Alicia looks pale in the early morning sun. "He said what?" she asks, squinting over at Ricardo, lips twisting in displeasure.

"Alberto wants-"

"No, no. I know what Alberto wants," she spits angrily. "What are we supposed to do, Ricardo? We just got settled here, Texas was finally seeming like home, and he wants us to move again? To Mexico City?" She looks legitimately panicked. "I... I don't have... Legally, I can't just up and move there...? What does that even entail? Would I be able to come with you?"

He walks forward, cradles her hands in his, smiles weakly at her. "Alberto has the best lawyers on staff, he says we can use them whenever we need to to navigate law like this. We can figure this out, Alicia. It will be fine."

She struggles to breathe, shaking her head, looking over his shoulder at the apartment behind him that they'd made their own, with pets, and furniture, and so many personal touches. So many memories. "I don't want to break our lease," she says through numb lips.

"We don't have to," he says softly, stroking her knuckles. "Alberto doesn't expect us just to start with nothing, we'd be moving into one of his homes in Mexico City, we don't even have to pay rent. It's all part of working for him, for the wrestling federation. Alicia, por favor-"

She wrenches her hands free of his and paces away, tangling her fingers in her hair. "Don't por favor me," she exhales roughly. "My God, Ricardo, all of the times he's broken your heart, betrayed your trust. It's one thing to work for him, you can and have bounced back from worse than this if it didn't work out, but moving to a different country? Depending on him for housing?" She groans. "I love you so much, I really do, but this is probably the dumbest thing you've ever agreed to do."

His face falls, for just a moment, and she catches a glimpse of pain and disappointment in his eyes as he turns from her. "I'm sorry you feel this way," he says softly. "I'm not forcing you to take this chance with me, I know it's risky and could easily go wrong at any time. We can afford to keep the apartment, I'll send money for my portion of rent and the utilities. With what WWE is obligated to pay you until your contract's up, it should be more than enough for you to live comfortably here while I handle business in Mexico City."

Her jaw drops, expecting him to give up on this foolish idea at her perfectly valid reasons to not go through with it. "You're really... you're leaving me behind? Are we breaking up?"

He turns back towards her at this and shakes his head vehemently. "No, absolutely not. Unless... unless you decide you want to," he tells her shakily. "You're the best thing that's ever happened to me, and I will come home. I just... need to do this for Alberto, because..." He closes his eyes and exhales. "He threw me a lifeline when I was drowning, and I need to do what I can to pay him back."

She grits her teeth, reaches out for him, squeezing his hands tightly. What about this lifeline? she wonders. It'll never be enough, huh? You'll always choose him? But she understands, much as it hurts her. "I..." She closes her eyes. "I'll be waiting for you," she finally says softly. "Please... please be careful."

He smiles lovingly at her. "Of course I will." Reaches out and lightly brushes some of the hair out of her eyes. "I have to be, to come home to you, right?" She chokes, a little, tears filling her eyes, and he makes a soft, sad noise, cupping her face and lightly kissing them away.

"We were gonna..." She shudders and clings to him. "We were gonna keep trying to have a child..."

He nods somberly. "I know. I'm sorry. That... I guess... will have to be put on hold temporarily."

She shakes her head, bitter and disgusted once more with Alberto yet again putting his needs first, ignoring Ricardo's happiness and goals. "I hate him," she whispers and Ricardo's fingers pause on her cheek.

"Do you hate me?" he asks softly and she looks up into his pale eyes, so overwhelmed with pain and love that it makes her want to change her mind and go with him after all.

"No," she sighs, and he surges forward, kissing her. Every ounce of desperation and sadness between the two of them fuels the kisses further, his hands gripping her hips as he guides her back into their apartment, the door slamming shut behind them. He lifts her up and presses her against the wood as she wraps her legs around him, needing to be as close as possible, trying to ignore the fact that he'd be gone in the morning, taking Alberto up on his offer to continue promoting his new wrestling federation as best as he can, overseeing the behind the scenes stuff from Mexico City better than he ever could in Texas.

"I love you," he whispers over and over again, into every inch of her skin, and she whimpers and repeats it in kind, unsure when she'll be able to look in his eyes as she says those three powerful words again.