Sergio is waiting inside the classroom when Raquel found him. Normally, he would've had his head buried in a pile of documents but not this time. He's already waiting for him to come in like he knew she will be there.
"Did you bug Marseille?" she asked suspiciously.
He nodded and showed her his phone. It's not a bug but the two men conspired to get her to talk. She should be irritated by that but she gets where Sergio is coming from. If the situation is reversed, she would be desperate for him to talk to her too. Raquel sat in front of Sergio and he put the phone away.
"I supposed you hear everything", she guessed and he nodded. "I know you're worried and I am sorry for making you feel more stressed than you should be. There is a lot of things in need of your attention before we leave and I am not making it any easy for you", she apologized.
"Nothing compares to you, Raquel. I would gladly drop all of these if you ask me to, you know that. When they got you inside that farm house, I was willing to surrender myself just to get you out. You are my priority, you and our family so don't apologize", he said as he searched for her hand.
When their hands meet, Raquel felt a glimpse of emotion for the first time since her fight with Gandia. She didn't expect it to hit her hard but it did. Was it relief? Happiness? Love? Sure it's not guilt or shame. She's feeling something now and that's what matters.
"Listen to me, Raquel. You are an amazing, strong, intelligent, and kind woman. Yes, you are capable of a lot things and that includes taking someone's life but nothing you did…ever did will make you become like Gandia. You want to know why?" he asked and she nodded. "…because despite everything that has happened to you, despite everything you went through, you managed not to lose your heart. The world has already thrown you curve balls after curve balls enough to make your heart grow cold but you didn't give in. You survived it all. That's what you are, a survivor", he continued.
Tears are free falling now from her eyes. It feels good to finally be able to feel something now. For days, she felt empty like she's just a walking empty shell while everyone around her is full of emotions.
"I was so scared, Sergio. I could feel it, you know. I could feel it eating me and I thought it would be easy. It would be easy to just turn everything off and function like a machine. It would be so much easier than feel the pain", she opens up.
"What stopped you?" he asked.
"You. You and Paula and Mama. You're all the reasons why I desperately wanted to get out of that bank so I can see you all again. Then I stopped feeling things and I got so scared. I tried to reach in but I was so numb. I'd rather feel the pain and guilt and shame if that would mean that I get to feel your love again, love of our daughter and my mother. For days, I couldn't feel them and now I finally can again", she answered.
Sergio smiled and gently wiped her tears away. He caresses her face and then pressed his lips to hers.
"We're always here for you no matter what. Always trust that we know your heart. I know your heart. I love you so much, Raquel and I will always fight for you even if I have to bug other people's phone so I can understand what's going on with you", he said and Raquel laughed.
"I love you too so much and thank you for not giving up on me. I know I'm a lot of work", she replied and they both laughed.
Later that night, the team sat down for their last dinner together. Tomorrow morning, they will go their separate ways so they can resume their lives. It's bittersweet since they all grew to be one family unit. They deeply missed Nairobi and her presence but they also know she'll be with the others looking down on them making snarky comments about their behaviors. She must be fighting with Andres in heaven by now and that thought comforts them.
"So, tomorrow…we will never see each other again", Helsinki muttered.
There is a long silence after that. Perhaps, none of them really thought about it until now.
"There are a lot of things that can go wrong in the future. We never know but please try to make it last…I don't know five to seven years? I don't think I can embark on another heist any time soon", Raquel teased and everyone laughed.
Sergio looked at his woman and his heart fluttered to see her smiling again and joking around with the others. His eyes met Marseille's and he nodded in thanks to his friend. The talk they had on the rooftop really helped her and he is grateful.
"I can't really process yet that this is the last time we will see each other. I mean…I will miss you all, you know. You're all family", Monica said while being emotional.
Denver handed her a napkin for her tears.
"Does it really take a problem and another heist for us to see each other again though?" Tokyo asked and everyone turned their attention to her. "I am just thinking. We're family. Families don't hold reunions just to solve each other's dilemmas. They do reunions too for celebrations. Why can't we do the same?" she added.
That put an interesting possibility in their heads. It is risky but they got the resources to pull it off. They managed to rob the Royal Mint of Spain and the Bank of Spain. Sneaking from country to country for a reunion should be a piece of cake for them.
Raquel turned to Sergio and for a brief moment, they read each other's thoughts. They smiled at each other while the others waited for the Professor's suggestion on the matter.
"How about we do this once a year? A dinner. We can arrange a rotation of who will be the host for each year and we all come together to share a meal so we can catch up with one another and be in touch", he proposed.
He can see their eyes lit up in excitement. They will get to see each other once a year and they will get a chance to visit each other's homes when it's their turn to host the dinner.
"That's a good idea but can we make it work?" Bogota asked.
Raquel leaned back against her chair.
"It will take some effort but this group stayed for almost two weeks inside the Royal Mint of Spain to print a billion euros and melted 90 tons of gold to grains inside the Bank of Spain. I think attending reunions once a year is like reciting ABC's for us", she answered.
Her confidence radiated through the others and suddenly they all feel like they can do almost anything. They did survive a lot together. They can do more as long as they stick together.
"Alright. Same date as tonight next year, we will see each other again and sit down for dinner like a family", Tokyo said and everyone nodded in agreement.
"We'll be the first host and we decide who's next by then", Sergio offered.
Everyone erupted on suggestions about food and liquors to bring until the dinner table became too loud but loud is good. It is their trademark. Sergio held Raquel's hand as they watched their family teased each other. It is not the end. They will see each other soon because they're one family…until next year.
~~FIN~~