After Lucha Underground ends successfully for him, Alberto returns to Mexico, leaving Sofia and Ricardo alone in the Florida house. Which ordinarily would be fine except that Ricardo can't help feeling a little lost. A year ago, WWE had confirmed Wrestlemania in California and he had almost been looking forward to the biggest event of the year being held in his home state, despite his own growing bitterness with the business and the state of his career at the time. Pondering Paige's first Wrestlemania and how overwhelmingly amazing that always is, he's staring out of his bedroom window until a soft knock sounds on the door behind him. He smiles faintly and tilts his head. "Come in, Sofia."
She quietly pads inside and walks up besides him, staring out at the yard as well. "You should go, mi hijo," she says softly. When he looks down at her, confused, she smiles. "Paige will be happy to see you, I am sure." She reaches over and rubs his arm. "I know it's strange for you, this being the first Wrestlemania you've missed in five years, and their being in California... so por favor, go."
"You know me too well, Sofia," he tells her fondly, reaching over to hug her tightly. "Muchas gracias." After working out some things, he takes her advice and books the earliest available flight, making the horrendous flight once more out to California. "You can come with, you know," he tells her when they're waiting at the airport.
"No, no," she says, shaking her head with a soft smile. "The next get together, like Fourth of July, that I will be on hand for, but this... no." She pats his face. "This is your time with Paige. I know it's been awhile. Enjoy, mi hijo."
He hugs her again before his flight is announced and they both look up. "That's me... I'll call you when I land, Sofia." He beams down at her. "Take good care of yourself. I'll see you soon." She nods and waves at him until he's out of sight, Ricardo finding it hard to take that final turn and leaving her behind but it's what she'd wanted, so he follows through, obliging with all of TSA's commands and orders until he's through the gate and onto the plane, relieved to find that the area around his seat is empty. He settles in and looks out at the airport, releasing a breath. Back on the road again...
California traffic is worse than usual, thanks to all of the events and overeager wrestling fans hanging around, and he loves every second of it, finally feeling like he's home. Much as he's adjusted to Florida, there's just nothing like California. Especially on weekends like this. Wanting to surprise everyone, he opts against calling Mike to alert him that he's here, instead directing his taxi towards Morrison's apartment. After climbing up the flight of stairs, he pauses outside of John's door and adjusts his bag strap, suddenly nervous by his impulsive action. Shrugging, he knocks after a moment and listens to the soft footsteps, definitely not John's, approaching the door. Star answers, her eyes sharp and curious behind her mask, and he gapes at her for a moment. Wearing one of John's shirts and a pair of white shorts, it's clear just how at home she's made herself and he feels embarrassed on a different level, for interrupting them. "Ah, eh, lo siento, I didn't mean to-"
She waves him off. "It's fine, Ricardo." Gripping his wrist, she drags him inside, chattering in the mix of English and Spanish that he's grown used to after so many years of being friends with Alberto. Once he's in the living room, sitting awkwardly on the couch and watching her, she turns. "Johnny! Johnny! Ricardo is here!" She turns back to him, crossing her arms over her chest. "He is, eh, doing yoga on balcony," she explains with a smile before disappearing into the kitchen.
He's still sitting there, trying to wrap his mind around everything, when John comes in, shirtless and at ease, clearly fresh off of a work out. "Hey, man. I thought you and Del Rio weren't going to fly out this weekend. What's up, everything alright?" Ricardo gets to his feet and John gives him a quick hug after tossing a shirt on.
"Oh, si, yes, I just felt like coming out and supporting Paige... it being her first Wrestlemania and everything." Ricardo picks at his lips, glancing towards the kitchen anxiously. "I didn't know you and Star would be together, I'm sorry for interrupting-"
"Nah, it's fine," John tells him, grin easy and warm. "We were just feeling a little lazy after the stand up performance last night, so she was doing her thing and I was doing yoga... You didn't interrupt anything in particular." She joins them, passing waters to both of them, and he lazily curls his arm around her. "Thanks, Star." Turning his attention back to Ricardo, John shrugs. "So what can I do for ya, Ricardo? I get the feeling you're not here just to hang out or say hi."
He flushes. "Yeah, um, sorry, it's just I was wondering if you could give me the spare key to Mike's house. I wanted to surprise him and Paige and the others, but if I have to call them to get let into the house, it'll kind of ruin everything, so..."
"Oh, sure," John says, kissing Star on the side of the head before moving to find his keychain. "Planning anything big this weekend?"
Ricardo hesitates as he clings to the cool of Mike's key once John finds it and hands it over. "I think... I'm going to introduce her to my mother this weekend."
"Ooh, big step," John says quietly. Patting Ricardo on the shoulder, he smiles at him. "I'm sure your mom will love her, and vice versa. Just breathe, right?"
"Right," he says weakly, peering from John to Star. "Thank you both. I'll call you and tell you how it goes."
'Alright, man, see you later," John tells him, walking him to the door and closing it behind him.
Ricardo struggles not to freak out as he walks back down, relieved to see his taxi still waiting for him. He now directs it to Mike's house, not surprised to find that it looks empty and quiet. Mid-Saturday afternoon is when everything is at its busiest on Wrestlemania weekend, everyone either preparing for Hall of Fame or handling Axxess business. After paying the taxi driver, he walks up to the door and unlocks it, letting himself inside. It's as empty as he'd assumed, Ricardo releasing a weak sigh as he walks through the house, peeking into the bedrooms to try to figure out which is Paige's.
It's not hard to find, the black clothes scattered around a dead giveaway. He ducks inside and drops his bag next to hers before settling on the bed, looking around. Jewelry and perfume bottles cover the dresser top, everything screaming Paige, and he smiles, relieved to be surrounding by her once more after the last few weeks of being away from her. The Total Divas situation had felt like it was tearing his heart out, piece by piece, but he loves her, determined to put it behind them. He lays back down, arms folded under his head, staring up at the ceiling and breathing her in when... the front door slams open and loud, giggling female voices echo through the house.
"Bloody hell!" Paige cries out, pounding footsteps rushing towards the bedrooms. "I can't believe I left my mum's necklace behind!"
Ricardo's just sat up, mouth agape, when she throws the door open and stops short, staring at him in shock. "Uh-" He could almost swear he'd heard a squeeching sound from her shoes skidding on the floor when she'd spotted him.
"RICARDO!" she exclaims, forgetting about the necklace- again- and throwing herself into his arms, stopping his attempt to stand up and greet her properly, pinning him against the bed. "What are you doing here?!" She peppers him with kisses, nuzzling against him, and he laughs, trying and failing to get a word in edgewise. Finally she pulls back and narrows her eyes at him. "Well?"
"I wanted to come and support you," he gasps, overwhelmed and a little breathless. When she pulls back and tilts her head at him, he smiles warily. "It's your first Wrestlemania, in my home state, and it felt wrong not being here for you... you know?"
"Yes I do," she mumbles, leaning forward and kissing him again. "Thank you so much, love. But unfortunately, we're getting ready for the Hall of Fame ceremony and I'm delaying everything because I forgot my mum's necklace. I promised her I'd wear it..."
He leans over and plucks a simple, but classically beautiful necklace off of the table before dangling it in front of her. "This?"
"Yes!" she gasps, reaching out for it but he holds it out of her reach, smiling at her. "Ricardo," she pouts. "Love, please, I'm going to be la-" Her words die away when he tenderly brushes her hair aside and drops the necklace into place against her skin, carefully attaching its clasp. The white of the necklace compliments her skin and gives the dark dress she plans on wearing to the Hall of Fame some much needed color and she sighs, sinking back into him as they stare at each other in the mirror. "Thank you."
"Any time," he murmurs, kissing down her throat to her collar bone, his hand resting against her abdomen.
She groans and digs her fingers into his forearm, her entire being reacting after so long of being away from him. "Ricardo," she finally sighs, trying to pull away from him but not finding the urge to do so. "I've gotta... I've gotta go, we're already running behind..." He releases a breath against her skin before pulling away, fingers lightly brushing against her jaw and tilting her face towards him. They stare into each other's eyes, Paige's gleaming with affection and need, his with forgiveness and adoration, and it hurts to stand up, move away from him, but she finds the strength to. "I'll be back later," she promises him, leaning over to kiss him once more. "Don't go anywhere."
"I won't," he promises in turn, fingers resting against the cool metal of the necklace and making her shiver.
She grabs her jacket and walks quickly to the door, pausing and turning back to look at him once more before blowing a kiss at him and finally leaving.
Once the front door slams shut behind them, he drops back against the mattress and stares up at the ceiling, alone yet again. He sleeps for a few hours. Gets up and wanders around the house, peeks in Mike's fridge- coconut water all over the place, of course, thanks John- and surfs some channels on the TV. Considers accessing the WWE Network on his tablet to get a glimpse of Paige but suspects that would make everything worse so he goes outside and walks around the neighborhood, hands stuffed in his pockets. Deciding that this is the perfect time- not too early, not too late, just right- he pulls his phone out and dials a number he'd had ingrained in his mind at a young age, just in case. He listens to it ring, kicking at a couple of loose pebbles in the pavement, before it clicks.
"Hola?" a familiar female voice says, his entire face lighting up when he hears it.
"Madre? Hola," he says softly. "Guess who's home?" He laughs, tears filling his eyes as he's once more overwhelmed by just how much he misses her, his sister and the babies. All in all, he has had more of a chance to return to California since leaving WWE, so he's seen his family more than he has in the years he'd spent in the WWE, but it's still hard, being away from them for months at a time, his niece and nephew growing so quickly, but it makes him appreciate these times more and more, careful not to waste a second of it.
Paige returns late that night, dropping her jacket and shoes on the nearby chair before turning to look at the bed. Ricardo is half asleep, but he wakes up for her, sitting up with his arms outstretched towards her, and she eagerly crawls across the mattress to join him, leaning against him as he carefully unclasps the necklace and undoes her dress, guiding her out of it. "Did you have fun?" he asks her sleepily, tracing circles in her shoulder that makes her shiver.
"Yes, but I would've had more fun if you were with me." She leans in and kisses him insistently. "Maybe some year, huh?"
He nods, cupping her face. "Maybe," he concedes, deepening their kiss, both of them clinging desperately to each other. Earlier hadn't sated them, if anything it'd made their longing and the depth of how much they've been missing each other the past few weeks seem even worse. "Maybe..."
Ricardo wakes up early on Wrestlemania day, Paige's hair tickling his bare skin, and he smiles down at her before gently moving away from her. When she whimpers, he leans over and kisses her. "Go back to sleep, mi fuerza," he murmurs, relieved when it works. She sinks back into the pillows and he gets up, pulling on some clothes from his partially opened bag. They're wrinkled and old but he doesn't care, knowing that what he's about to do will require some messiness.
One thing he'd noticed when perusing Mike's fridge is that it's full of breakfast foods, which appears to be a speciality of AJ's, so this is what he goes for right now. Eggs, flour, milk, butter, baking powder, salt, and some fruit to make pancakes. Except that it's more complicated than he'd remembered, the kitchen soon looking like a minefield of white powder. He curses to himself, trying to keep quiet while he struggles with mixing together the ingredients... when he hears a sharp gasp, then a giggle behind him. He freezes and grits his teeth, horrified already, but when he turns around and finds AJ and Tamina peering at him, eyebrows raised, he almost drops the bowl of half-mixed batter. "Um. Uh. I am so sorry, AJ. I messed your entire kitchen up, and-"
He cuts himself off as she approaches him, eyebrows raised. Dipping a finger into the bowl, she tastes some of the mixed batter, grimacing. "Needs a little sugar," she tells him, snatching the bowl out of his hands and taking over stirring. As he gapes at her in disbelief, Tamina approaches them and AJ smiles at her former enforcer. "Hey, Tamina, mind helping him prepare the fruit, and maybe do a little clean up so my kitchen looks a little less... white? Thanks."
"Uh, uh, uh," he stammers helplessly, watching as the two women take over everything. "But- AJ- I-"
She turns, raising an eyebrow at him. "You're making these pancakes for a breakfast picnic with Paige, yes? No worries," she says cheerfully. "You'll find, Ricardo, that since I've gotten married, I'd like to see love work out. And I actually like Paige now, so I'd like to see my tag partner happy. And you seem to make her happy, so I'll do what I can to help out, and she won't hear about this from me. It was a sweet attempt from you at any rate."
He stares at her as she turns back to the counter, stirring vigorously as Tamina chops berries and bananas into slices. "I want it to be her and our mothers," he admits lowly. "I want her to meet mi madre. And I need everything to be perfect for it..."
Tamina and AJ both pause in what they're doing before turning to look at him. "Oh Ricardo, it'll be great, I'm sure," AJ tells him, shaking her hands out over the sink before moving to join him. "When I first met Mike's mom, I was so nervous... my relationship with my family is a little... strained... but she was so loving and welcoming, and I'm sure your mother and Paige will get along just as well. Besides from what I hear, Saraya loves you already, so you're already halfway there. All most mothers really care about is that their daughters are treated well. And you definitely do that." She smiles at him and for a moment, he wonders why exactly he had ever had problems with her.
"Thank you," he says quietly. "For everything. I'm a terrible cook, I would've had nothing but burnt frisbees to offer everyone if you and Tamina hadn't come out when you did."
She smiles at him and gets up. "Let's finish this all up before the group wakes up and thinks that they're for them. Mike and I have plastic bowls that you can put them in once they're done. They're on the top shelf."
He nods and opens the cupboards until he finds them, reaching up to pull them down. "Thank you again, AJ." Soon enough, the group of them fall into a rhythm, AJ even helping Ricardo to make a couple of perfect pancakes with only a little supervision, and by the time they're done stacking the pancakes into the bowls and putting lids on them, he's a fair deal more relaxed, comforted by the smell of pancakes and the ease of slicing fruit next to Tamina. It's a little before 8 AM when they finish the last bowl, AJ turning to look at Ricardo.
Before he can thank her again, she shocks him into silence by hugging him. "You've been a good friend to Mike," she tells him softly. "Continue being there for him, alright?"
He awkwardly hugs her back, staring at Tamina with some confusion. She shrugs and when AJ pulls away, his questions aren't answered as she continues to stare at him. "Of course, I always will. It's the least I can do after everything he's done for me," Ricardo agrees easily, a weird feeling in the pit of his stomach as he stares down at her.
She merely smiles and skips off, Tamina turning and following her down the hall.
He's lost in thought about this entire situation until he spots the clock. Cursing, he checks the pancakes once more before walking hurriedly down the hall, his socks padding his steps so he doesn't wake the entire house on his way to Paige and his bedroom. Pushing the door open gently, he sits on the edge of the bed, facing Paige, and smiles fondly down at her. She looks so peaceful, it pains him to wake her up, but they're going to be late if he doesn't do anything so he leans over and kisses her gently, still amazed when she responds to him, that he could possibly be this lucky... "Mi fuerza," he whispers, wrapping his arms around her and lifting her out of the sheets and pillows that she's tangled up in. She groans and struggles to remain in the warm comfort, but he insists, holding her close to him. "Lo siento, lo siento."
As she blinks awake and stares up at him, frowning, he tsks and kisses her, brushing the hair out of her eyes. "What's going on, Ricardo?" she grouses, peering at the clock. "I wanted to sleep in before I had to start preparing for Wrestlemania..."
"I know, I'm sorry, it's just I've been considering something and between everything happening, this is the only time I could plan something. Por favor, get dressed... we have to go meet someone for breakfast."
She narrows her eyes at him. "Who?"
"It's a surprise," he tells her, determined not to tell this part of his plans. "Paige, por favor, just trust me. Please?"
He looks so desperate, eyes locked on hers, that finally she gives in, grumbling petulantly as she gets out of his arms and wanders over to her bag, collecting clothes and whatever else she thinks she might need. She barely looks at him as she slips into the bathroom to change and he starts to fret that perhaps this is the wrong way of going about this, that perhaps she will be surly and cranky through the entire thing, which really, who can blame her? He would've reacted no better if someone had woke him up like this on one of the most important days of their career... He sighs and slumps against the bedding, fretful and fussing with his fingernails until the bathroom door opens once more and Paige comes out, her hair done up in a loose ponytail, grey pants that cut off halfway down her calves, and a simple black shirt. She looks nice, makeup done sparingly, and he sighs in relief, holding a hand out to her. She hesitates a moment before meeting him halfway, and it doesn't do much to calm his nerves, but at least she hasn't completely lost it on him yet.
He walks past AJ and a blurry eyed Mike, offering them a smile as he slips past them to grab the containers of pancakes, quickly returning to Paige's side. She clearly is curious, but perhaps too tired to formulate a response. When AJ holds out a couple travel mugs filled with coffee, Ricardo thinks he could almost kiss her, his own caffeine dependency wreaking havoc on his mood. Thanks to a few deep sips of the black liquid, they both perk up on the car ride, Paige even humming with the radio as he looks over at her, a fond smile on his face. His nerves, however, return as soon as he pulls the car to a stop in a lot, both of them looking out at the park that is spreading out for as far as they can see. She offers him a weak smile as he races around and opens the door for her, holding it with one hand and the pancakes and his coffee in another.
They walk side by side towards the nearest swings and Ricardo holds his breath, scanning the immediate area... when he spots them. Or rather, he's spotted. "UNCLE RICKY!" He's only just put the containers down, dropping to his knees in time to catch the little blur of red and purple racing towards him, when Paige realizes, gaping ahead.
"Hola, Nat," he greets the little girl in his arms, a fond smile on his face as he peeks up at his girlfriend. "I hope you don't mind, I thought you'd like to meet mi madre and hermana, but I wanted it to be a surprise... This was the only time we could all make work with your Wrestlemania schedule and the babies."
"I'm not a baby!" his niece pipes up in his arms and Ricardo grins, poking her nose. "Not, Uncle Ricky."
"No, you're not, you're a big girl," he says, lifting her up and spinning her around, causing her to giggle and squeal. Settling her back against his side, he looks over at Paige. "Are you mad?"
"No, no, of course not," she says, still a little dazed by this. "Ricardo, your mom... and sister are here? What if they hate me?" She stares into the dark eyes of the little girl gaping up at her and wonders why she feels so much more nervous about this than she ever has the match she and AJ will compete in in a few scarce hours against the Bellas. Bring on 70,000 people or more, that's fine, but a little get-together of six for breakfast, and complete melt down...
"They won't," he says confidently. "Mind taking her a minute?" He hands over Natalia before she can say anything and the two stare at each other as he collects the pancakes from where he'd laid them, using his free hand to take Paige's and guide her over to the others. He'd been worried, after watching Total Divas, that this moment would be a repeat of that, Paige overwhelming his mother and sister like she had Brandon's family, his awareness of it being manufactured just for the show not enough to comfort him fully, but between the children and her own anxiety towards this moment, he doubts that it'll be repeated.
And it's not, Paige settles the squirming Natalia down on the ground and watches as she chases off towards Ricardo's sister, who is holding his nephew in her lap, relaxed and smiling before she spots them. She and his mother stand up and head towards him, Nat following with her fingers tangled in her mother's pant leg. The Spanish they greet each other with go over Paige's head somewhat but, upon turning towards her, Ricardo's mother's face immediately softens into a calming smile. "Hello, Paige," she greets her. "It's nice to meet you, finally."
She nods vigorously, stepping forward. "Yeah, uh, nice to meet you too, Ms. Rodriguez." She anxiously smoothes her shirt out, swallowing as the older woman walks closer and takes her in.
"The TV does you no justice," she offers, smiling at Paige. "You're beautiful..." She hesitates and turns to glance at her son, eyebrows raised. "Ricardo, did you blindside her with this? The poor thing looks traumatized."
"It was supposed to be a surprise, mama," he says weakly, glancing over at Paige with a mortified blush growing on his cheeks as he realizes she does look like a deer in the spotlights. Walking closer to her, he wraps an arm around her. "You alright? I should've thought it out better- this on top of Wrestlemania, it's probably too much... I'm sorry, we can perhaps reschedule if you want..."
But his clumsy attempts at making her feel better, on top of his mother's gentle nature, which reminds her somewhat of Sofia's, eases her, calms her, helps her find her footing. She'd been at her shyest and instead of holding it against her, Ricardo's mother had been gentle and complimentary. She takes a couple of deep breaths and smiles, sincerely, at him. "No, I'm fine. I just needed a minute." She ducks her head, peering into little Liam's face, and grins. "You have a beautiful family," she tells them. Gaining some of her selfconfidence, she nudges her boyfriend. "Are those containers breakfast for us all?" She peers at them, frowning. "Why are there seven containers?"
"Well, uh-"
"Hullo!"
"That," Ricardo sighs, lips twitching as Paige spins around immediately and gapes.
"MUM!" she laughs and races forward, hugging her mom as Saraya Knight joins the group, her bright red hair a beacon to all attention. Once they finish gushing as if they hadn't just seen each other the night before, Saraya turns to face Ricardo and hugs him, before the introductions begin anew, Saraya's warmth and quirkiness immediately endearing her to the children. Once they all decide it's time to eat, Ricardo takes the children and settles them down, so that his sister can have a rare break, eat and talk comfortably with their mother, Paige and Saraya, the four of them quickly bonding.
Liam's in the process of squishing berries in his fist, Natalia making faces at him, when Paige pulls away from the women and settles next to Ricardo, resting her head on his shoulder. "Thank you, love. This has been a fun morning. I adore your mum, and sister. They're sweet."
He rests his head on top of hers. "I'm glad you're enjoying yourself. I should've thought it out more thoroughly, I suppose. I just wanted my favorite women together, and to have some time with these two monsters." He tickles Natalia as she gasps and squirms, Liam watching them with wide eyes and waving fists.
Once freed, the little girl wanders over to Paige and peers up at her, still curious about her. "You sound funny," she says lowly. Ricardo chokes and adjusts Liam's position on his lap, about to say something to her, when Paige laughs, a rich, twinkling sound that makes them all freeze, staring at her.
She grins at Natalia. "You speak your mind. I like that. As for my sounding funny, it's called an accent. You'll meet more of people with many more funny accents in your life."
The little girl crinkles her nose, considering this, before shrugging, losing interest in the matter. "Swing me? Please?" she asks, tugging lightly on Paige's sleeve.
She locks eyes with Ricardo who shrugs, leaving it up to her. Turning back to Ricardo's niece, she beams down at the little girl. "Of course I can, come on now." Getting to her feet, she holds a hand out to Natalia and waits until the little girl takes it, walking with her towards the swingset.
Ricardo proceeds to clean Liam up, watching them play and laugh, grinning so wide that it almost hurts. When his mom joins him a little later, they say nothing, content to watch Paige and Natalia get to know each other, when she rests her head on his shoulder. "I'm happy you're happy, mi hijo. It's all I've ever wanted for you."
"I know, madre," he whispers, hugging her. "Gracias. I don't remember feeling like this before."
She pulls back and smiles at him, leaning up to kiss his cheek. "I love you, Ricky."
"I love you, too, mama."
After a relaxing morning and a bustling afternoon, Paige looks across at AJ and smiles before making her entrance to the ring. She's in the ring for most of the match, AJ spending most of it laid out by the twins, who seem unwilling to let her in the ring and for good reason- once Paige finally tags out, AJ cleans up quickly and tangles Nikki up in the Black Widow, making her tap pretty quickly. Paige is happy- that they'd won, that AJ's time off and the lingering neck injury that Mike continues to worry about hadn't hurt their chances at success tonight. When AJ hugs her, she squeezes her back, laughing. She pulls back and thinks there's a strange look in the other diva's eyes, but its true meaning doesn't register with her at the time.
Upon returning to Mike's house, Paige finds Ricardo already asleep and she smiles down at him fondly, wondering how early he'd been up trying to prepare breakfast. AJ had told her about helping him make pancakes and it leaves her with even more overwhelming affection for Ricardo, knowing that he'd wanted everything to be so perfect... and it had been, still is. She snuggles close to him, kissing him soundly on the mouth and when his arm instinctively wraps around her waist, pulling her closer to him in his sleep, she chuckles and kisses his jaw, closing her eyes and falling asleep in the security of him.
She teams up with AJ again on Raw, along with Naomi this time, against the Bellas and Natalya, and this time Naomi gets the win. Paige is booked for Main Event and she competes with Emma against Cameron and Summer Rae. They win and she sits outside in her car, thinking. This is her last day in California, she's not booked on Smackdown- the Authority had alerted her she wouldn't be needed after her Main Event match- and there are no houseshows over the weekend so her free time stretches out before her with promise. Grinning, she starts the car up and drives towards Mike's house for the last time, unsurprised to find Ricardo waiting for her on the porch.
Sitting next to him, she rests her head on his shoulder and smiles sleepily as he plays with her hair. "I like the blue," he tells her softly. "It looks incredible on you. You should keep it."
"Maybe I will," she hums, nuzzling closer to him. Drifting in and out, she releases a breath and kisses his throat. "What are your plans this weekend?"
"I'm going to Puerto Rico," he murmurs. "Competing for WWC at Bayamon again." When she pouts and doesn't say anything, he pulls back slightly and stares down at her. "Why, mi fuerza? What were you thinking about?"
"Oh nothing," she says, trying to dismiss it as just hopeful dreams. "I have the weekend off and I was just hoping we'd be able to make up for some lost time, but I understand. You love competing in Puerto Rico... I'll miss you," she offers, kissing him. Even more...
Her unspoken thoughts are apparently easily read on her face because he's staring at her, slowly pulling away from her kiss. "Mi fuerza, what if you came with me?" Immediately they both think about the red tape- what that might cost, with her being in the states on a work visa, with a Britain passport...
She purses her lips at him and smiles, not sure if it'd be worth the trouble, or if they'd be able to accomplish it in the short amount of time they have before he leaves now. "That sounds amazing, Ricardo... let me think about it, alright?"
He nods and they resume cuddling on the porch, looking out over the California night.
After flying back to Florida on Wednesday, he leaves her at Alberto's house to go straight to training at the dojo and she wanders the house, considering his offer. Sofia is busy in the kitchen, preparing supper, and she has plenty of time to herself to think. But after all of the busy-ness of Wrestlemania, she's not sure if she has it in her to A: fight the red tape to get to go to Puerto Rico, and B: packing and yet another flight, no matter how much she'd love to spend the weekend with Ricardo immersed in the beauty of Bayamon, the pictures he'd shown her always seeming so overwhelmingly flawless. But, she reminds herself, he flew to Australia, then back to Florida... then returned to California just to support you... a short flight to Puerto Rico surely isn't that bad, in comparison?
In the end, what pushes her over the edge in her decision is the news that hits like an anvil. She's laying in the grass, half-dozing with his tablet in hand, reading some ebook that hadn't held her attention early on and isn't getting much better even half way through it, when her phone buzzes. She whimpers and grabs at it, sighing softly. Ricardo's name flashes on the screen, immediately waking her up. He'd gone to a soccer game, something that he'd never interrupt to call her for anything pointless, so she answers quickly, the anxiety in the few seconds it takes her to do so almost overwhelming. "Hullo, love? Is everything ok?"
He doesn't say anything for a second and she can picture him in his purple soccer jersey, a pained look on his face as he debates with himself how to break bad news to her. "Mi fuerza, have you been on Twitter lately?" he finally asks. "I think you need to."
She freezes, finding his tablet in the grass and closing out the ereader file, immediately going to Twitter. It's a few entries down on the page and when she sees what Ricardo is alerting her to, she drops the phone. "No, no..." She'd been trying to contact AJ sporadically the last few hours to discuss what they were going to do on Monday, continue teaching the Bellas what happens when you mess with them, insult the freaks and the geeks, the outcasts and loners, but there hadn't been an answer. She now knows why. She's still sitting there, rereading the words, hands trembling, when she hears Ricardo's voice, loud and frantic from the phone pressed against the dewy grass. Collecting herself a little, she picks it up and holds it to her ear. "Ricardo..."
He sounds relieved that she's talking to him again. "I'm so sorry, mi fuerza-"
"I want to come to Puerto Rico with you," she says abruptly, cutting him off, and he swallows. Anything to get away from these words, adjust to this new reality where she'll be fighting the likes of the Bellas alone from here on. Where the memory of AJ's face will haunt her because in the end, AJ wasn't happy like she'd thought upon winning at Wrestlemania, but bittersweet because she knew. She KNEW when they were celebrating their win on Sunday, and again on Monday, and that's why AJ wasn't at Smackdown, and Paige had had to team with Emma, and... Yes, they had been frenemies, arguing only a couple of days before Wrestlemania even, but it still hurts deeper than Paige would've ever expected, made all the worse that AJ hadn't found it worthwhile to tell her, leaving her high and dry when she needs her the most.
"Alright," he says. "I'll make some calls after I get back from the game. We'll sort it out, and we'll go together tomorrow. Mi fuerza?" He sounds sad, a little scared, and a lot worried but she can barely find the breath to formulate a response. "I love you."
"I love you too," she breathes out finally. He says something else but she can't focus, mumbling a hurried bye before hanging up on him, laying her phone down. The words are still shocking, ingrained on her soul, and even when Sofia comes out to tell her supper is ready, she can't move or think. Only manages to hand over the tablet to the housekeeper, staring at the grass while she reads the tweet and gasps, a hand hovering in front of her mouth before she puts the device down and sits next to Paige, quietly wrapping her arms around her and holding her. Paige would ordinarily try to be stronger, but this is such an unexpected, sudden blow, that she can't help it. Buries her face in Sofia's neck and starts to cry, feeling impossibly young for the tough 22 year old she ordinarily puts out into the world.
Sofia holds her, rocks her, murmurs to her, and waits out the storm until finally Paige is strong enough to sit up, dry her face off, and follow Sofia in for supper. It's lukewarm now, the spaghetti and meatballs, garlic bread, but Paige doesn't mind, barely going through the motions. Sofia sits with her in the chair that Ricardo usually sits in, takes her hand and holds it as she chokes down half of the spaghetti and a couple of meatballs, a slice of the bread. Much more and she thinks she'll be sick, which will make the flight to Puerto Rico in the morning be even more of a bad idea, and Sofia must be thinking the same thing too because she soothes Paige's hair out of her face and takes the plates away, wrapping them up and putting them in the fridge on the off chance Paige might be hungry later.
Bless her, she then ignores everything else she has to do and sits up with Paige, softly humming or reading aloud from the abandoned ereader, until the door opens and Ricardo rushes in, his eyes somber and desperate as he catches sight of her. Sofia obligingly moves and allows him to take her place, wrapping an arm around Paige and kissing the side of her face, drawing her out into reality as she buries herself in him, trembling. "It's ok, I'm here, I'm here now," he breathes against her hair, glancing up at Sofia. "Thank you," he mouths to the housekeeper as she nods and leaves, giving them privacy. He holds her and counts her ragged breaths, eyes closed. "Do you still want to go to Puerto Rico with me? Maybe..." But she digs her fingers into his collar and nods her head vehemently. "Alright," he breathes. "If that's what you really want to do, then we will."
It is. They do.
