Chapter Text
Faetón es el que gobierna los corceles del Sol
en el plan divino está el día de hoy.
La mano en el vaso, la vista hacia allà,
se nace para ser libre y al Infierno se va
Sergio was nervously striding back and forth outside his and Raquel’s house, stopping alternatively under the porch and on the little wooden pier which led the way from the bluish sea to the piece of Caribbean beach that was facing the house. That precise spot on their beach was now decorated with a bunch of white good-looking seats and an elegant wooden table, matching the said pier, set with a white tablecloth with red embroidery. The reason why Sergio was this nervous and, mostly, quite pissed off was that the only things missing were the floral decorations. He’d ordered them months ago, of that he was sure; the flowers, precisely ten graceful bouquet made of red roses and white peonies, were supposed to arrive on a small ship at nine in the morning, but it was now almost ten and there was still no trace of them. The Professor thought about how easy and without problems the transfer of a whole gang of criminals coming from different parts of the world had been for him, and he could not avoid to compare his effort to the one of a stupid florist who couldn’t even deliver a few decorations on time. Sergio was just about to call the florist when he saw a little ship approaching. Praying it was the boat he was waiting for, he let out a sigh of relief and let himself relax just a bit. Not too much, that was impossible. He was going to get married in less than two hours, after all. While he watched the approaching boat attentively, as if he wanted to make sure the florist didn’t change his mind about the delivery of the decorations, he could hear the confused chatter of the gang’s members coming from his home and, occasionally, some excited screams. He smiled, imagining the disaster in which his and Raquel’s bedroom and their living room should be immersed in during those last minutes of preparations. He thought about the work they would probably have to do in the following days to tidy the mess of the preparations, of the rich banquet and of the party.
Suddenly, some quick and unsteady little steps made Sergio turn his head from the horizon and towards the porch; his smile only grew bigger when he saw one of the twins, Madison, running towards him. He approached the toddler, bending down at Madison’s height and taking her into his arms, just in order to avoid dirtying her elegant little dress with the dusty sand before the ceremony could even start.
Madison giggled into her dad’s strong arms and started playing with his perfectly trimmed beard, an habit she’d taken just a couple months back and that seemed to amuse her very much. He did not complain at the display of affection and watched the little girl attentively while she reached for her dad’s cheek and placed a moist kiss there. The baby giggled even more at the sensation of the beard on her lips and Sergio pecked her head in response.
“Maddy love daddy” the toddler difficultly muttered.
“I love you too, Maddy baby” Sergio replied.
Never in his life Sergio would have thought he would end up there, about to get married to the love of his life, with a big family who loved him back and, mostly, almost able to understand his one and a half years old daughters’ imperfect English and Spanish. Since the twins were growing up in a home in which both languages were talked, they had just learned a few words of both and understanding them when they tried to talk was sometimes still a very hard job. But he was trying his best and Raquel never failed remind him how good of a father he was. She seemed to be completely taken and impressed by how well he was doing in managing the two toddlers, even if sometimes Raquel complained about him spoiling all three girls, Paula included, too much. Sergio did not agree on that: he insisted he was just taking good care of them and, every time he repeated those words, he obtained an annoyed eye roll from Raquel’s side.
“Madison!” a sweet feminine voice came calling from the door. It was Stockholm, well, Monica, who had momentarily lost one of the twins from her sight and actually looked quite preoccupied.
“I’m sorry, Profesor, she was playing on the couch with Cincinnati and her sisters and I didn’t see her exiting the room. Sorry, I can take her back inside” Monica tried to excuse herself.
“Don’t worry, it’s totally fine” Sergio politely smiled at the curly haired woman “I know first hand how difficult it is to keep an eye on this rogue”
Sergio looked down at Madison, who was still laughing in his arms. The toddler knew she’d caused mischief again and she seemed quite satisfied with it.
“Now, Maddy, go with auntie Monica and let daddy get the decorations done” the man said, handing the baby to his friend with a low “Thanks”
“Is everything ready for the ceremony?” the blonde tried to ask, deserving a sided and knowing glance from the man.
“The florist has just arrived, I’m going to help him now” Sergio confirmed and then, knowing where Monica’s question was coming from, he added “You can tell Raquel that everything will be ready very soon”
Stockholm nodded with a sweet smile and turned around, but not before Sergio could caress his daughter’s soft cheek one last time.
“And, Monica?” the professor called at the woman’s back, letting her turn her attention back at him “Make sure she comes down that pier or I’ll literally go crazy”
“Don’t worry, Profesor, we have everything under control” Monica reassured him, finally walking back inside to watch the kids while finishing her makeup.
Sergio didn’t know if he should believe her. Everything that regarded his friends was always so messy that he sometimes still did not understand how he managed to live with them in a monastery for two months straight without loosing his mind. But thinking about his gang, his friends, that came a few days earlier to stay and help, everyone of them excited for the wedding and happy to finally meet the twins, he could only feel an unbearable amount of affection towards them. He could not be more grateful for having all of them in his life.
Raquel soon found herself on the furthest end of the wooden pier, surrounded only by blue water, with Sergio’s whole gang and their family in front of her. Said handsome man was currently next to her, affectionately and - Raquel knew - pretty nervously squeezing her hand in his. She didn’t fail to notice how he’d adjusted his glasses on his nose while she’d walked towards him before, holding Alicia’s arm which steadied her on the irregular sand; a laugh had escaped from almost all the people present in that moment, who all knew what that gesture of his meant. Raquel was sure she’d shaken her head incredulously for a second then, while he watched her walk down to him, letting him know she could not believe he was that nervous after all they’d been through.
The bride, on her way towards Sergio, had slowly walked past Helsinki and Palermo, noticing how the former’s arm was protectively draped over the Argentinian’s seat; Raquel thought Palermo would be Sergio’s best man at the end and she did not really understand why he was currently seated there. She decided to ignore it: after all, even Alicia was accompanying the bride towards the altar before taking her place and duty as bridesmaid. Raquel had then noticed two curious set of brown eyes, which she identified as Tokyo and Rio’s, smiling at her. Bogotà and Manila were sitting in the row in front of the two and the latter was holding a two years old Nancy, who seemed to be incredibly willing to run towards her mother; the newest addition to the gang fortunately didn’t let her though. On the other side, Stockholm and Denver were placed, Cincinnati patiently sitting between them; Raquel could not avoid to notice the glow that pervaded the blonde, curly haired woman, which she knew could only betray the little family’s secret: they had a new baby on the way. She made a mental note to talk to Monica about it later. Finally, occupying the front row, were the members of her family. Her mother Marivì, already teary eyed, was proudly smiling at her; nurse Celine was seated next to the old woman and holding one of the the twins, which Raquel identified as Charlotte. Madison was quietly seated beside her oldest sister Paula instead. Directly in front of Raquel, then, there was the final living goal of her walking: Sergio in an elegant smoking, a few flowers matching her bouquet in his jacket’s pocket; behind the altar, Marseille, whose task was to marry the couple since he was the only one who could legally do it.
“Well, if the lovely couple agrees, we can start” the said blonde and tall man suggested.
He then waited for a few seconds watching Palermo raise from his seat and walk towards them.
Only then Raquel noticed that the Argentinian was dressed in an elegant dark red tuxedo, matching Alicia’s dress. So he had finally agreed to be Sergio’s best man. Considering the sigh of relief the man beside her emitted, Raquel knew Sergio too hadn’t been sure about it until now.
Marseille’s speech had been brief but clear, just fitting the silent man he’d always appeared to be. On the other hand, the couples’ promises had not been brief neither clear, since both of them had bursted into tears numerous times while reading them. Considering all that, and the fact that the twins were carelessly asked to bring the rings to their parents, forcing Paula to help them at some pointing order to get the rings’ exchange over with, it took a while to go through that phase of the ceremony; anyway, when Marseille declared them husband and wife and gave them permission to kiss, Raquel and Sergio didn’t hesitate a second to do so, staying then entailed in each other’s embrace for a minute.
They were soon brought back to reality by Denver’s loud laugh and a few sets of excited hands clapping. The twin girls immediately run towards their parents and were picked up by them with a laugh. The same did the red headed little Nancy, finally able to reach her mother with an excited “Beautiful, mamà!”. Alicia let out a laugh at her daughter’s words. Raquel could not believe how far her friend had come in the last few years, changing her personality almost completely, and for the better.
“I think the time to eat has come!” Denver exclaimed, deserving a side glance from his wife.
“What are you talking about?” Palermo inserted himself into the conversation, winking at Sergio “The time to drink has come!”
The groom let out a suffocated laugh before looking at his wife, taking her hand and announcing “Come on! Let’s go inside!”
September by the Earth, Wind and Fire was playing from inside the newlywed’s house, reaching the porch with the bar and the colored lighted beach outside it. The whole gang was dancing, someone more drunkly than others, but they all appeared quite happy. Sergio was surprisingly dancing with Paula, too. Not that it was the first time that Raquel had seen him dancing with his daughters, but it was the first time he did it in front of everyone. That was surprising. She took the chance to catch a breath and a sip of wine in the meantime, looking at the show in front of her on the beach. Content, she thought that, for once, everyone was momentarily oblivious of the life as fugitives they were used at, and of all the losses they had suffered during the heists.
“So” a playful voice reached her from behind “You got me, Inspectora”
Raquel frowned while she turned. She saw Monica smiling at her.
“I saw how you looked at me earlier” she said, referring to the moment in which Raquel had realized she was pregnant again. After all, that was the exact same glance she’d given Raquel after their conversation in the monastery in Italy, on that infamous night in which Raquel had learned about Sergio’s promise of a baby to Nairobi. Monica knew the blonde was hiding something then; what she didn’t know was that Raquel herself had no idea about what was coming.
“Oh, that” the bride whispered “It’s pretty obvious, Mon. I’m happy for you”
“And I for you, nena. You got a good man there. And a wonderful dad, from what I see”
“He’s trying” Raquel admitted with a smile “And… I must say, he is succeeding, too”
“That I see” Stockholm took a seat next to the bride and placed her hand on her knee “Your girls are the sweetest, Raquel”
“Well, you just met them in a couple of good days. You should see them in the bad ones, then we’ll see what you’ll think of them. They are unbearable”
“Who’s unbearable?” Sergio’s voice came to them, mixed with the two girls’ laugh and the music sounding in the air.
He took a seat at the other side of his wife, who turned at him with a grin.
“We were just talking about your daughter’s bad behavior when they are cranky”
“They are our daughters, Raquel” Sergio specified with a snicker “And that’s the trait they took after someone I might know”
“I really don’t know what you are talking about, husband” Raquel declared, raising her hands up in the air as a sign of defeat. He couldn’t help but peck her lips affectionately.
“Uhm…” Monica cleared her voice, raising from her seat “I think I’m going to look for my husband and see if he concedes me another dance”
Raquel and Sergio looked at the curly haired woman walk away, their fingers still intertwined. The bride looked down at them, fixating her gaze on the new, matching and shining rings finally placed on their fingers. Hers was perfectly in harmony with the diamond ring she already used to wear for the last two years and a half. Sergio’s ring made his strong hand even more elegant.
“I think we scared her away” the man softly whispered in her ear.
Raquel laughed, knowing the reality was another one completely.
“I think she didn’t want to cry in front of us”
“Anyway” Sergio sighed “Do you wanna dance some more? Before we have to put the girls to bed”
“We promised Paula she could stay up until the party was over” Raquel patiently reminded him, as if he could forget something this important.
“I meant Charlie and Maddy”
“Well, in that case…” Raquel shifted her gaze from him to the beach temporarily converted in a dance floor and got up.
Sergio followed her with his gaze for a few moments before standing up too and reaching her in a couple of strides.
“Have I already told you how beautiful you are tonight, wife?” He asked, sliding his hand on the small of her back and making her turn when they reached the dance floor.
“Countless times, husband. You clean up nice, too”
Se tiñe de rojo el cielo en poniente,
el perro rabioso me enseña los dientes.
Orfeo no deja de cantar y cantar
viejas y tristes canciones que me hacen llorar