Over the next week, they settled into a new routine. Sergio managed to refocus on the preparations for the heist, pushing the team in classes each day so by the end of the week they were caught up on the material again. He and Raquel fell back into their old habit of discussing the plan more in-depth after every class, and during the evenings, she could often be found studying his notes. After having distracted him for a while, he now found that she stimulated him to really engage with the plan again, and talking over the details with her renewed his enthusiasm for the heist. Her knowledge of the plan was starting to rival his own, and it was a great source of comfort to him to know that she would be able to take over from him whenever he needed to leave the control room for a while. He no longer felt like he was leading this operation alone. They were a team now, she and him, and together they would be unstoppable.

They slept together every night, and Sergio still woke up every morning with a sense of wonder that she was in his arms. He loved their conversations before bed, loved that his sheets now smelled of her, loved her sleepy smiles in the morning. He especially loved making love to her, hot and urgent in the evenings after a long day of not touching each other, or slow and sweet in the mornings. His days were enlivened by her winks in class and her casual touches during mealtimes, and his nights were filled with kisses and warmth. Everything was so different now they were together – so much lovelier, so much brighter, so much better overall. There was a sharp distinction in his mind between Life Before Raquel and Life With Raquel, and these were entirely separate things. Thinking back on his life before her was like watching a black-and-white movie, whereas he now felt like he was surrounded by vivid color. Every time she touched him, he felt brilliantly, intensely alive.

One bright morning she turned to him while they were dressing.

"Someone needs to go grocery shopping today after class."

"Yes", he said. "You're right. I think it's the turn of the Serbians."

"I want to go."

"No", he protested, "we agreed from the start that you and Tokyo wouldn't leave the grounds, you're both fugitives."

"Sergio", she said in a pleading tone, "I have to get out of the house, I'm going mad."

"Someone might recognize you."

"I'll wear a hat and sunglasses."

"It's too dangerous, Raquel!"

"It's been months since my face was last on the news, I'm sure people won't recognize me anymore. Please."

He hesitated. "Alright, but don't go to the nearest village. If someone tips off the police that they saw you, they're less likely to trace you back here."

She perked up. "Excellent! I'm in the mood for a nice drive."

They had a productive day of classes, but Sergio remained nervous about letting her go out. Finally he walked her to the car and said:

"Let me come with you."

"You said you wanted to go over your notes for tomorrow's class."

"I can do that later tonight."

She smiled and raised a suggestive eyebrow. "I'd rather do other things later tonight."

He grinned. "That's a strong argument."

"You stay here and go over your notes. I'll be back in an hour."

She looked around, then gave him a quick kiss. He watched her drive away with an uneasy feeling in his stomach.

…

Two hours later, he came down from the classroom and walked outside to where the others were sitting gathered around the table.

"Isn't Lisbon back yet?"

They all shook their heads and continued talking. He frowned. He knew he'd told her not to go to the nearest village, but he didn't think she'd drive that far. He sat down next to his brother and tried to join in the conversation, but he couldn't focus, throwing looks down the driveway every few seconds. After half an hour, he decided to call her. It went straight to voicemail.

"What's wrong?" Berlin asked him.

"She turned off her phone", he said. "Why would she turn off her phone?"

"Maybe the button got pushed accidentally."

"Maybe", he said, shifting nervously in his chair.

"She'll be back soon", his brother soothed him. "Don't worry so much."

Moscow and Denver made dinner with the last of last week's groceries, but Sergio couldn't eat. He kept checking his watch. Now she'd been gone for three hours, now three and a half. Every ten minutes, he tried calling her, but the result was always the same. Finally, after she'd been gone for four hours, he couldn't stand it anymore. He got up and went into the house, and his brother followed him.

"Something happened to her", he said desperately once they were inside.

"You don't know that", Berlin said reasonably.

"What if she got caught?"

"That's very unlikely."

"But not impossible!"

He was pacing up and down, his heart beating frantically. In his mind's eye, he saw her in handcuffs, behind bars.

"I need to get to the police station in Toledo. That's where they'd take her."

"How are you going to get there?" his brother frowned. "She took our only car."

He felt himself spiral into panic. He needed to find her, he needed to help her. "Oh god, Andrés, why did I let her go? She was safe here, why did I let her put herself at risk?"

"You said she wanted to go out."

"But I could have stopped her! I could have said no!"

"Sergio, calm down. Remember last time when she didn't return from her walk?"

"Yes."

"You were so worried, and in the end it turned out that she just sprained her ankle. I'm sure this is something similar. Maybe she decided to go into town to do some shopping."

"But why hasn't she called me, Andrés? Why is her phone turned off?"

Before his brother could answer, Tokyo came in, followed by the others.

"Professor, where is Lisbon?"

He took a deep breath to calm himself down.

"You know where she is", he said evasively. "Grocery shopping."

"For four hours?" Tokyo said suspiciously.

"I told her not to go to the nearest village."

"Still", Nairobi said. "She should be back by now. She missed dinner, and she knows at what time that is."

"Have you tried calling her?" Moscow asked.

"Yes", Sergio said, trying not to let his worry show. "Her phone goes straight to voicemail."

The others exchanged looks.

"I thought we'd agreed that Tokyo and Lisbon wouldn't do the shopping?" Moscow said. "Why did you let her go?"

"She really wanted to get out of the house", Sergio explained.

"And why do you think that is?" Helsinki asked.

Sergio frowned. "Are you going somewhere with this?"

"Well…" Rio said. "It's just… this is the first time she's been off the grounds on her own, and she hasn't come back…"

"What are you implying?"

"Oh for god's sake!" Tokyo interrupted. "Isn't it obvious? She's jumped ship, Professor! She's gone to rat us out to her police pals!"

"We don't know that", Nairobi interjected. "I told you all you aren't being fair to her."

Sergio was staring at Tokyo. "That's ridiculous."

"Is it?" Tokyo said. "Then why isn't she back yet? Why isn't she answering her phone?"

He shook his head. "No, Tokyo, that doesn't make sense. Why would she betray us now, after all these months? If she was going to betray us, she would have done it long ago, after learning what we were planning to do. She could easily have stolen the car and driven off at night. Why stay for all of these months if she was planning to double-cross us from the start?"

"Maybe she wasn't planning it from the start", Rio said quietly. "Maybe she's lost faith in the plan."

"The plan is beyond question", Berlin said firmly.

"Then maybe she stayed to gather more information", Denver said.

"Yes!" Tokyo agreed. "Delivering the full plan to the police might reduce her sentence more than if she just told them the general idea of what we were planning."

"It still doesn't make any sense", Sergio said stubbornly. "Why now?"

"Did anything particular happen over the last few days?" Moscow asked.

"Yes", Tokyo said. "Did you reveal any crucial information to her in one of your cozy discussion sessions after class? Did you give her any notes about an essential part of the plan?"

Sergio felt himself go pale as his mind went back to the conversation they had had in his room only last night.

"I've been wondering", Raquel said, lying on her stomach on his bed, studying his notes. "Where is everyone going after the heist?"

"I've arranged for them to go to different locations across the world."

"I know, but where?"

"Indonesia, Argentina, the Philippines, countries like that."

She nodded, and he considered her for a moment, then walked over to the spare bed and kneeled down to pull a small safe from underneath it.

"What's in there?" she asked.

"Information", he said. "A file on each of you, containing your real names and your fake passports, and detailed instructions on where to go and what to do after the heist."

He hesitated for a moment, then said: "The code is 5-3-8-7."

She looked up, startled. "You're giving me the code?"

"Yes. Just in case. If something happens to me, I want you to make sure that everybody gets their file, so they can get to safety."

She nodded solemnly. "I'll take care of it. Repeat the code to me?"

"5-3-8-7."

She repeated it a few times. "I think I've got it."

"I'm going to take a shower", he said. "And then let's go to bed."

"Sergio", she said as he was almost at the door. "I just realized… I don't know your last name."

He turned around and smiled. "You're right. It's Marquina. Sergio Marquina."

He felt a little dizzy. He'd left her alone with the safe right after that. She could easily have opened it and read the files. She could easily have taken them, even. All of their names and their escape plans, presented neatly to the police… wouldn't that make for a nice bargaining chip to reduce her sentence? It might even be enough to dismiss her charges altogether, especially if her information led to them being captured. She could walk away from this a free woman.

The others were all staring at him.

"Well?!" Tokyo prompted him. "Did you give her any sensitive information?"

He pulled himself together. "It doesn't matter. I have a good reason to trust her."

"What is it?" Denver asked.

"I… I can't tell you that."

"You expect us to just take your word for it that she's trustworthy?" Tokyo scoffed.

His brother put a hand on his shoulder. "I think it's time to tell them."

"Tell us what?" Tokyo asked suspiciously.

He frowned at his brother. "Really?"

Berlin nodded. "It's the reason you trust her. They deserve to know."

He looked at Nairobi, who nodded. "Yes, tell them Professor."

"Tell us what?" Tokyo insisted.

Sergio took a deep breath. "Lisbon and I… are in a relationship."

A stunned silence fell. Everybody stared at him.

"I trust her completely", he said quietly.

"I thought there weren't supposed to be any personal relationships within the team", Moscow said sharply.

"I know", Sergio nodded. "This wasn't supposed to happen, but it did."

"How long?" Helsinki asked.

"We've been together for two weeks", Sergio said.

"And that's why you trust her?" Rio said.

"Yes."

They all looked at him in disbelief.

"What?" he said defensively.

"Jesus, Professor!" Tokyo burst out. "We were under the impression that you were a smart guy, but apparently we were wrong!"

"What do you mean?"

"You've been sleeping with her?" Tokyo asked.

"That's none of your business", he said coldly.

"Actually, it is", Rio said.

"Why?"

"Are you an idiot?" Tokyo yelled at him. "She's been trying to get close to you from the start! Obviously she's been sleeping with you to get information out of you!"

Sergio felt like she'd hit him across the face. His mind was reeling.

"No", he whispered. "No."

"Did you give her any?" Tokyo demanded. "Did you give her any sensitive information?"

He swallowed hard. "Yes."

"When?"

"Yesterday."

"Oh, fuck you, Professor!" Tokyo shouted. "And now she's gone? She played you!"

He looked around. "Do you all believe that?"

Moscow averted his eyes. Rio and Denver shook their heads at him. The Serbians scowled. He shot a pleading look at his brother, who hesitated, then shrugged. Nairobi, however, stepped forward.

"Don't believe them, Profe! I've seen the way she looks at you, even when you're not looking. I don't believe she left to betray us."

"Are you willing to bet your life on that?" Tokyo snapped. "If she's gone to the police, they could be on our doorstep any minute! I say we don't risk it – let's pack up and get the hell out of here before the cops show up!"

They all started talking at once. Some of them agreed with Tokyo, others argued that they should wait another hour. Nairobi staunchly kept defending Raquel. Sergio didn't say anything. He felt numb. She's been trying to get close to you from the start. He remembered her coming over to talk to him during break times, sitting down next to him for every meal. She played you! Had it all been a lie? Every smile, every touch, every kiss? Had she not meant any of it? I just realized that I don't know your last name. Had he been blinded by his feelings for her? Had she recognized those feelings and exploited them? 5-3-8-7. No, he told himself. No, this was real. He knew her. He trusted her. She wouldn't leave him, wouldn't betray him. She wouldn't. She wouldn't… Would she?

Before he could make up his mind, the front door opened and Raquel walked in, exhausted. She looked at them in surprise.

"What's going on?"

Tokyo walked right up to her. "Are you alone?"

"What?" she said, confused. "Of course I'm alone."

"Then where the fuck have you been?"

"The stupid car broke down", she said defensively. "I was only halfway back from the village, I had to walk for miles."

"Why didn't you call us?" Nairobi asked.

"My phone battery died. I use that phone so rarely that I always forget to charge it."

Sergio felt dizzy with relief at the sight of her. She was back. She was back, she was here, she hadn't left him. He wanted to cry. She hadn't left him.

Raquel was still looking confused. "Where did you think I was?"

Sergio realized with a stab of panic that they couldn't let her know. He opened his mouth to intervene, but of course Tokyo wasn't kind enough to keep her mouth shut.

"We thought you'd gone to rat us out to the cops", she said acidly.

"What?" Raquel shouted. "What the fuck? After all these months?"

She turned to Sergio. "Can you believe this?"

By now he was feeling horribly, horribly guilty for not trusting her, even for a moment. He felt himself turn red and he knew his guilt was clearly visible on his face.

She looked at him and he saw the comprehension dawn in her eyes.

"You did", she whispered, stunned. "You believed her."

"I… no… not really…", he tried weakly, but he realized he was only making it worse.

She looked as if he'd slapped her. Then she turned and strode right past him to the stairs and up to her room. He watched her go, paralyzed, until Nairobi came up to him and punched him hard on the arm.

"Go after her!" she snapped. "Go apologize to her right now!"

As he hurried up the stairs, he heard Nairobi say to the others:

"Alright, let's all go outside, people."

He caught up with her at the door to her room.

"Raquel!" he said. "Wait!"

She turned around, and he backed away quickly at the fury on her face.

"What?" she snapped. "What could you possibly want to say to me?"

"I'm sorry", he said quietly.

"You're sorry?" she shouted. "You thought that I was a traitor but you're sorry?"

"I didn't really think that!" he tried to defend himself. "It was just… Tokyo said…"

"So you're believing Tokyo over me?"

"No! Of course not!"

He could see that she was truly upset.

"I can't believe you thought I'd betrayed you, Sergio! Didn't the last two weeks mean anything to you?"

"They meant everything to me!" he said desperately. "Don't you see?"

"No, I don't! Why would I tell you that I was in love with you if I was planning to betray you all along? Why would I have kissed you? Why would I have slept with you?"

He felt himself turn red again as he gave her another guilty look. Her expression turned to horror.

"Tell me you didn't think that", she whispered.

"I'm so sorry", he breathed, crushed. "Please try to understand. Don't you see what it looked like? I'd given you the code to the safe only yesterday and now you were gone…"

He thought she'd been angry before, but it was nothing to how she was looking at him now.

"You thought I'd slept with you for information?" she yelled. "That's what you think of me? That I'm a fucking whore?"

"No!" he said. "Of course not! But Tokyo implied that I'd been blinded by my feelings for you and for just one moment I thought… maybe she was right. It was just one moment, Raquel, I swear!"

"Well fuck you for thinking it, even for a moment!"

And she slammed the door in his face.

…

He was sitting at the kitchen table with his head in his hands when Nairobi found him.

"I fucked up, Nairobi", he whispered hoarsely.

"Yes", she said succinctly. "You did. Why did you doubt her, Profe? If I know how she feels about you, how come you didn't?"

"Tokyo made some strong arguments", he muttered.

"You know that shouldn't have swayed you. What was the real reason?"

He looked up at her. "I'm terrible at reading people, Nairobi. And I'm a firm believer that emotions cloud one's judgement. So it isn't at all unlikely that someone could get close to me just to get information without me seeing it."

"But I would have seen it", she said firmly. "If you didn't trust your own judgment, Profe, you should have trusted mine."

"I know", he said softly. "But it all went so fast, and I was so worried. I wasn't thinking straight."

"That much is clear", she said drily.

"She'll never forgive me for this", he said with quiet desperation. "I can't believe I'm going to lose her over something like this."

"You're not going to lose her."

"It feels like I already have."

"Don't be so dramatic. Go apologize to her again."

"I kept knocking on her door for twenty minutes. She doesn't want to talk to me."

"That was an hour ago. By now she's had a chance to calm down."

He shuddered. "She was so angry."

"And she had every right to be – her boyfriend is a jackass. But she won't stay mad forever."

He looked up hopefully. "Do you think so?"

"I do. Now go bring her some food and something to drink. The poor thing hasn't eaten yet."

She filled a plate with the leftovers from dinner and pushed it into his hands with a glass of water. Then she turned him by the shoulders and pushed him towards the door.

He slowly went up the stairs and knocked at her door.

"Go away", she said from inside, but he heard that the fight had gone out of her voice.

"Please let me talk to you, Raquel", he said quietly to the door. "Please."

"I don't have anything to say to you."

"But I have things to say to you."

Silence. He tried a different tack.

"I brought food."

Silence for another few moments, then she said:

"What kind of food?"

"Salad, and bread and cheese."

The door opened. He quickly held out the plate to her, and she took it without looking at him, then walked over to her desk and started eating hungrily. She left the door open.

"Can I… can I come in?"

She shrugged, and he took that as a yes. He walked in and closed the door behind himself, then stood awkwardly in the middle of the room as she ate. He noticed with a stab of guilt that she'd been crying.

She finished all the food on her plate and drank down the entire glass of water. Then she turned to him.

"Have I been a fool these past weeks?" she asked him quietly. "Have I misjudged the situation? Because I thought we were experiencing the same thing, but you never would have suspected me of such awful things if you felt what I feel."

"But I do feel it, Raquel. I do."

There were tears in her eyes. "Then how could you, Sergio? How could you?"

"I'm so sorry", he whispered. He felt so guilty it was suffocating him.

The tears were spilling down her cheeks now. "Don't you know how much you mean to me? I could never betray you!"

He felt close to crying, too. "It's just so hard to believe, Raquel! When I really think about it, it seems too good to be true, you and me. For a moment I thought that it was. I shouldn't have doubted you, not even for a second! It was just… just my own insecurities talking."

He swallowed hard before he could continue. "You've brought so much joy into my life, Raquel. It baffled me. I never thought I was destined for… for this kind of happiness. So when it looked like it would all go away again, like it had all been a lie – well, for one dark, desperate moment, that seemed like the much more believable option. I never really doubted you – not really! I doubted myself."

His throat was painfully tight now. "Please, please forgive me for being the world's biggest fool. I would trust you with my life. I think I believed Tokyo so readily because it looked like my biggest fear was coming true: that you would leave me. That idea terrifies me. I'm not used to being so dependent on another person, and I don't know how to deal with it. You… you know you are my first love."

She looked up sharply. "You love me?"

He gave her a confused look. "Of course I do."

"You never said it."

"I thought you knew. How could I live with you for four months and not love you? Honestly, how anyone could live with you and not love you is beyond my comprehension."

She gave him a soft look, then said quietly: "I love you too."

A hot, bright fire kindled in his chest at her words. The next moment, though, she shot him a pained look.

"But that's why this hurts so much. That you thought that I'd been lying to you all this time, that I'd betray you."

"I know", he said quietly. "I let Tokyo get inside my head, and there's no excuse for that."

A single tear was sliding down her cheek. "You don't know how much you mean to me, Sergio. I was so lost, and then you found me. You're my anchor, the one thing that keeps me steady in the storm that my life has become. If you lose faith in me…"

His heart was breaking. How could he have doubted her?

"I won't", he whispered. "I swear on my life that I'll never doubt you again, Raquel. Never, never again."

He tentatively opened his arms, and to his immense relief, she walked into them and hugged him.

"Do you really love me?" she whispered.

He wrapped his arms around her, held her tight, and simply said: "I do. I really do."

They stood there for a long time, just holding each other, and he felt overcome by emotions. He was so relieved that she'd forgiven him, painfully aware of the fact that she could have chosen to break up with him instead and there would have been nothing he could do about that. He imagined it for a moment: not being able to talk to her anymore, no more laughter, no more hugs like this. What would it have been like to see her every day without being able to hold her? Sleeping without her. Living without her. It seemed like a physical impossibility. Instead, she told him that she loved him, and he felt an all-consuming gratitude and tenderness.

After a while, she lifted her face up to him and he pressed a soft kiss to her lips. Kissing her when he had thought that he might never kiss her again was an inexpressible joy to him. He deepened the kiss hungrily and she threw her arms around his neck and kissed him back with equal enthusiasm. He felt an overwhelming need to touch her, and his hands were in her hair, on her back, in the back pockets of her jeans, as she pressed herself close to him and kissed him until he was breathless. Suddenly, just holding her wasn't enough anymore – he wanted to be closer to her, as close as possible, and the way she looked at him told him she was thinking the same thing.

He started undressing her, desperate to feel her skin against his, to feel it against his lips, to run his hands over her body and convince himself that she was still here, she was still his. She seemed just as eager, pushing his jacket off his shoulders, unbuttoning his shirt with nimble fingers. Soon their clothes were off and they fell onto the bed together, naked, tangled. He ran his fingers over her skin in tender worship of her body, pressing kisses to her shoulders, her chest, her stomach. How familiar she had become to him in just a few weeks, how intimately he knew her. And oh, how he loved every part of her. His mouth sought out his favorite spots: the elegant curve of her neck, the delicate skin of her wrists, the infinite softness of her breasts. She gasped as he closed his lips over a nipple and sucked, tangling her fingers into his hair to keep him there for a while.

He had never known how much satisfaction it could bring him to be the cause of someone else's pleasure, but now he would gladly dedicate his life to pleasing her. He wanted nothing more than to take her to a deserted island and spend entire days and nights kissing her, caressing her, making love to her. When this heist was over, he promised himself, he would do just that. For now, he moved down and settled himself between her legs to press kisses to the soft inside of her thighs. She sighed happily and opened herself to him, and he slowly inched his way upwards, drawing out the thrill of anticipation until she was trembling. Finally he pressed his mouth to her and she immediately tilted her hips with a soft moan. He started exploring her thoroughly, running his tongue up and down, enjoying the taste of her, delighted to hear her sigh. When he settled on the right spot, she gripped the sheets and started uttering soft little oh's that drove him to distraction, and he kept up a steady rhythm in the way he knew worked best for her. Soon she was arching her back, her breathing fast and uneven. He picked up the pace just a little and it was enough – she gasped, tensed, then gave a soft cry as the feeling rushed through her, making her shake and call out his name.

He eased off gradually, making her shiver with the aftershocks, then he returned to kissing her thighs, more than ready to go again after she recovered. She reached down, however, and gently tugged at his hair.

"Come up", she whispered. "I want you close to me."

He obeyed her willingly, his desire for her surging immediately to the point where it became nearly unbearable. He carefully covered her body with his and looked into her eyes.

"Raquel", he murmured, "You're the best thing that's ever happened to me. I don't know what I've done to deserve you."

She reached up a hand and pulled his head down to kiss him tenderly. He guided himself to her and entered her, the sensation of it exquisite – so warm, so soft. She sighed against his lips as he filled her completely, then he stopped and they remained like that for several long, blissful moments, holding each other tight, connecting, as close to oneness as they could get. When he finally started moving inside of her, he kept his body against hers, skin against skin, and she wrapped her legs around him to pull him in even deeper. He never wanted it to end, this closeness, this connection, this total intimacy with her. The way she was moving her hips, however, combined with her soft moans, were quickly driving him beyond endurance. Her fingers were stroking the back of his neck, sending the most delicious shivers down his spine, and he closed his eyes tight and groaned as the wave inside of him reached a peak and then crashed over him, flooding his brain and all of his senses and the entire world was reduced to this place, this feeling, this moment with her.

She held him close and stroked his hair as he recovered and caught his breath. After a while, he worried that he might be getting too heavy and he tried to roll away, but she made a plaintive sound and kept him on top of her.

"Don't go yet", she murmured. "I like to feel your weight on me."

So he stayed where he was, in her arms, as he kissed her and kissed her and kissed her.

Finally, regretfully, she let him go and he fell onto his back so she could settle her head in the hollow of his shoulder, her arm draped across his chest. They dozed for a moment, content just to be together. Then she looked up at him.

"Say it again", she whispered.

He smiled. "I love you."

She kissed him, then drew back and gave him a careful look.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Of course."

"I haven't brought this up before because I didn't want to freak you out, but… what happens after the heist?"

"What do you mean?"

"You said everybody's going to different countries. What about us? Do you want me to come with you? I… I would bring my daughter and I don't know if you want that. You don't have to answer me right now", she said hastily. "I know you probably haven't thought about it yet."

He got up. "Come with me."

"Where?"

"I want to show you something."

They got dressed and he took her to his room, where she sat down on his bed as he kneeled down next to the spare bed.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

He pulled the safe from underneath the bed and entered the code. Then he took out a folder and handed it to her.

"What's this?"

"My own file. Open it."

She did so, and pulled out three passports. The first was his. The second, hers. The third was for her daughter. She looked up at him with wide eyes.

"Of course you're coming with me, Raquel. I never even considered anything else. I can't believe you thought I wouldn't want that."

"When did you merge our files?"

"Two weeks ago, the very second we got together. I was yours completely from the start."

She gave him a radiant smile. "So where are we going?"

"The Philippines. Palawan, more specifically."

He reached into the file and pulled out a postcard to show her.

"What do you think? Is that okay with you?"

She took the postcard from him and looked at it with shining eyes.

"Oh, it looks wonderful."

He sat down next to her and took her hand. "After this is all over, I want nothing more than to start a life with you. If… if you want that too, of course."

She wrapped her arms around his neck and pushed him down onto the bed, kissing him fiercely.

"Is that a yes?" he laughed.

"Yes", she smiled. "Yes, of course."

They kissed again, then he settled himself on his back and she cuddled up to him. They were silent for a while, just enjoying each other's company, and he stroked her shoulder as he became lost in thought. Finally he said:

"Raquel… when you didn't return today, I thought something terrible had happened to you. I'm so glad you're safe."

"I was never in any danger."

"I thought for a while that they'd caught you. I'm not sure I'd be able to rescue you a second time. I was afraid I'd lost you."

She stroked his chest. "But I'm still here."

His eyes had a faraway look. "It was such an awful feeling. I was beside myself when I thought I might never see you again." He turned to her with an earnest expression. "I realized something today. I can't live without you."

"What are you talking about?" she said with a gentle smile. "You lived for forty years without me."

"I wasn't living", he whispered. "I existed."

She gave him the softest look, then put her hand against his cheek and kissed him. He kissed her back for several long minutes, then the thought of losing her became too much for him and he tightened his arms around her until she gasped, then laughed.

"I can't breathe like this! Let me go!"

He loosened his grip, but he kept his arms around her as he pressed a tender kiss to her lips.

"Oh Raquel", he said quietly. "I'm never letting you go again."