Day 6

Throughout the day, Raquel kept listening attentively to the transmission from Angel's bug to see if he seemed to have any suspicions about Elena's disappearance, but she heard nothing unusual. Elena had been extremely surprised when Raquel first turned on the radio in the morning.

"Wait… is that Angel?"

"Yes", Raquel said.

"How?"

"We put a bug on him when he entered the Mint with the medical team."

"Where?"

"In his glasses."

Elena pressed her lips together, then said reluctantly: "That's clever. So… you've been listening in on us the entire time?"

"Yes, we have."

She shook her head. "No wonder you were always a step ahead of me."

They listened together to Angel explaining to his team that Elena had gone on compassionate leave and that he would be taking over the investigation.

"It doesn't sound like he suspects anything's wrong", Elena said regretfully.

"It wouldn't help you if he did", Raquel said, a little apologetically.

"He could try to find me."

"We destroyed your phone when you were sleeping, so he can't track that. He could only find you through surveillance footage of the streets, and that would take a while. We'd hear it if he started investigating that and we'd have plenty of time to move our operation, including you."

Elena sighed. "Guess I shouldn't count on anyone to rescue me, then."

"I'm afraid not."

They were quiet for a while, listening to Angel talk to Colonel Prieto. Then Elena said:

"You know him better than me. Do you think he'll do a good job?"

Raquel shrugged. "A decent job, probably."

"I hope he can at least give you some trouble."

Raquel considered her. "Not as much as you did."

"I gave you trouble?"

"Quite a bit, yes. You were much cleverer than Sergio had anticipated and you threw him off several times."

Elena smiled in satisfaction. "Good."

In the early afternoon, Angel called the hangar. Raquel put a piece of tape over Elena's mouth, just to be safe, and Sergio picked up.

"Hello Inspector."

"This is Sub-inspector Rubio speaking", Angel said. "I'm taking over the operation."

Sergio pretended to be surprised. "Where's Inspector González?"

"She took a leave of absence for personal reasons."

"Oh", Sergio said, looking over at Elena, who gave him a dirty look in return. "I do hope she's okay."

"She's fine", Angel said. "But from now on, you'll be talking to me."

"Can I trust you?"

There was a short pause, then Angel said: "You can trust me as much as I can trust you."

"Sub-inspector Rubio", Sergio said, leaning back in his chair, "I have a feeling that we will get along splendidly."

…

In the early evening, Raquel was sitting in front of the screens while Sergio was tying Elena's hands again after eating, when there was a sudden scraping sound from the entrance to the tunnel – and then a head popped up.

"Moscow!" Raquel exclaimed, running over to him as he climbed out of the hole with a big smile.

"Hello Lisbon", he said, opening his arms, and she flew into them to embrace him.

"Oh, it's so good to see you again!" she said, feeling like it had been months – years – since the beginning of the heist, rather than six days. "How are you?"

"I'm fine", he said. "Just fine."

Sergio came over to them, smiling, and while he greeted Moscow, a second person climbed up out of the tunnel. Raquel gave him a careful look.

"Hello Berlin."

He nodded at her. "Lisbon."

They looked at each other for a moment, then Berlin grinned at her and Raquel realized with a surge of relief that he harbored no hard feelings towards her. The next moment, Sergio rushed past her and hugged his brother tightly. Berlin laughed and patted his brother on the back.

"How are things over here, my dear Professor?"

"Well…" he said, glancing over at Elena, who was seated with her back towards them.

Berlin raised his eyebrows. "What's this?"

"This is what your brother calls a 'calculated risk'", Raquel grumbled, and Sergio grimaced.

"How did she find you?" Berlin asked.

"I'll explain that to you another time", Sergio said hastily, then went off to talk to Moscow.

Berlin kept looking at Elena, and Raquel followed him as he walked over to her.

"Hello Inspector."

Elena sharply turned her head. "Oh, you've got to be kidding me."

Raquel reminded herself that the two had met when Elena had entered the Mint to see the hostages, and by the look on Elena's face, she had not enjoyed that encounter. Berlin, on the other hand, was smiling broadly.

"What a pleasure to see you again."

Elena looked daggers at him. "Can't say the same. I was hoping the next time I saw you, I'd be putting you in handcuffs."

He grinned. "We can still arrange that. I'm not opposed to a little bondage."

She gave him a look of utter disdain. "No thank you. I'd only end up disappointed."

"I can assure you that that's not true."

"Oh please", she said. "With all that swagger of yours, you've got to be overcompensating for…" her eyes flicked downwards, "…something."

Raquel suppressed a smile, but Berlin's grin didn't waver.

"Would you like to find out?"

She raised her chin. "Buddy, you couldn't handle me."

He laughed, delighted, then said: "I think you'd be surprised."

Something about his tone was making Raquel deeply uncomfortable.

"Alright", she said, "that's enough, Berlin."

"Ah", Berlin said softly, not taking his eyes off Elena. "You know, Inspector, Lisbon here has been acting as my… moral compass over the past few days. Always making sure I stay honorable."

"She has my condolences", Elena said drily. "That sounds like an extremely shitty job."

Berlin chuckled and turned around. Raquel and Elena shared a look of exasperation, then Raquel followed Berlin to join Sergio and Moscow.

"What a woman", she heard Berlin say appreciatively. "Maybe I should come visit you more often."

"Leave her alone, Berlin", Raquel said firmly. "She's already tied up here against her will, she doesn't need you to harass her on top of that."

"I think she likes me", Berlin grinned.

Raquel snorted. "I strongly disagree."

"Women often say one thing and mean another."

Raquel bristled. "That's just an excuse men use when we don't say what you want to hear."

"Anyway", Berlin said, "would you two like to come into the Mint to see how things are going?"

"Yes!" Raquel and Sergio both said at the same time, then they grinned at each other.

They gave Moscow a gun and asked him to keep an eye on Elena in their absence, then they descended the ladder after Berlin. The tunnel was long and low, and Raquel's back was aching by the time they got to the other side. She looked around eagerly at the big vault the tunnel ended in, and then Berlin led them through a number of hallways, showing them the places they had so far only seen through their cameras. Finally, they got to the hall with the presses, and Raquel looked on in awe as the sheets of money kept rolling past, until someone tapped her on the shoulder.

"Quite a sight, huh?"

She turned around. "Nairobi!"

The two women hugged each other, laughing, then Nairobi threw her arms around a startled Sergio, who carefully patted her on the back.

"It's good to see you, Profe."

"It's nice to see you too, Nairobi."

She released him. "Do you want to see it?"

"Yes", they nodded eagerly, and she led the way to a particular office, then opened the door with a broad smile.

Raquel clapped a hand to her mouth at the sight of the rolls upon rolls of money that were stacked up to the ceiling. She'd known, rationally, that they had already printed over a billion euros, but to actually see it with her own eyes left her speechless. The next moment, Sergio took her hand in his and squeezed it tightly, and she squeezed back, their issues momentarily forgotten.

"This is it", Sergio whispered, then turned shining eyes on her. "We did this, you and me."

"Mostly you", she said, but he shook his head.

"No, this would all have gone wrong by now if it hadn't been for you", he said. "We did this, together."

He looked down at her with such a warm smile that she couldn't help but smile back. It felt so nice to share this moment with him… maybe she could forgive him after all… She almost leaned in to kiss him, but then Berlin clapped a hand on his brother's shoulder, and he let go of her hand.

"So, what do you think?"

"You did an excellent job, Berlin."

They went down to the museum, where several of the others were guarding the hostages. There was laughter and hugs all around, and Raquel was surprised to realize that she was even happy to see Tokyo again. Then, a curly-haired figure emerged from behind Denver.

"Professor, Lisbon", Denver said, putting his arm around the woman's waist. "This is Monica."

Sergio and Raquel glanced at each other, then Raquel held out her hand.

"Nice to meet you, Monica."

Monica smiled at her, and Raquel felt instinctively that she was going to like this woman.

Sergio followed her example and shook her hand as well. "Ms. Gaztambide, I am the Professor."

"I know", Monica nodded. "I've heard all about you."

"How is your gunshot wound?" Raquel asked.

"It's healing", she said, then smiled up at Denver. "Denver has been taking care of me."

Raquel noticed the way they looked at each other and raised her eyebrows. This looked serious. And indeed, the next moment Denver turned to Sergio and said:

"Professor, I want Monica to join the gang."

Sergio blinked in surprise. "Uhm… what?"

"Is this something you want, Monica?" Raquel asked.

Monica shifted closer to Denver. "Yes, I do."

"She's been helping us", Denver explained. "She can't go back out. I want her to come with us when we leave."

"I… uhm… we're not prepared for that", Sergio protested weakly.

"We've already made her a passport", Denver said. "And I'm sure there's plenty of room on the boat…"

"Denver", Sergio said sharply, glancing nervously at Monica. "Please don't discuss our escape plans before we've decided if she can join us."

"Well then, can she?"

"I…" Sergio said, throwing a look at Raquel. "Lisbon and I will consider it."

Denver opened his mouth to protest, but Monica put a hand on his chest and said:

"Thank you, I appreciate it."

As they returned to the hangar through the tunnel, Raquel felt giddy with joy. She'd been dealing with the stress of the heist, the fall-out, the strain it put on her relationship, without seeing any of the results of their troubles. Now she had the feeling like they were working for something real, something tangible – something that would allow her to start a new life after this was over, a better life than she'd been able to imagine six months ago. As they exited the tunnel back into the hangar, Raquel sharply shook herself. She'd been taking it for granted lately, this new life. She was still scared that something might go wrong of course, she thought, glancing at Elena, but apart from that she'd gotten used to the idea that she would have money, and freedom, and a family after this.

She reminded herself sternly that she almost hadn't had a life at all anymore – that, if it hadn't been for Sergio, she would have been in a prison cell right now. She looked over to where he was talking to Moscow, and she felt a sudden surge of gratitude and love. She owed him so much… she owed him everything. Now he'd made a mistake – granted, it was a stupid mistake – but couldn't she forgive him? Moscow left, and she'd just decided to go over and hug him, when he turned around and went to talk to Elena, and she felt her heart sink. If he liked Elena's company so much, what did that mean for the future she'd envisioned for herself? She wanted to spend the rest of her life with him, but… would she always have to worry that he'd leave her at some point? She took a deep breath and seated herself behind the desk to watch the screens, trying to shut out Berlin's voice echoing in her ears again. She didn't see Sergio look up at her with an expression of sadness and longing.

…

That evening, Raquel slept first. When Sergio woke her in the middle of the night, she still felt tired and groggy, and her head didn't fully clear until Sergio had gotten into bed and she sat down behind the desk, ready for another six uneventful hours of staring at the screens. She glanced over towards Elena, who was looking up at the ceiling with an expression of immeasurable boredom, and she felt her natural empathy overcome her apprehensions surrounding the woman. Sergio was right – she hadn't asked for this either – and Raquel resolved to make an effort to talk to her. Yesterday, Elena had refused to talk to either Raquel or Sergio throughout the night, but she'd opened up considerably during her chess game with Sergio, and Raquel felt like tonight she might be more forthcoming. She glanced over again and noticed that Elena was shifting against her ropes.

"Are you uncomfortable?"

Elena considered her for a long moment, then nodded. "Well… yes."

"When did Sergio last let you move?"

She hesitated. "He didn't."

Raquel frowned. "You mean you haven't moved since I went to bed?"

"No."

"No wonder you're uncomfortable! Why didn't Sergio untie you at some point?"

"I don't think it occurred to him."

"Why didn't you ask?"

Elena regarded her silently, and Raquel gave her an amused look.

"You didn't want to show any weakness in front of him, did you?"

Elena kept looking at her steadily. "Would you?"

"No", Raquel mused. "If I were in your situation, I might not either."

She walked over to Elena and untied her from the chair, keeping her wrists tied together, then aimed her gun at her.

"Alright, you can walk around a bit, but don't try anything."

"With my hands tied behind my back?" Elena scoffed. "I'm touched by your belief in my superpowers."

Nevertheless, Raquel kept her gun steady as Elena stretched herself, but when she saw her wince in pain, she suddenly felt rather bad.

"I'm sorry Sergio wasn't more considerate."

"He's not generally a very considerate person, is he?"

Raquel hesitated. "He can be, but I understand why you would think so. You haven't exactly seen his best side."

"No", Elena said drily. "I haven't."

Raquel felt a sudden stab of pity. "Elena, I'm sorry about the way he treated you."

She frowned. "It's not that big a deal, Raquel, he just left me sitting for six hours."

"No", Raquel said, "I meant… the way he treated you before."

"Oh", Elena said. "You mean when he was pretending to be Salva to get information out of me."

"Yes. He… he made you think you were on a date and he shouldn't have done that."

Elena threw her an amused look. "It's okay, Raquel, don't worry about it."

"It's not okay, he led you on."

Elena gave her a half-smile. "He didn't break my heart, if that's what you're worried about."

"I thought you liked him?"

"I did. I prefer to like the men I sleep with. But really that's all I was interested in."

"Oh", Raquel said. "You weren't…"

"Falling in love with him?" Elena said. "No. I don't do relationships."

"Ever?"

"Ever."

"Why not?"

Elena shrugged. "Too much hassle."

Raquel nodded. "That's why you wanted to sleep with him on your first date."

"He told you about that, huh?"

"Yes."

Elena suddenly looked uncomfortable. "Look, Raquel, I never would have asked him that if I'd known he wasn't single."

Raquel frowned. "Well, how could you possibly have known that?"

"Still, I wanted to make that clear."

Raquel's frown deepened. "Elena, he was lying to you, you're not at fault here."

She sighed. "I suppose. Thanks."

Raquel felt an unexpected wave of sympathy for her former colleague. She noticed her roll her shoulders, so she asked:

"How are your arms and hands feeling?"

"Numb", Elena said succinctly. "I haven't felt my fingers in hours."

Raquel considered her, then said: "I'll untie you for a bit."

Elena looked up sharply, so she quickly added:

"Don't get your hopes up! I'm going to tie your ankles first, like Sergio does when you're eating."

"That's fine", Elena said, and there was such a look of relief in her eyes when she sat down that Raquel realized she was in real pain. She quickly got some more rope and tied her ankles to the chair, then untied her wrists, and Elena inhaled sharply as she brought her arms around and the blood started flowing again.

"Does it hurt?" Raquel asked sympathetically.

"Yes", Elena said breathlessly, carefully bending and unbending her fingers, swearing softly under her breath. After a while, Raquel saw her relax, and she looked up again, rubbing her wrists.

"You know, it can't have been fun for you either."

"What?" Raquel asked.

"Knowing that he was contacting me. You have a lot of common sense, I can't imagine you agreed with what he was doing."

"No", Raquel said drily, "I didn't."

"I didn't think so", Elena said. "Well, at least you didn't have to worry that he was actually interested in me."

"Didn't I?" Raquel asked without thinking, then immediately regretted saying it.

Elena looked surprised. "Of course not. He's so obviously in love with you."

Raquel hesitated, feeling all of her insecurities come to the surface again. Then she noticed that Elena was observing her attentively, and she had the uncomfortable feeling that she was looking right through her. Suddenly Elena said:

"You were still tired when you woke up, weren't you?"

"Yes", Raquel said, surprised. "How did you know that?"

"Because you were having nightmares."

Raquel suddenly remembered – yes, it was true, she did have nightmares. But…

"How could you tell?"

"You were tossing and turning. Your blanket kept falling to the ground."

Raquel frowned. "I was under the covers when I woke up though."

"Yes", Elena said, "because Sergio kept going over to pick it up and cover you again. Over and over and over."

Raquel felt herself go red. "He did?"

"Yes", Elena said. "He did."

Raquel suddenly felt a rather warm glow spread through her chest at the thought of Sergio patiently making sure that she didn't get cold.

Elena continued: "After about a dozen times, he sat down on the bed and started talking to you, very quietly, and that's when you calmed down." She paused. "He stayed with you for over half an hour to make sure you were sleeping soundly."

Raquel didn't know what to say. "Why are you telling me this?"

Elena looked away. "I know me being here is causing tension between you."

Raquel frowned. "Why do you care? We're keeping you prisoner. If we're fighting, all the better for you."

Elena said nothing, and Raquel continued:

"Come to think of it, you offered to help me yesterday too. Why?"

Elena glanced at her, and for a moment it looked like she was about to say something, but then she seemed to change her mind and said:

"You can tie my hands again if you need to get back to your screens."

"Alright", Raquel said slowly, looking at her closely, but she seemed unwilling to continue the conversation.

As Raquel kneeled down behind the chair and tied her wrists together again, she had the distinct feeling that there was something Elena wasn't telling her… though she had no idea what it could be.

…

In the early morning, their phone suddenly started ringing, and Raquel could see on the screens that it was Nairobi.

"Can I come over to you for a bit, Lisbon? I have to get out of here or I'll go mad."

"Of course, Nairobi, the tunnel is open."

"I'll be right there."

A few minutes later, Nairobi climbed up out of the hole and looked around.

"So this is where you've been spending your heist, huh? Not exactly the Hilton."

"No", Raquel said drily. "It's not."

"Where's the Professor?"

"He's sleeping, so keep your voice down."

Nairobi suddenly spotted Elena and her eyebrows shot up.

"What's going on here?"

Raquel sighed. "We have an unexpected guest."

"Who is this?"

"Inspector González."

Nairobi's eyes went big. "Oh shit."

"That's accurate."

"What… how?"

"That's a long story, I'll tell you some other time. Let me introduce you."

They walked over to Elena, who looked at Nairobi with interest. Raquel introduced them, and the two women nodded at each other.

Then Raquel turned back to Nairobi. "So why did you have to get out of there?"

Nairobi rolled her eyes. "Berlin."

"What's he done this time? Do I have to come over and…"

"No, no", Nairobi said. "He's just being a total and utter asshole."

"Isn't that his entire personality?" Elena muttered.

Nairobi looked down at her. "You know Berlin?"

"I've had the misfortune of meeting him, yes. You've been working with him in there?"

"Yes."

"Then you have my congratulations."

"What for?"

"For not smothering him in his sleep."

Nairobi looked surprised, then grinned at Raquel. "I like her."

Raquel smiled, then they heard the alarm on Sergio's phone go off. Five minutes later, Sergio joined them at the desk, where Raquel was showing Nairobi the screens.

"Good morning, Nairobi", he said formally, then he turned to Raquel and repeated, in a much softer tone: "Good morning."

She looked at him. "Good morning."

There was still an awkward tension between them. Raquel remembered what Elena had told her about last night, and she suddenly wished she could just go to him and kiss him and make things alright again, but she didn't know how. Nairobi was looking between the two of them and raised her eyebrows. Sergio glanced at Elena, then said quietly:

"We should talk about… the thing Denver asked us, but I think it would be better if Elena didn't overhear."

"I agree", Raquel said. "We could wait until she's asleep?"

Sergio hesitated. "I don't know, we'd have to discuss adjusting our escape plans as well, and what if she's only pretending to sleep and overhears us?"

Raquel felt pleased that he was being careful around Elena at last. "We could go into the Mint to talk. If Nairobi wouldn't mind keeping an eye on the screens?"

Sergio cleared his throat. "Maybe we could go to the backup location?"

Raquel frowned. "That's a risk for me, the streets are still crawling with cops."

"We could take a taxi."

"Wouldn't it be easier to just go into the Mint?"

Nairobi suddenly intervened. "I think the Professor's idea is pretty good. Get out of here for a bit, Lisbon, I'll watch the screens, and the cop as well."

"Alright", Raquel said, noting the look of relief on Sergio's face. "It's her turn to sleep anyway."

Raquel bound Elena securely to the bed while Sergio called a taxi, then Nairobi took Raquel aside and said:

"You don't have to hurry back, you know."

"Won't they miss you in the Mint?"

"No, Mr. Torres can run things without me for a while."

"Alright. Thanks."

Nairobi frowned. "Are you two alright?"

Raquel hesitated. "More… more or less."

"Well then, talk it out." She grinned. "Or, you know, find another way to work things out."

…

The moment they stepped into the backup location and Sergio turned on the lights, Raquel couldn't help but smile at the many happy memories she had of this place. Their first time had been here, and they'd slept here after their first official date. She felt better just being here – this was their spot, just for the two of them.

He turned to her. "I feel like we should let Monica join us if she wants to."

"I agree", she said. "Is there room for her on the boat?"

"I assume she'll share a cabin with Denver, so yes."

"Will she get a share of the profits if she joins the gang?"

Sergio hesitated. "That's tricky. She's only joining us last minute, she didn't put in the preparation the others did, and she's not taking the same risk. What do you think?"

"I feel like Denver should just share with her."

"Yes, I agree. His share is plenty for two people."

"Alright, then… it's settled?"

"I think so."

She frowned. "Did we have to come all this way just for that?"

"No", he said, his voice softening. "I wanted to talk to you. I know you're still angry at me and you have every right to be, of course. I've tried to give you some space but I… I miss you, Raquel."

She looked up at him, teetering on the edge of forgiving him completely. She just wanted to be close to him again. He reached out to take her hand and gently pulled her closer, gazing down at her with a wistful look in his eyes.

"I think this is the longest I've ever gone without kissing you."

"I wasn't in the mood to kiss you."

"I know", he said. "I don't deserve your kisses. But I do miss them."

The way he was looking at her – the way he was standing so close to her – the way he smelled – she felt herself lean into him instinctively. She'd missed his kisses too, she'd missed them so much.

He felt her soften and bent his head to murmur:

"I've made mistakes, Raquel. I thought I was clever but there's so much I don't know. I know I love you, though. I do know that."

He bent his head lower, hesitating, seeing if she would pull away. When she didn't, he carefully, softly pressed his lips against hers, just for a moment, and she felt her resistance to him dissolve into nothingness. She wrapped her arms around him and buried her face against his chest, and he hugged her close in return and leaned his cheek against the top of her head.

"Can you forgive me?"

She just nodded silently, breathing him in. Oh. This was how they were supposed to be, him and her, this was how the world felt right. In his arms, all of her worries melted away.

"Thank you", he murmured against her hair, tightening his arms around her. "Thank you for forgiving me, I know I don't deserve it. You're such a wonderful person, Raquel. You… you're the best person I know."

She looked up at him. "Do you mean that?"

"Of course", he whispered. "You just are, and I… I can't believe my luck that I found you and that I get to spend the rest of my life with you."

She suddenly felt so foolish. Why had she been so insecure? It was true that he seemed to enjoy Elena's company, but he clearly loved her. Of course she couldn't be sure that he'd never get bored of her in the future, but right now he clearly believed they would spend their lives together, and that was all she could ask for, so she leaned her head against his chest and just enjoyed the feeling of his arms around her.

They stood together for a long time, then he released her and stepped back, sighing regretfully.

"I suppose we should get back."

"Actually", she smiled, "Nairobi said she didn't mind watching the screens for a while… she said we didn't have to hurry back."

A slow smile appeared on his face. "Really?"

"Really", she said, stepping closer to him again. "And unlike the bed back there, the bed here has enough room for the two of us."

"Ah", he said, nodding, as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "I see. You want to take a nap."

She laughed. "Guess again."

"You want to… build a pillow fort?"

She grinned. "Actually, that sounds amazing, but I don't think we have that much time and I'd rather spend it on… other things."

"Hmm", he said, bending his head. "Things like… this?"

He bent his head even lower and brushed his lips against the sensitive skin of her neck, and she sighed and tilted her head. Yes, yes, this was what she needed right now: his arms around her, his skin against hers, their bodies entwining, that unique connection they had that she'd never felt with anyone else and she knew he hadn't either. She caught his face between her hands and made him look up so she could press her lips against his, and he lifted her off the ground as she kissed him, so hungry for him. God bless Nairobi, she thought as he carried her over to the bed.

They couldn't stop kissing – they hadn't kissed in almost two days and now it seemed impossible to stop, unwilling as they both were to waste a single, precious second of this stolen time. Undressing under those circumstances required some creativity, but fortunately they were very motivated, so it wasn't long before she was lying on top of him, skin to skin, kissing him deeply as his hands moved down her bare back. In his arms, she felt better than she had in days – he kissed her so eagerly that her insecurities faded, touched her so tenderly that she simply couldn't doubt how he felt about her. His body and his closeness reassured her more deeply than his words could, as she felt in everything the reaffirmation of the bond they shared. Life might push them apart in many different ways, but sooner or later, they always found their way back to each other.

His hands were caressing her buttocks and the backs of her thighs, lighting a fire inside of her that took her breath away with its sudden intensity. It still surprised her, the way he affected her body so deeply, the way it responded to him with such enthusiasm, his slightest touch making her shiver, his kisses and caresses invariably producing a deep, aching longing for him that she was powerless to resist. She wanted to hold him, feeling an overwhelming desire to be as close to him as possible, so he sat on the edge of the bed and they wrapped their arms around each other and kept kissing as she straddled him on her knees. She lifted her hips and moaned softly against his lips as she sank down on him, the pleasure of taking him inside her always new, always fresh. She moaned again as she started moving, shivers of delight running down her spine as he started kissing her neck.

He held her close as they rocked together, but after a while he leaned back so he could move a hand between them. She gasped as his fingers found the right spot, eliciting an immediate surge of pleasure that had her breathing fast as they increased the pace of their movements. Soon, she felt the tension inside her build and build until she was moaning every time she sank down on him, then she buried her face against his shoulder and held on tight to him as the feeling swept through her, strong and bright and amazing, making her gasp for breath against his skin. When it faded again, he pulled back his hand and held her, stroking her hair as she leaned against him and caught her breath. Before she'd fully recovered, he let them fall back onto the mattress and rolled her, unresisting, onto her side. She smiled in utter contentment as he came to lie close behind her, putting an arm underneath her head and fitting his body to hers so they were connected full-length.

"Ready to go again?" he murmured in her ear.

"Yes", she whispered back. "Oh, yes."

When he slowly entered her again, the pleasure of it was undiminished, making her sigh and press herself even closer to him as he wrapped an arm around her waist and started taking her with slow, unhurried strokes. They sank into it, and she got lost in the feeling, her eyes closed, savoring the feeling of his warm skin against hers and the way he moved to fill her over and over again. When he started covering her neck and shoulder with kisses, the bliss of it was overwhelming, and she wished with all her might that this would never end. After a while, he moved his hand between her legs and started stroking her with light fingers, careful because she was already sensitive. The combined sensations made her moan, and he kept it up until her entire body was thrumming with unreleased tension, his touch so delicate that it kept her teetering on the edge for several breathless moments, but then his other hand cupped a breast and when he pinched her nipple, that sent her straight over the edge with a gasp. For the second time, she trembled in his arms and he kept taking her deeply as the feeling shook her, gloriously, making her moan and moan with the absolute pleasure of it. When it finally faded, it left her soft and warm and happy, and she took his arm and tucked it snugly around her waist so he could hug her close. He pushed himself deep inside her, then he lay still as she recovered, softly stroking her hip and stomach. When her mind cleared, she realized something.

"Sergio", she said, "you still haven't…"

"No", he said.

"Why not?"

"I don't want it to be over yet", he murmured, and she smiled. God, she loved his stamina.

She hummed her contentment as she pressed herself backwards against him and started moving her hips again.

"Well, now it's your turn."

"Mmm", he murmured, but his hand was already dipping back between her legs.

She gasped and pushed it away. "No darling, it's too sensitive now."

He nodded and, to her surprise, he pulled back and rolled her onto her back.

"What are you doing?" she laughed as he moved down to lie between her legs.

"If you're too sensitive, let's try it this way."

She pushed herself up on her elbows. "Sergio, I've already come twice, really, it's enough."

"One more time", he murmured, kissing the inside of her thighs.

"Sergio…"

"Of course", he said, "if you don't want to…"

He gave her a soft lick and she shivered. "… we don't have to…"

Another lick and an involuntary moan escaped her lips. "… but I have a feeling that you might prove to be…"

At the third stroke of his tongue, she threw back her head and closed her eyes. "… persuadable."

He pressed his warm mouth to her and she fell back into the pillows, past resisting. He looked up with a smile.

"Is that a yes?"

"Yes", she whispered, "yes, don't stop."

"Good", he said with satisfaction, then bent back down and set to work in earnest.

The feeling of it was exquisite, his tongue wonderfully soft against her sensitive parts. He gave her plenty of time to get there again, exploring her thoroughly, then he entered her with two fingers and pushed upwards, and she gasped and arched her back.

"Oh! Oh, yes!"

He pressed his mouth to her again, focusing entirely on the one spot now, and soon she was breathing hard again as she felt another orgasm build, faster than she'd thought possible, but what he was doing felt so good, every touch amplified by her sensitivity. A hot, delicious tingling was starting up in her core, so intense it took her breath away, and then he picked up the pace and she was lost. She rose up out of the pillows with a cry as wave after wave of pleasure crashed through her, making her shake and clutch desperately at the sheets as he just kept her going and going, until her breath came in sobs and she pushed his head away. She fell back down, shivering, moaning softly, and pressed her hands to her face.

"Oh my god."

"Good?"

"That's… quite the understatement", she panted.

She heard him rumble in satisfaction, then he returned to kissing her thighs. She reached out a hand and gently tugged at his hair.

"Come on up, now it really is your turn."

He didn't move.

"Sergio?"

"Just one more time", he murmured.

She laughed. "Are you mad? I'm exhausted, I can't go again."

"I think you can", he said. "In a little while…"

"But what about you?"

He shook his head. "Let's focus on you."

She pushed herself up on her elbows and narrowed her eyes at him.

"What's going on?"

"Nothing", he said quickly, but his expression said something else.

"Yes there is."

"No, really…"

She gave him a stern look. "Talk."

He sighed. "It's just… I feel like I have a lot to make up for."

"Make up for?"

"I want to make it up to you… the mistakes I made, not listening to you… all of that."

"Excuse me?" she said indignantly. "You've been doing this out of guilt? Those were guilt orgasms?"

He gave her a tentative smile. "More of a… peace offering?"

"Were you even planning to come yourself?"

He colored slightly and mumbled: "I feel like I don't deserve it."

"Oh no", she said, frowning. "No, no, no."

She sat up and pulled away from him, crossing her legs to give him an earnest look as he sat up too.

"Sergio, I forgave you, I don't want you to feel like you have to do some kind of… penance."

He grinned. "Well, it's not like I didn't want to do it." He gave her a warm look. "You know you're very sexy when you…"

She held up a hand. "That doesn't matter. I don't want you to do that sort of thing because you feel obligated."

"I don't", he said seriously. "Really, Raquel, you know how much I love making love to you, I enjoyed every second of it, I swear."

She smiled. "Okay, maybe I didn't mind that part. But you shouldn't feel like you can't allow yourself any pleasure."

"Giving you pleasure gives me pleasure too", he said.

"You know what I mean", she said gently. "I don't want you to feel like you have to punish yourself if you made a mistake. I don't want that kind of dynamic in my relationship."

She shifted closer to him and stroked his cheek. "Making love should be something joyful. It should be about connecting and enjoying each other and mutual pleasure."

"But what if I've really done something wrong?"

"Then you change your behavior in the future", she said drily. "That's how you make things up to me. If I agree to sleep with you, I will always want it to be good for the both of us. Always. We solve our issues outside of the bedroom. By talking. Agreed?"

He nodded, and she leaned in to kiss him, then pulled back with a smile.

"So… let's take care of you now."

Before he could say anything else, she pushed him onto his back and came to sit on top of him.

"You don't have to…" he protested weakly, but then she sank down on him and he shuddered.

"Were you saying something?" she said sweetly, shifting her hips in a way that made him groan.

"No", he breathed. "No, not at all."

"Good", she smiled, as she slowly started moving. "Because you're in for a bit of a ride. Are you ready?"

His eyes were shining. "Yes."

"Oh", she teased him, moving up and down his length, "I don't think you are. I give you two minutes."

"Really?" he said, amused. "Try me."

They grinned at each other – challenge accepted. Then she tilted her hips and he gasped as she was suddenly so tight around him.

"Oh!"

She started riding him, hard, and within seconds his breathing quickened and his face was flushed, but she knew his stamina was excellent and she'd have to do better than that to get him to lose control. So she reached down a hand and made a ring of her forefinger and thumb, which she closed around the base of his shaft, then tightened until he moaned. Now when she moved, she moved her hand too, creating a delicious contrast between the tightness of her fingers and the softness inside of her.

"Oh!" he gasped. "Oh god!"

To her delight, he was showing clear signs of breaking after only a few strokes: his eyes were tightly closed and he was gripping the sheets so hard his knuckles whitened. She reached out her other hand and drew her nails down his chest and stomach, and his eyes flew open and he cried out:

"Stop! Stop!"

She stopped moving and grinned in satisfaction as he pressed his hands to his face.

"Fuck", he breathed. "Fuck, you're incredible."

"Do you surrender?" she teased him.

He looked up at her and his eyes were shining with admiration.

"Yes", he said. "I surrender to you, Raquel, I surrender everything. I'm all yours."

"That's what I like to hear", she smiled.

He laughed, then grabbed her wrist and pulled her down to kiss her. When she pulled back, she felt his mood shift as he gave her a soft look.

"I love you, you know."

She felt a sudden ache in her chest. "I love you too."

He carefully pushed back her hair, then lifted his head to kiss her so tenderly it made her want to cry.

"Raquel", he said softly, "I'll do better from now on. I promise. You deserve better."

She leaned her forehead against his in response, and they closed their eyes and stayed like that for a while, just connecting. Finally he took a deep breath and said:

"I never want to fight with you again."

"Me neither", she murmured, and in that moment, it really felt like that was possible.

"Now stay close to me", he whispered, then he sighed happily as she pressed her body against his and started moving again. He wrapped his arms around her and murmured softly in her ear:

"Oh, I love the way you move."

She set a slower pace now, kissing him deeply as his hands tenderly stroked her back, and soon they were entirely wrapped up in each other. They moved together so easily, so completely in tune with one another, whispering sweet things and exchanging soft caresses, the entire world reduced to their two bodies, moving as one. Finally he tensed, but at the last moment, she felt a last remnant of resistance holding him back as he clenched his jaw and frowned.

"Hey", she whispered, kissing his cheek. "It's alright. We're alright. I love you. Always, my love, no matter what."

He sighed and she felt him relax.

"I love you too", he murmured, then he wrapped his arms around her, buried his face in her hair and whispered her name as he finally let go.

She covered him with kisses as he caught his breath, then she tried to get off him, but he wouldn't let her.

"Oh no", he rumbled, tightening his arms around her. "No, you're staying right here."

So she laughed softly and rested her head on his chest, listening to his heartbeat as it gradually slowed down. He kissed her hair.

"God, Raquel", he whispered, "you're amazing. You're amazing."

And there it was again, in the back of her mind: Berlin's voice. You may have captured his attention in the bedroom for now, but at some point that will fade, and then what will you have?

But this time, the words didn't touch her. This time, she was warm and safe in his arms and the words were just words. Shut up, Berlin, she thought, cuddling closer to him. You have no idea what we have.