A/N: Sorry it took me so long to get this up, guys! There were school problems involved, even though school hasn't even started, and I wasn't really into the idea of updating when I was so stressed. But here it is, straight from the cat's mouth, and I hope you like it!

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Katey leaned against the rail of El Ritmo's back porch, facing Javier. It was getting dark.

"Rafael's gotten big," she said with a smile.

"I know," he replied. "Kids tend to do that."

There was a pause.

"So how are you?" he asked.

"I'm great," she said. "I mean, I've been great. Things are great."

"I thought you were in St. Louis?"

"My family was relocated to Miami from Cuba." Katey sniffed. The first move had been hard enough, but getting over it had been harder.

He grinned. "It was a good thing we landed here, then."

"I guess so." She felt herself smile despite the unsure tone of her voice.

"I really have missed you."

"I've missed you too." And she meant it.

Another pause made Katey feel the weight of the question begging to be asked.

"How did you get here?" she blurted out. "I don't understand. I thought you liked it there."

His brow furrowed. "What makes you say that?"

"You never wrote me a letter," she continued, standing straighter. "I gave you my address and you never wrote once, you never told me how you were, you never asked about my family… I just assumed you loved the way things were." The bitter tone in her voice couldn't be helped. She was angry. How dare he show up like this without any warning? How dare he even say he missed her?

"Letters have nothing to do with it," he said, also standing up. "It's more complicated than that. You don't understand."

"Try me! At least give me a chance, it's better than what you did for two years." She was absolutely seething, her eyes wide and her lips pursed.

"I left."

"What?"

"I left, it was too much, I left. I took Rafael with me." Javier ran a hand through his hair and looked at her meaningfully. "It wasn't better."

The fact that he had said it was enough for every "I told you so" thought to flee from her mind. She sat down again. "How was it?"

"Terrible," he said with an honest face. "There was just nothing. No food, no money. Nothing. I don't think I've ever seen things that bad."

"Oh, Javier." She instinctively reached for his hand and squeezed it gently, pulling away the moment she realized what she'd done.

He gave her a puzzled look before continuing. "I had to bring Rafael with me. I didn't see how I could let him stay there with Carlos."

"How is Carlos?" Despite the fact that the little she knew of Carlos's nature was cocky and stubborn, she doubted he would abandon his own brother.

"He is… He has changed. There's not much I can do about it. He just wants money from the government, but he's supporting Castro all the way, even though Castro doesn't give him what he wants… I don't understand it." Javier wrung his hands out.

"It's illogical," Katey agreed.

"He would let his own sister suffer of food poisoning, just because the bread he brings home can't feed her, and now neither of us knows where she is." He swallowed, looking down. "It's better that way. She was sick."

"What happened?"

"I put her on a raft with my friend, Julio. He said he'd take good care of her. I don't even know where she is. She never wrote me."

Katey resisted from attacking him. It was clear that he could hardly stand to speak aloud what he was saying to her, and even clearer that he might break down soon. "It's okay, Javier. You're safe now. We'll find your sister. Everything will be fine."

"I know," he said, standing up straighter. "I know it will be fine. I came here for Rafael and me, and Chabe will be okay. She'll find me. Or I'll find her. It will be okay."

Though she knew he was telling himself more than her, Katey smiled.

"Enough about me," he said, snapping out. "You really do look… "

She raised her eyebrows, waiting for the word. "Settled?"

"Yeah, I guess." He offered her half a grin.

"It's a life." She sighed. "I started working here after…" After losing you. After I couldn't decide if I wanted to dance anymore because every time I heard music it reminded me of you. After crying my eyes out every night for three months. "… after I moved back," she finished lamely.

He seemed to know what she was thinking. "I don't dance anymore."

"I can't stop dancing."

Why was she doing this? Why was she having this conversation? Frank would be here soon, to see the show on Wednesdays the way he always did. Nevertheless, she was shocked. Javier without dancing was a world she didn't know. "You can't stop."

"But I did."

She assumed he just couldn't keep going with the lifestyle he had been forced into. Doubtless there had been no more time for dancing after the revolution, nor had there been anyone willing to dance. "Will you dance now? Now that you're here?" The words spilled out before she could stop them.

He grinned again. "I don't have a partner."

Javier stepped closer to her.

"That could be a problem," she murmured. No. No. Absolutely not.

His hand was in hers. Yes. Oh, yes. Wait. No. Definitely not.

"Maybe we can solve it?" Javier's forehead was pressed against hers.

"Maybe," she whispered, tilting her face to his. How long had she waited for this exact moment?

"Katey?" A male voice with a classic American accent was calling her name.

Shit.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Katey pulled away from Javier immediately.

He instinctively reached for her again, tried to pull her close and hold her too him. The one moment of physical contact had somehow sent him into overdrive, his body and mind feeding on memories and the now to fuel his sexual hunger.

But there was that voice.

"Yes, Frank?" Katey was flushed. He prided himself on that flush.

A burly man wearing a bowler hat stepped into the room. "Hey, sweetheart, I was just checking up on you." He walked toward her and kissed her cheek. "And who is this?"

"This is Javier, Frank." Katey stepped away from him and under the arm of this Frank. "The new bartender. And… a very old friend."

The look on his face must have given away everything she was trying to hide, because her face was begging him to play it cool. To go along with it. So he smiled. For Katey. "Nice to meet you," he said, holding out his hand.

"Nice to meet you too, Javier," the man called Frank said. "I'm Frank, Katey's boyfriend."

It hit him like a shock wave. "Excuse me?" He kept shaking Frank's hand.

"I'm Katey's boyfriend, Frank," Frank said a little louder.

"Oh." Javier's hand dropped limply at his side as he nodded with wide eyes. "You're a lucky guy, Frank." He smiled. Instant recovery. Yet another thing he prided himself on.

"I know," Frank said, pulling Katey closer to him.

Javier looked directly at Katey. "If you'll excuse me now, I think I have to… mix some margaritas…"

He didn't wait for a response. He headed straight for the bar.

He wasn't surprised when he heard the clacking of woman's dance shoes behind him. He felt a familiar tingling as someone grabbed his elbow.

"I should have told you," she said.

"Forget about it," he replied. "We're in a working relationship now."

"We were always in a working relationship."

"Don't talk to me about always."

"You never wrote!"

"I never could."

"Don't look at me like that."

"Look at you like what?" He sighed. "You want to be with him? Fine. Be with him. But don't expect me to act like I'm not surprised."

"It's been two years!"

He furrowed his brow. "Is that what this is about? Time? You think you had to move on by now?"

Her mouth opened and closed a few times. "No. No! I mean, yes. NO! Of course not."

"Okay, Katey."

"You'll like him once you get to know him."

He exhaled very slowly. "Maybe, but I don't want to get to know him. I've had enough to deal with for a while now, don't you think?"

"Javier," she said softly, sounding defeated. Her grip on his arm loosened and out of habit he held her hand in his. "Please. Let's just… Let's try to find a balance."

"Fine."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Fine. It'll be fine." It will all be fine.

She smiled and moved her hand out of his. A wash of loss flooded him. "I promise this will be okay."

"Mmmhmm."

"We'll get used to it…" She sounded not so sure of herself.

"Katey?"

"Yes?"

"I should really get Rafael home."

"Oh. Oh, well, okay." She stepped away from him. "I'll see you tonight, Javier."

As he watched her retreat, he recalled how much he had missed her. He was not about to be one-upped by this Frank. Katey loved him and they both knew it. He just had to convince her to make the right choice. But how?

Whatever it was, he was going to do it. He couldn't go through the past two years again. He was going to get Katey back.

No matter what it took.

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A/N: Sorry it took so long to get this up guys! I figured since I posted two chapters last time it would hold you over. But all the reviews really did fuel me, so THANK YOU! I do love my readers. I didn't want to write the whole Javier-Is-Hurt thing because I think that's clichéd and it doesn't really fit the character (hello? The whole James war in the movie?) , so I think this works better (for my story, anyway).

My love and prayers go out to all the readers, authors, and people who are in/ have relatives in Louisiana. May all get home safely to the friends, family and love that await.