And When The Walls Come Down

The Night Before

The nights were too long here, haunted by the memories of my younger years.

I found sleep hard to come by.

Both Palermo and our Professor made note of it, but I was too anxious to try taking any form of sleep aides.

///

The nightmares followed soon after.

///

I knew the others were terribly curious as to the past we shared, but so far, nobody had dared to ask, not even Raquel.

Moscow had come across Martin and I one late night, or early morning really, and though he eyed the way I was wrapped around Martin critically, he didn't say a word, rather he went on his way, a strange look plastered on his face.

///

We were going through different scenarios, bouncing ideas off each other as we were so wont to do, when Raquel stumbled upon us.

Apparently she'd been sneaking into Sergio's room, dressed in a risqué negligee. I giggled at Martin's raised eyebrow, smirking at the blonde woman when she eyed us intently.

I could imagine the picture we made, me with my bare legs strewn across Martin's lap. I raised my eyebrows in her direction, waiting for her to say something, but in the end, she just walked away, not a word of judgement passing from her painted lips.

///

"How old were you when you met?"

I had been expecting this question. Of course, kind, brave, Raquel, with her cop mind would eventually ask this. "I was seventeen." I replied evenly, smiling at her tightly, touched by the worry in her eyes.

"Can I ask, how did you meet?" Her expression was friendly, open, as she waited for my answer. Closing my book, I slowly raised my eyes to meet hers.

"I tried to rob Andres' wallet one night. He found it amusing rather than angering, and well, the rest is history." That was the watered down version, but I doubted Raquel would appreciate hearing all the sordid details, including the very illegal things I'd done back then as a mere youngster.

She laughed unexpectedly, her eyes dancing with mirth. I smiled and continued my story, "They both took me in, and taught me everything I know today. In many ways I was a friend, a daughter." That wasn't exactly right, but it was close enough to the truth to please her.

"Except you weren't, were you? Because you fell in love." I swallowed. She was almost as perceptive as Sergio was. No wonder he'd been so attracted to her.

"Yes. I knew my feelings wouldn't be reciprocated, and so I left." I hoped my tone didn't sound as hurt as I was currently feeling.

Sergio knew of course, I'm sure Berlin did too. I was nothing more than a stupid little girl, who was out of her league in more ways than one.

They were never untoward in their affections with me, a fact which I took advantage of various times. Really though? Who could blame me? I adored them both, in ways that simple words would never be able to convey, and I wanted them to belong to me in every sense of the word. The thing is, I knew that what I wanted was more than what I deserved, and after Tatiana showed up in our lives, I took it as a sign.

Raquel didn't say anything else, but as she got up to leave she squeezed my hand briefly, a moment of understanding passing between us, and then, she was gone.

///

So maybe eavesdropping was considered rude in polite society, sue me, that wasn't going to stop me from listening in on Sergio's and Nairobi's strange conversation.

The woman actually had the audacity to try and guilt trip Sergio into gifting her with a child.

I mouthed some explicit words into the silence before me, as I heard Nairobi's squeal of delight as she got her way.

Sergio was still such a pushover.

I wondered what our dearest inspector turned criminal would think about her lover agreeing to father children with another woman.

The thought made me grin.

///

That night, as I lay in bed, I thought about the most dramatic way I could reveal what I'd learned earlier that day.

Sergio would be angry, of course, but really, I was doing him a favor, better for Raquel to know now, rather than later once the deed was done. The inspector didn't strike me as the type to forgive easily, and unless she was one of those modern sister wives type, I doubt she'd be all too pleased about Sergio siring children left and right.

I turned to my side, looking out the window and into the night sky, my thoughts a jumbled mess.

Nairobi owed me. She deserved the reaming that Raquel would undoubtedly give her, hell, I'd be more than happy to watch that show.

Seriously! How could she even think to ask that of our Professor, even after knowing about his sickness during his childhood!

It was sick in a way, how Nairobi was so desperate to be a Mother again, she was willing to manipulate Sergio into giving her a child.

I blinked, suddenly feeling drained. The lack of sleep was getting to me, as was the anxiety of what was to come soon after.

Maybe I was overthinking everything, but I just couldn't shake the feeling that something big was looming on the horizon, something that would change us all in a visceral way.

///

The days passed in a blur. More often than not Martin and I were playing referees between Marseille, Bogota, and the others. It was exhausting to say the least, and I couldn't help but wonder if we were moving too quick.

We needed more time. There was no way things would work out as smoothly as Sergio said when we couldn't even begin working as a team out here!

However, Rio was running out of time. If we didn't do something soon, the boy would die.

Not that I cared, really. Still, I had to pretend to, at least outwardly.

Besides, I did care about the others, the ones who were willing to put their lives on the line to save that idiotic boy, and for them, I'd be willing to do anything.

///

Before I had realized it, our brief respite had come to an end, and it was back into the fray again.

The night before our heist, I found myself wandering into Berlin's old rooms, where everything had remained as the day he'd left it. I curled into the bedcovers, imagining that I could still smell his cologne and aftershave, even after all these years.

The plan would be a success.

I would make sure of it.

The others might buy Sergio's little speech about it being for Rio, for each of our personal freedoms, but Palermo and I knew better than that. This was for Berlin. It was for revenge, a way for us to keep his memory alive, his legacy, growing, and I would not let anything, or anyone, get in the way of our success.

///

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