she woke up on the plane. Sergio was lost and hurting so he needed time. To cry for his brother, to worry about the theives, to think about what happened and to plan their next moves. He brushed his fingers through his hair, wiped his teary eyes and thought about them. About the huge euforia that was to even look at her and the haven he found every time he touched her lips with his. Sergio laughed bitterly, thinking about the coincidence between his situation and the Wizard of Oz. It was just a childish movie but he knew how the wizard felt, great and powerful playing the character when nobody could see him. But there, he just wanted to be the man behind the curtain.

He reflected about how Raquel’s dubious actions made him feel very insecure of their relationship and which side she really was. But he wished it didn’t matter, though. He wished there wasn’t sides to choose or heists to plan or money to split. And, that night, with the motocycle snoring and the wind blowing on his face, everything he needed was the remedy only her arms could offer.

He spotted her sitting on the couch, hugging her knees against her chest and smoking a cigarette. She probably showered because her hair was still wet and she got rid of the summer dress, tucking her body inside a fluffy white robe.

Sergio noticed she hesitated when their eyes met but continued seated, turning her glance back to the TV. On the big screen, a Swiss journalist explained the causes and consequences of a rebellion in the center city of Madrid, where people raised posters with protesting messages wearing Dalí masks identical as the ones the thieves used inside the Royal Mint. On the little screen of the notebook by her side, he recognized a very familiar room, but now the usually messy bed was made, the furniture were cleaned and the curtains opened, the sun shining on the little blond girl, playing with her dolls on the carpet.

He sighed and closed the door behind him without saying a word. Then he took his time taking off his shoes, hanging the coat and the black helmet near the door entrance.

“Did you let your dog out?” she asked without look at him and referring to Juan, who was still waiting outside when Sergio finally got to the house.

“I’m sorry, Raquel, I know you don’t like to…”

“Don’t you ever do that again. Do you hear me? EVER” she looked at him, eyes fulminating in anger. Sergio sighed one more time.

“Listen to me, I’m sorry ok? I know I seem to ruin everything always but what else can I say? I already apologized a thousand times since Toledo and this time I was trying to protect you!”

“No, you were trying to control me!” she started to raise her voice “Like you did before as a professor, manipulating me so things would go exactly as you wanted”

“Yeah, well, you must know how it feels then, because that was exactly what you did on the docks!” his chest was raising frantically as he lost his temper

“Fuck you!” Raquel cursed and put out the cigarette on an ashray on the coffee table “I was trying to save the very last of reputation I had left, after you ruined everything. I was trying to fix my life to stay with you”

“You were trying to fix your life by risking everyone else’s? By risking my life? Is that the kind of hero you want to be?”

“You would have done the same!” Raquel was screaming now, pointing a finger in his direction “All you cared about was that stupid plan”

“No, I wouldn’t. Because I’m in love you, I would never put you in that kind of danger” his breathe was uneaven and he nervously adjusted his glasses, a little afraid that she would slap him for saying he loved her one more time.

Raquel stood up abruptly, and closed her fists to desguise her trembling in rage. Every single time Sergio told her he loved her, she felt anxious and this time wasn’t any different. She felt bad because she just couldn’t say it back, without believing that it would become a curse and it would hurt everyone around her. The woman’s heart started racing with fear, remembering all the traumas those four letters brought in the past. It was supposed to be sweet but whenever he said that, she felt as if it was a warning that things between them could fall apart again, as a castle of sand. She walked around the room nervously and when she spoke again, her voice was shaky and lower.

“Things are fucking chaotic out there, police is everywhere in Europe looking for you. Fuck, your name is on interpol even!” she pointed to the Tv and he saw Tokyo’s face on the screen. He adjusted his glasses on his nose again and she continued “But you must know that because you have everything planned right? You must also have planned to spent the day circling on your cool motorcycle with MY gun hanging on your waistband while I was stuck here with that robot you call bodyguard, not knowing where you were of if you were ok…”

Raquel gasped. Don’t cry now, he mind demanded, you have to be strong. It was the closest Raquel could get from an “I love you too” while in her angry state. She hoped he got the message. Her speech meant she was angry and sad and terrified all at the same time but she loved him deeply and cared about him. It meant that she was sad that they had to fight so much and all she wanted was to stop feeling a lump in her throat everytime she remembered everything that happened because she wanted to do what he said on the plane. She wanted to stop being inspector and just be Raquel while he would just be Sergio.

But Raquel was never good with words. And when Sergio stood up, ready to rebuke her speach she didn’t ask for permission to cross the distance between them and pull him into a kiss, pressing her lips hard against his.

“I was so worried” she said and hugged him tight, breathing in his neck, as he recovered from initial shock.

“I am here now” Sergio said, with a half simile. He was getting used to her unexpected acts of affection or aggression, it was one of the many things he loved about her. And he was starting to crave her touch so much he really appreciated the gesture. Caressing her lower back he leaned back to search for her mouth and kissed properly this time, feeling her muscles melt in his arms, opening and closing her lips in sync with his own. Slowly, things became more urgent and dirty as their tongues danced together and she pushed him back to the couch, begging for the feeling that only his body on hers could produce.

Raquel sucked his bottom lip and he groaned in response. The plan was to take her to the bedroom but when he sat down with her straddling his lap, and she started to untie her robe’s knot, he knew it was about time to stop making plans.

And finally, for the first time that day, they both felt at home.

ESCAPAR

Summary: AU | Raquel decides to stay with Sergio instead of visiting Angel in the hospital, afraid she will get arrested in the process. So she ends up escaping with the gang and has to learn how to live as a fugitive.   [AO3] [spirit]

Chapter 5 - Daños colaterales

Raquel opened slowly her eyes to see the dark blurred silhouettes of armchairs. She blinked a few times but the huge headache throbbing in her brain made it difficult to find something familiar in such a foreign place. It took her a few minutes to recognize she was inside an airplane, laid in one of the first class seats, covers warming her from shoulders to toes. The lights were down and the night outside was dark and cloudy, the moonlight hidden behind a heavy shadow. It looked like the scene from a horror movie where the curious cop dies because she put her nose where she shouldn’t. She swallowed, a bad feeling making her heart pound in her chest.

Slowly, just like waves in the sea, the memories of what happened the days before popped up in her mind. One by one, they created form behind her eyelids, shaping painful moments she preferred not to remember. First the five angsty days of heist, then the way the world stopped spinning when she found out about Serios’s double identity. She remembered the agonizing phone call with Angel, the uncertainty of the escape, the epic scene she did on the dock, and finally the knock on the head. Raquel touched her forehead softly and felt little stitches just above her eyebrow, wondering if it would leave a scar.

Suddenly an avalanche of doubts hit her, and Raquel felt scared when she didn’t found Sergio anywhere. Where was he? Where she was going? And why? Did the thieves got arrested? Did he got hurt? Did he…?

Raquel sat in the armchair and took a few deep breaths, trying to avoid a possible panic attack. She began to rationalize and pondered the possibility that he had left her on the first plane back to Madrid, just to get rid of her. Considering everything, probably 68% chance. And if her math was correct, she must have hurt his feelings really, she concluded, but it was still better than losing him forever.

There, in the dark, Rachel felt exactly like when she was married to Alberto: alone, helpless and terrified. And she hated it. She hated being the victim, but most of all, she hated how much she needed Sergio there. Because, after everything that happened between them, Raquel could not continue telling herself that she did not want him.

Because she wanted him. Badly.

And that feeling as was a good reason for her to get rid of the covers and stand up, ignoring the alarming pain in her temples. The inspector slowly crept up on the corridor of the plane, trying to look for him through the nearest seats. But she not only didn’t find him but nobody else. The plane was completely empty and when Raquel was almost reaching the cabin of the pilot, a whispered voice startled her.

“You’re awake” Sergio noticed and she turned around to face him. He had changed clothes and finally Raquel noticed that so did she. Him in a ripped jeans and flannel shirt,— too messy for his meticulous organized manners — and she in a summer dress. Disguises for the police, she deduced. And when she imagined Sergio undressing and dressing her sleepy self, her cheeks flushed immediately.

Raquel looked at him from head to toe frowning, bareilly registering the fact that he was alive when her view became dizzy again and her knees failed.

“Hey, careful!” he warned and quickly got her in the air, supporting her weight before she hitted the floor. Sergio helped her get back to her seat without looking too much inside her eyes. Raquel noticed, but didn’t comment. She felt a weird guilty cooking in her belly and wanted to apologize for whatever reckless thing she made. But she refrained, still with a lot of questions circling her mind that couldn’t wait until she was in a better state.

“How long I sleeping…?” she had a few difficulties to come up with a proper question but he didn’t seem to mind.

“A little less than ten hours” he answered, seating in front of her and she found herself missing his touch. “The doctor said it’s normal in patients with a concussion. You needed a few stitches in that cut in your head but if you rest properly, you will feel better soon.”

“I can’t rest until I know where we are” she offered, looking around again “or where are we going”.

Sergio sighed and took off his glasses to wipe them with the flannel shirt. “Our first stop is in Switzerland. I need to … solve problems.” He hesitated for a moment, but decided to stay quiet, making her eyebrows furrow even more.

“And the thieves?” she tried.

“I sincerely do not know.” He answered in a cold tone. “And as long as we keep this way, it will be better. They will be safe ”

From cops like you, he wanted to complete, but didn’t meant to be so rude.

Sergio averted her eyes, looking seriously at the small window of the plane. Raquel didn’t know much about him, but noticed right from the start that he was shy and preserved with his emotions. Unlike the professor, she could not imagine Sergio screaming in anger, making a big scene or being aggressive. He had an expression in his face that was difficult to read, something between calm and disinterest, but the woman could see that he shivered a little. And the short answers, the cold tone and the distant eyes gave all the information she needed. He was hurt. And it was because of her.

Raquel suddenly wanted to cry but bravely hold on the tears. His sudden rejection and disinterest somehow caused her more pain then the bruises Alberto used to left on her skin and even the possibility that she might have lost his love made her dizzy again. She didn’t realized how much her inconscient needed affection until he took it away from her and she felt weak and vulnerable.  After all, she didn’t escaped with them just because of the fear of being arrested. That was far worse than if he would have left her in a plane back home, as she imagined.

The truth was that Raquel had always known how to be the heroine. She could not imagine how horrible it was to be on the other side of the line, to be the one who ruined everything on purpose, to save her own skin. Being a villain was never in her plans and she refused to believe he was framing her in this category. Because even if she had betrayed his confidence - just as Sergio had done with her before - she wouldn’t have to make that scene if he wasn’t trying to ruin her life by making her fall in love with the biggest thief in Spain. And, well, even after everything they been through, they still cared about each other’s well-beings and proved everyday that they shared deep feelings for the each other. So the two of them should be even after all. Right?

Her mind then started to work as a rotten machine, placing together conflicting feelings and trying to build more than one thought at a time but not finishing none.

“Sergio, I-“ Raquel stopped, closing her eyes and exhaling the air. She didn’t even know if she was really supposed to say sorry. After all, she was thinking about herself! She had that right, after all the insanity he put her through. But the crushing guilty didn’t left her beating heart. The inspector felt too tired. Tired of thinking, loving, suffering, refraining, trying to understand and demanding explanations. Because all this was loaded with an overwhelming intensity, characteristic of Raquel Murillo, and a weight that her shoulders could no longer carry. Raquel wished she didn’t have to feel so much, all the time. She felt the words disappear on his lips, his vision coming in and out of focus.

Sergio turned his worried look back to her.  “You’re must be dehydrated” he interrupted, standing up again “Stay still, I will get you something”

It only took a few minutes until he was back with huge tray of food in his hands. There was at least three different flavors of soup, orange juice, pieces of croutons, salad, and sliced fruit inside a glass bowl. She didn’t protest when he placed it on her lap, and sipped one of the soups, only then minding how hungry she was. Raquel ate almost everything she could and when she was finished, felt the slumber heavy in her muscles. Still, she grabbed his hand and intertwined their fingers when he leaned in to take the tray away.

“Thank you. For taking care of me” Raquel wanted to say more but he was still staring at the empty plate of soup. When he kept on silent, she cleared her throat “Listen, I’m sorry, I know what I did was stupid and careless but I swear I didn’t meant to hurt you”

“Raquel, I think this… this competition between us must to end.” Sergio said emphasizing the word and finally looked at her, his eyes were sharp as blades. “We don’t need to be professor and inspector anymore”

If there was anything delicate in their relationship, it was that even if they had recently met, Sergio knew exactly how the woman’s mind worked. He studied her in every possible way, in and out of duty, spending months analyzing every decision, dissecting every word she said or every move she made. And as Raquel tried to run against him in vain, she felt more and more predictable and manipulated, not even knowing who was really hiding behind the mask that had watched her for so long. It was a competition, but it was unfair and Rachel never asked to be in it.

During those five days, they became so used to hurt each other that it became a collateral damage of their relationship. He ruined her career, she fucked his public reputation. He messed up with her traumas, embarrassing her in front of her friends family and she almost killed the only family he ever had back on the docks, not to mention the death of Berlin that she shared part of the responsibility with the police. Being in such an intense war, constantly opening wounds that didn’t healed and living a relationship haunted by secrets and lies was exhausting and Raquel knew that that’s what Sergio was feeling too. And it made a few questions pop in her mind, as she alternated her glance from his face to their hands together. How long until they stop affecting each other with their selfish choices? Could they ever live peacefully together without always playing catch? Was their love strong enough?

“No, we don’t” she agreed in a bittersweet tone “I guess we have to remember this more often”

Sergio’s cold look turned into sad eyes and Raquel sighed, a melancholic expression of her own. They stayed like that for few seconds, in complete silence. The eyes didn’t dare to meet again and the air was lacking on the lungs while they let the unsaid float beneath the zooming noise of the plane’s turbines. Until he pronounced himself again.

“Sleep now, you need to rest” he remembered and released his hand from hers softly, walking back to the end of the plane. When he was almost disappearing behind the navy curtain, he stopped and turned his head to look her from the corner of his eyes.

“We can try to fix this tomorrow”

ESCAPAR

Summary: AU | Raquel decides to stay with Sergio instead of visiting Angel in the hospital, afraid she will get arrested in the process. So she ends up escaping with the gang and has to learn how to live as a fugitive.    [AO3]  [spirit]

Chapter 4 - Tonos de gris

As the sunset initiated it’s process in the horizon, the sky above them colored in light pink, mirroring in the waves of the ocean. It was just like a painting framed on a museum. So beautiful, that anyone would have at least stopped a few minutes to admire it’s extension and reflect about a thing or two.

But Sergio didn’t took his eyes away from Raquel, even for one second. The cargo ship was small so they had little space to fit between wooden boxes of canned food and the barrels with the money. He laid her on the floor, carefully placing her head on his lap, trying to stop the bleeding cut in her forehead with a piece of fabric that he ripped from his own shirt. He hated to see her injured with all his strength but she was so agitated that Nairobi’s knock in the head was almost necessary so that he could carry her easily back to the boat.

Inspector Murillo, on the other hand, was sleeping peacefully, oblivious of the tension that filled the air between Sergio and the rest of the gang. He took her gun out of the holster and pushed it inside the waist of his pants, both for her own protection and to avoid a bigger conflict if she eventually woke up. He was aware of the deadly glances he was receiving, he could almost feel them burning his skin, but none of them commented anything until Rio asked what was their next move.

It wasn’t directly to Sergio but, as a good teacher, he answered it anyway, explaining the stops the ship would make to leave all of them on a different spot at the coast of Europe. The boy was the first one to pronounce that he wished to be dropped along with Tokyo and the Professor sighed, knowing exactly where that conversation would lead them.

“I highly recommend that you leave alone, Rio.” he explained, choosing his words carefully “When I created the rule of no interpersonal relationship it was because I knew that, in the end, we have follow our paths separately.”

“That’s bullshit” Rio replied, his leaning elbows on his knees

“No, it’s not. It’s too dangerous to stay together. If they catch more than one fugitive, makes it easier to find the rest of us” Sergio adjusted his glasses on his nose, trying to be clear.

“Ok” Tokyo spoke, standing up from the box she was seated on and slowly walking towards him. But Sergio didn’t looked up. “If we’re going to be dropped in the middle of the nowhere alone then that must apply for all of us, yes?”

The girl gesticulated to the group and crouched in front of him “So that means we leave your precious little inspector unconscious on a beach in Morocco and just hope that she finds her way back”

“It’s different, Tokyo, she not fugitive. She hostage.” Helsinki explained with his limited vocabulary and Sergio gave him an appreciated glance.

“How is that any different?” Denver asked and Sergio finally glanced at them. They all looked exhausted, angry and bored. A combination that didn’t fit nice with a bunch of criminals on the run. Monica, who leaned her body against Denver’s, moved away from him when felt her boyfriend’s muscles tensing in a mix of rage and confusion. “She is a cop. The cops shooted my dad three times, in cold blood. I’m sorry professor but she is still a bitch to me.”

“Denver…” Monica started trying to calm him down by squeezing his hand

“No, it’s true! I know I’m not very smart but I don’t understand how could he do that. How he could screw with one of them while we were all dying in there.”

Sergio sighed. For the first time, he didn’t know how to explain something like that, especially for Denver, who just lost his father. Because he was right, Raquel was a cop. And yes, she was responsible for a series of demands that made their life difficult inside the Royal Mint. But she was doing nothing but her job. And if there was anyone to blame for the situation they were in, it was him. He lied, betrayed and dragged her into that messy relationship, he broke all his own rules, he risked his friends lives because of his stupid feelings, and even now, after getting almost a billion euros richier, he still managed to disappoint everyone. Suddenly he felt too embarrassed to even look at them in the eyes so he stared at the sleeping figure of Raquel in silence, focusing on the lines of her face and playing with a few locks of her hair that tangled in his fingers.

In moments like that, Andres would speak up for him. When he was a teenager and his father had died, Andres was there. When the boys in the neighborhood mocked Sergio for being ill and fragil, Andres was always there. Even when they didn’t get along very well and Sergio criticized his brother’s rebel lifestyle, Andres was always there. The professor missed him so much he could almost imagine his figure there, telling the thieves to knock it off and making senseless jokes about being in the open sea with an unconscious woman.

“No, she’s not one of them” Nairobi said interrupting his wandering and making heads turn to face her. She had an puzzled expression, as if she was trying to piece together everything that went wrong in the heist. “Believe me, I hate to admit it but I saw them together back there, when…” she trailed off, gesticulating to indicate she was talking about Berlin’s death and Sergio nervously adjusted his glasses on his nose again.

“And she was… well, she cared. And let’s be honest, if she was infiltrated, she would have told the secret service where the hangar was and we would all be arrested by now” the brunette pointed and Sergio was taken aback. He didn’t realised Nairobi was still there when the tunnel blew out, and her sudden empathy made him feel more at ease.

“But she is not one of us either because if so, she wouldn’t have made that scene at the pier on purpose, just to ruin our public image and play the damsel in distress” she continued, narrowing an annoyed look to Raquel. “So that brings up the question, professor, how exactly did this whole situation went to shit?”

Sergio paused for a few seconds, taking his time to register each one of their faces before speaking again. They seemed less stressed and more curious now and he was suddenly too aware of the fact that he would probably never see them. Those eight bastards who payed a high cost so his crazy dream would come true, some of them with their lives. Those people became more of a family to him in the five months they worked together then his own relatives ever could, during his whole life. So he just chuckled, shaking his head as if disbelieving the irony of fate.

“Not everything in this world is black and white. You see, some parts are in shades of gray. No pun intended!” Sergio opened an affectionate smile and the shy laughters that followed his joke warmed his heart a little.

Just as their strong personalities used to swing back and forth, the mood between them also shifted abruptly. And, even still mourning the death of his brother and feeling betrayed by the woman that he loved, it made him believe that his stupid rules were wrong. They really were stronger together. So he cleaned this throat before starting to tell the unfortunate love story between the inspector Raquel Murillo and the Professor.

Escapar

Hi! I know I’m not used to comment here but I was really really really excited for this chapter! It was probably the faster I’ve ever wrote because one night the inspiration came to me and I just let it flow. You know, we don’t have many information on what happens to everyone after they get out of the hangar with the truck (besides that one year later, raquel meets sergio in Palawan) So, basically this chapter is new territory to all of us and where our plot really begins. It’s crucial that you send me feedback on this one, telling me what you liked, what you didn’t, your suggestions, your theories… just bring it all on! You can do it here or comment on AO3 or spirit! I will be really happy to answer you! With that said, I’ll leave you with the story. Hope you guys like it! Xx

Chapter 3 - Agarrame

Loneliness is a blessing for the ones who crave it, Raquel supposed, sitting uncomfortable on top of a barrel filled with money. It wasn’t exactly quiet, because the back of the truck shook with the tight curves of the streets and moved slightly too fast, making the silver cylinders collide against each other. But she could think, for once, in peace. No plan to follow, no lover to support, no intense conflicts with thieves and no hands chained to the ceiling. Just her and her thoughts. She could hear them loud and clear inside her head now, and that felt both relieving and terrifying.

What the fuck was she doing? Raquel Murillo was a 40 year old woman, with a life, a career, a family and responsibilities to care for. Yes, she had problems but her job was to face and solve them in the best way she could. That’s the lesson her mother always taught her. Chase the bad guys, make things right . Not run away like a criminal, not jump in the arms of the first bastard that betrayed her and definitely not escape as if she did something wrong.

Because she did nothing wrong.

And there, in the dark, with police sirens fading away behind them and her ass hurting from her improvised seat, she felt like she just screwed it all up. Suddenly her thoughts were voices screaming at her, cursing her impulsive actions, blaming her for being a horrible professional, a careless daughter and a irresponsible mother.

Raquel tried, but couldn’t stop the panic attack that sucked the air out of her lungs. She felt that long known pressure on her chest and wished she had brought her anxiety pills with her when she left home. She stood up, leaning against the walls of the truck for ballance, and her eyes filled up with tears as she tried to control her breathing, thinking about anything else. Inhale, exhale .

Her mind wandered to Marivi, her sweet, forgetful mom. Inhale, exhale . She needed special care and Raquel didn’t believe her younger sister would move one finger to help their mother. Inhale, exhale . She couldn’t even imagine how disappointed Marivi would be when she hear the news, or how many times her memory would fail and the elder would prepare dinner for three, waiting for Raquel to come home from work. Inhale, exhale . The inspector wondered if she would prefer an arrested or a escaping daughter.Inhale… For Raquel, both were terrible options.

But Paula was safe. Exhale . Paula was happy, probably having lunch at school. Running around with her friends, smiling and laughing, oblivious of her mother’s bad decisions. She imagined the girl coming back home, hugging her grandma and looking for her mom around the house to find nothing. Inhale, exhale . Then she pictured her knowing about the escape and the horrors Alberto would say about it. Inhale, exhale. Raquel’s eyes grew bigger and she felt the fear crawling underneath her skin when realized that Alberto could get a provisional custody order as soon as Raquel would be considered a runaway. Inhale. And she couldn’t let that happen. Inhale! She had to do something. Inhale!  She had to make the right move and win her turn on the game. Inhale!  Because the heist was over, but that game never ended.

“Breathe, Raquel” she said out loud, not minding if they could hear her on the cabin. She closed her eyes to calm down herself and two large teardrops rolled down her cheeks. “Focus on the breathing”

Exhale . The truck stopped as soon as an idea popped into her mind. She touched the back of her jeans and felt it, on her left pocket, her tapped phone. A few minutes before she would believe that phone would be their ruin but then, looking at the deem light of the screen in the dark, she only could think of her salvation.

“Hey” Sergio said, opening the back gate of the truck, and the sunlight blinded her for a split second “You tied yourself up again?” “Yeah, we don’t need any more problems with Tokyo” she answered, accepting his hand to help her get down. “What’s next?” “The cargo ship docked a few minutes ago, so I’m expecting them all to be there already. The russians will help with the money” Raquel nodded in response, her eyes a bit detached and Sergio furrowed his brows. “You ok?” “Yeah, I’m alright, just bit dizzy from the road” she smiled and kissed his cheek. Sergio grinned back but it didn’t really reach his eyes.

Helsinki and the russians did most of the job of carrying the barriers to the ship while Sergio was too busy counting it down again. Raquel tried to stay out of sight, especially when they were running out of time and the other thieves came to help. Most of them ignored her presence, except for Nairobi who eyed her suspiciously and exchanged a look with Tokyo. Monica tried to smile, clutching to Denver’s arm as if her life depended on it, and when Raquel remembered that she was pregnant the whole time, she concluded that the secretary wasn’t as fragile as she appeared to be.

“How long do we have left?” Tokyo asked, rolling  one of the last cylinders to Helsinki. “Precisely 20 minutes until they close all the borders” the Professor answered and for the first time Raquel was certain he was making a mistake. If she knew Prieto well, he wouldn’t waste time before sending all his man to the port and, guided by the tracker on her phone, she assumed he would be at least five minutes ahead of them. She started helping the best way she could to disguise her nervousness, picking up the money and rolling it to Rio, until the clock ticked and she stopped what she was doing to put her plan in action.

“We’re almost there!” Sergio said with eyes bright when she touched his arm to call his attention. They got all the money inside the boat and the russians left with the truck while the thieves were boarding with their machine guns. And Raquel thought that, for that special occasion, ammunition for criminals could come in hand. “Yes we are” she smiled and ran her hand through his hair. “Sergio, do you trust me now?” “Why?” his brows furrowed again. “Do you?” she insisted. “Yes, but why you asking?” “Because I have a plan and I need to make sure that you trust me” her hand dropped as she felt he was getting irritated.

“Raquel, I thought we were still following my plan” “And we are! I just added a few turns in it and you may not like it now but I had to do it” the inspector started counting down the twenty seconds left in her head. “Raquel, what are you saying?” he asked and she could see a mix of fear and hurt in his eyes. “I’m with you. Remember? Please, don’t forget that.” she said and her heart broke in a million pieces for doing what she had to. Ten seconds.

“Professor, we have to go NOW” Tokyo screamed as the ship honked behind them but Raquel could hear the police cyrens from afar. And Sergio could hear them too because his eyes narrowed to something behind her. Five seconds. “Come on, let’s go. We talk about this later” “I’m sorry” she said and threw herself in his arms. She kissed him as long as she could enjoying the very last moment of it, and when she had two seconds left Raquel whispered in his ear. “Catch me.”

The timing was perfect just like she imagined and Raquel was sure the scene passed in slow motion through her eyes. The inspector quickly got rid of Sergio’s embrace and started to run and scream for help as soon as the police cars turned the corner. She didn’t got too far though because he did what she asked: trembling, Sergio ran after her, grabbed and lifted her up by the mid seccion, trying to keep his face hidden behind her hair. Then he turned around, hanging her body on his shoulder, but that didn’t stop her from screaming, kicking and punching his back like crazy.

When she heard the shots, something changed inside her. Raquel she didn’t stop struggling but silently prayed that nobody else would get hurt because of her selfish plans. She saw Tokyo screaming dirty words inside the boat, bullets flying in the air, and notice that they had the mind to put bulletproof jackets on. The only one without protection was Sergio, but Raquel knew the cops wouldn’t shoot him when her body was covering most of his vital parts.

In her mind, before those minutes of chaos, the plan was flawless. It looked exactly as she wanted. To the media, she was like a damsel in distress, a princess kidnapped by the villain on a child’s cartoon. No one in spain could raise a finger to accuse a desperate hostage of cooperating with the gang. But only then, when screaming on Sergio’s shoulders and watching the thieves exchanging bullets with the cops, she noticed a very important part that she didn’t realized before: her plan involved every single one of them. Police and theives. Their reputation, their skills, their trust and, most importantly, it risked their lives. But she was so focused on changing her status from fugitive to hostage, that simply didn’t mind asking their opinion.

Raquel wondered if that’s how Sergio felt, when figured out that his plan failed because he was in love with her. But the inspector didn’t had enough time to contemplate the idea because something hit her in the head and she only saw black.

ESCAPAR

Summary: AU | Raquel decides to stay with Sergio instead of visiting Angel in the hospital, afraid she will get arrested in the process. So she ends up escaping with the gang and has to learn how to live as a fugitive.   [AO3] [spirit]

*** Chapter 2 - No lo olvides

“You’re here, you’re finally here” Sergio reasured, cupping Nairobi’s cheek like she was a kid, to make sure she was alright. The russians were finishing packing up the money and Raquel was standing near, counting the barrels of euros inside her head to feel useful somehow. She never was a genius at math but her calculation got her to near a billion euros, making her twich her lips into a streigh line, still annoyed by the whole concept of stealing so much money. Some habits were hard to get rid off, she assumed.

“Where’s Berlin?” the professor asked after checking on Helsinki, who was searching for the ignition to blow out the tunnel. “He stayed inside!” Nairobi exclaimed breathless and finally Raquel’s eyes flew from the money to them. “What do you mean, he stayed inside?” he asked with a craky voice “We had the GEO’s on us and he wanted to cover the tunnel” the brunette explained and Sergio’s eyes grew big of fear, glancing at Helsinki for confirmation. “He saved our lives” the servian nodded

Silence fell heavy as both thieves looked at Sergio for orientation. Raquel could feel the tension and fought her own instincts to lead in a crisis situation. She was really used to it, at the police station. She remembered it felt good to be in such powerful position, commanding so many important man to save the day and to smile proudly about it when driving back home, knowing she made a fucking good job. But there she was no more than a hostage, with her wrists tied up in front of her (by the aggressive demands of Tokyo) and untrusted by all of the thiefs.  

“No, no, no… Andres? Andres what are you doing?” Sergio stepped away until they couldn’t hear him talking nervously to the phone in his ear. Raquel hesitaded but decided to give him privacy, even though her eyes only leaving him when Nairobi notice her presence.

“I’m sorry, they didn’t told me we have fresh meat here” she said, dangerously “Welcome to the team, inspectora, you are here to fuck us all again?” “Hello, Nairobi” Raquel greeted ironically “Don’t you have new clothes to put on?”

“Oh no ma’m, I’m sorry but you don’t boss around here. I only receive orders from the professor” she said, laughing madly. While Tokyo was more like a panther, ready to bolt and attack without second thoughts, Nairobi looked like a snake, flowing her delusional poison slowly through her victim’s veins. But Raquel was very far from a simple prey. She was a lioness.

“Yes, well, I assume that you noticed that your professor is not in conditions to lead right now. Or are you that stupid?” Raquel inflated the air in her chest, glancing at her from head to toe. The logical part of herself told her that Nairobi had her hand caressing a gun hanging on her waist, but it was too late to be scared now. Her ego needed to put Nairobi on her place “We don’t have much time to argue so you have two options here: one, you do as I say and follow with his plan; or two, stay here fighting me and we’re all going to hell because of you. Your choice.”

Nairobi hesitated and when her petulant smile fade out, Raquel could notice the puffy red eyes from the tears she shed for Berlin. And for the first time, when the girl averted her eyes, something didn’t seemed completely dangerous or mad inside her. She just seemed broken. Then the brunette shared one more glance with Helsinki and left silently to get rid of the red suit.

When Nairobi was gone, hiding her body behind the truck to change, things started happening too fast for Raquel’s clear comprehension. It seemed that something snapped inside Sergios brain because he started screaming from the opposide corner of the hangar, walking from one side to the other. Then suddenly she saw him walking to Helsinki and punching the man’s arms, in an abrupt violent reaction she never imagined he could have. Her first guess was that they were fighting because of something Helsinki did, but the professor was begging desperaly for something, his teary eyes barely focusing on anything else but the tunel.

That was the exact moment that she understood. Days before, when Raquel searched information about Andres de Fonollosa to ruin his reputation, she didn’t payed much attention on the relatives, because they were good as dead. But then, watching Sergio struggle to jump on the path that would probably lead him to jail or death, her mind played a flashback of the word written next to “father’s last name” in Andres’ birth certificate, making her heart race. Marquina. Helsinki wasn’t fighting the professor, he was holding him down. And the realization that Andres de Fonollosa decided to finally play the hero washed over her.

“Sergio!” she called, hoping it would take his attention like she did before but it didn’t work. Raquel felt breathless seeing him in so much pain, watching him struggle and begging for his brother to live. All she wanted to do was touch him, hold him and use her love as a shield to protect his soul from all that hurt. But her feet didn’t move. The professor was so disturbed, violently kicking and punching the servian’s back, that she was scared he could hurt her, even if by accident. Her eyes trailed down instead, to the switch in Helsinki hands.

“He wants me to do it, we don’t have much time!” the man screamed back and exchanged a look with the inspector. She nodded sadly in understanding, not knowing quite sure if it meant she was authorizing the execution of Berlin. “I am sorry, professor”

The explosion of the tunnel echoed the hangar along with Sergio’s cry. The second he stopped raging against Helsinki’s arms, Raquel cut the distance between them in two long steps. His body was wrecked as he slipped down to the floor sobbing hard, tired of a battle he was fighting for too long. But Raquel suddenly felt her whole soul full of strength, enough to support the both of them.

“Hey” she kneeled and cupped his face with her hands. He was shaking so badly that her heart broke. It was uneasy to see him so desperate and fragil, just like she was a few hours ago and Raquel imagined if he felt the same thing when she was trying not to cry while interrogatin him in the crime scene. The truth was, they were both broken beyond repair. They tried to play strong, chasing after each other like rats and cats, racing to see who could hurt the other one first but in the end, they didn’t even notice that they were hurting themselves in the process.

So she pulled him into her arms and Sergio let go of Helsinki to lean his head in her chest without saying a word. The only sound was his sobbing and the low snoring of the truck, ready to make the escape. The inspector took a deep breath, feeling some kind of force of nature clunging their bodies together, transferring her energy to Sergio’s weak soul. It didn’t really matter the good or the bad, or who was the most broken, Raquel concluded. As long as they were, together, life would make a way. Even if it meant supporting all the hurt and traumas they accumulated all those years on each other. Like battery chargers. She placed a kiss in his forehead and tangled her fingers in his hair, trying to soothe him down.

“Go get ready, I can handle this.” she told  Helsinki, who had an confused expression in his face, and felt Sergio’s grip on her waist tightening “He will be there in a minute”

The serbian furroed his brows but nodded anyway and patted Sergio’s shoulder before standing up and leaving. He was the first one to have a clue about deep was their relationship and Raquel knew it wouldn’t take much time before the others started to draw conclusions. She made a self note to make sergio talk to them about it before things got ugly.

“Listen to me, I know you are hurting, but this is no place for mourning.“she told him, grabbing the chin to pull up his face. She looked inside his teary eyes, searching for the cold, calculating part of him that she met on the phone days ago. She loved the sweet caring part of Sergio. But right then, they all needed the professor. "You have to keep going. We have to.”

He took a shaky deep breath but didn’t move for a moment, looking back at her as he tryed to control his breathing. Then, very slowly, he pulled back, wiping away the tears that insisted on falling down his cheek. “Ok” he said, still recollecting himself, clearly trying to bring his cold blooded mind back.

Then, he covered her hand with his and kissed her palm before standing up. Raquel just opened a sad smile because it was all she could do.

ESCAPAR

Summary: AU | Raquel decides to stay with Sergio instead of visiting Angel in the hospital, afraid she will get arrested in the process. So she ends up escaping with the gang and has to learn how to live as a fugitive.    [AO3] [spirit]

*** Chapter 1 - Estoy Contigo

Sergio’s hand was shaking when he pressed the phone against Raquel’s ear and she was having difficulties to listen to Angel on the other side of the line. But her whole body was also trembling while she tried to control the tears so she guessed she couldn’t blame him for that. He was quiet, staring hard at the wall behind her to give her some kind of twisted privacy, because they both knew that they were close enough for him to hear the whole conversation. Raquel closed her eyes to get rid of the tears overflowing her and, for a brief second, she felt his thumb brushing quickly against her cheek.

“Listen, don’t tell anyone that I woke up, okay?” Angel whispered through the phone, his voice low sore from the coma. “I need you to come visit me first” “NO!” Raquel answered dropping her strong acting for a second. “What?”

“It’s… it’s just…” the inspector swallowed, trying to clear her mind and recollect herself “I’m sorry Angel, I would really love to visit you, trust me, but they took me out of the case and with the investigations going on, I can’t leave the place I am right now… it’s too dangerous. I’m so sorry” “Why did they took you out?” he asked a little confused “Because they think I’m working with the thieves”

Raquel exhale the air in her lungs, feeling humiliated for saying those words. When she accepted to work in the case, she didn’t expect to lose herself in the process, to spin her life upside down and to get so involved that she would be accused of crossing the line between police and robber. That was not who she was. Not the girl her mother raised and the woman she wanted her daughter to look up to. She was more than a peon on Sergio’s game and more than a soldier of the national security team. And she knew she needed to show that to the world, somehow but on the phone with Angel, she felt ten times smaller than she really was.

“Oh… I see” Angel seemed disappointed and suspicious and Raquel’s eyes nervously met the Professor’s for a brief second. “Raquel, you’re with him aren’t you? With Salva? Is he threatening you? Did he hurt you?”

“No! No no no, I’m fine! Listen to me, I need you to do me a favor.” “Did you know that this fucker is the head of the robbery? That he was using you all along?” the sub-inspector sounded nervous and Raquel blamed herself for disturbing him like that in an hospital bed. She tried to calm him down with her tone, saying she knew everything and reminding him he needed to relax but Angel ignored her warnings.

“So, you must know where the hangar is. The place where he controls all the madness that is happening inside that place?” “I do.” she confessed, defeated. “Then why the fuck you’re still covering for him, Raquel? You have him under your palm, why don’t you just go ahead and tell the police? Clean your reputation and be the good cop like you’re supposed to?” “Because I don’t know who are the good and the bad anymore.”

Angel kept on silence on the other side of the line and Raquel felt the mood shifting. She hoped that was a good sign because she was being completly honest and Angel always knew very well how to read her, even through cell phone, so she took the chance to talk.

“I know that this is too much to ask, after everything we’ve been through, but I need you to trust me when I say that I am fine and I am not being forced to do anything, ok?” she asked and could only heard Angel sighing on the line.

“They will ask you about where did you got the spoon with the digitals. Please, Angel, don’t tell them what you know. Don’t tell them anything. Just… say that you don’t remember, that the accidente gave you amnesia, fuck, I don’t know. But please, my friend, don’t say a word. For me.”

Raquel was crying again but she held on a sob. She knew that if Angel noticed that she was out of control, he would assume she was being forced to ask that and shit would hit the fan. And, although tied up and with Sergio’s hand holding the phone, she never felt more certain of what she was doing.

The police soon would realise that all evidences pointed at her to be an accomplice and, with the whole world watching them, she knew the jury wouldn’t flinch before arresting someone for that robbery. Specially because of Alison Parker and the diplomatic crises between Spain and England. So, even as innocent as she was, she had spent too much time in the police academy to understand that one could never really prove anything when behind the bars. So she was planning to do what they taught her, after all those years in the national security department. She would fight for justice.

“Raquel, just answer me one thing… one thing and I will do whatever you say” Angel seemed more calm but still serious and his voice brought Raquel back to reality. “Are you in love with him?” his tone was cold and detached as if he was analysing the situation rationally.

Raquel couldn’t help but look up to Sergio again. He still had tears rolling down his face but stopped his cry long before her. The moonlight outside projected a dark blue shadow over the hangar and Raquel couldn’t see much but she noticed he was distressed, almost scared, taking deep breaths and failing to calm down. He avoided her glance so she wouldn’t see his dispair but, behind the dirty lenses and deep down inside his reddish eyes, Raquel saw him. The guy she fell in love with that day at Hanoi, when he offered himself to help her report her ex-husband. The one who planned escaping with her to a paradise island with a daughter and a grandma. The same man she saw telling the truth in the lie detector when he said he loved her and she didn’t believed. She didn’t know which on of his characters that guy was, Salva, Sergio or the Professor. But, somehow, she knew him. Her Clark Kent.

“Yes” she said trying to sound firm but her voice was failing. What a tragedy, she concluded, falling in love with the enemy, so deeply that it was hard to even say the words. Raquel knew very well what happened with star crossed lovers, living a forbidden relationship, against all odds. They both die in the end. She swallow some saliva and stared at her feet

“Are you sure about all of this?” “I am” she confirmed without hesitating now. “Ok. I won’t say a thing” “Thank you, my friend” Raquel closed her eyes in relief, letting go of the air she didn’t realized she was holding. Endorphine was running through her veins and her muscles relaxed all together as she opened a silly smile.

“But, Raquel, please be careful. You are too good for that asshole” “Yes, I’ll be! Thank you so much Angel, I would ne-“ Raquel couldn’t say more, the line was beeping indicating the end of the call. Sergio took the phone out of her ear and turned it off.

“So…?” he asked but the answer was clear because Raquel was laughing like crazy. She didn’t know if it was the stress of the moment, the hormones or something else but she didn’t contained her urge to lean forward to kiss him this time.

He stayed frozen for a moment, the same way he did the first time she kissed him at the warehouse. His lips were barely open and Raquel felt impatient, trying to connect him with the same electricity that she felt flowing on her body. But it was a slow process. His body seemed asleep and was waking up part by part: this eyes closing, his lips moving, his hands clutching until it all worked at once. At full strength. Sergio grabbed her waist and responded to the kiss with passion, desperate to find himself inside of her one more time. Their tongues intertwined in a mix of rage and desire, love and hate, relief and hurt. She moaned between his lips but, as hard as it was, they parted the kiss to look at each other, panting. “I’m with you” she said, leaning their foreheads together “Now, please, untie my hands. We have a escape to make”

Hello! Yes, it’s me again. Lately I’ve been writing a lot about these two (maybe even more than I write about my other otps) so I thought it would be nice to share one of my main sources of inspiration: music. I chose a lot of songs that remind me of their story and added to this playlist but i’ll probably keep updating it with time. Fun fact: I spent so. much. time. trying to come up with a title because they still don’t have a proper shipname (why?!?!?!!) but in the end I chose that reference of Romeo + Juliet because of “star-crossed lovers” reasons. Anyway, enough with the blabber. Here it is, enjoy! ♥   ***

{♫}

• one way or another — until the ribbon breaks • i found — amber run • way down we go — kaleo • i wanna be yours — arctic monkeys • play with fire — sam tinnesz • killing me to love you — vancouver sleep clinic • falling in love at a coffee shop — landon pigg • turning page — sleeping at last • the night we met — lord huron • need the sun to break — james bay • somewhere only we know — keane • like i’m gonna lose you — jasmine thompson • already gone — sleeping at last • secrets and lies — ruelle • love in the dark — adele • love the way you lie pt III — skylar grey • wicked game — ursine vulpine • heartbreak warfare — john mayer • in this shirt — the irrepressibles • breath again — sara bareilles • gravity — sara bareilles • wrecking ball — joseph & maia • take me to church — hozier • up all night — oliver tank • in my veins — andrew belle • heal — tom odell • fix you — canyon city • I won’t give up — jason mraz • i’m with you — avril lavigne • oblivion — bastille