Chapter Text
It’s late and yet he can’t rest.
The reports left range from important to frivolous and in total are so numerous they seem to be multiplying every moment he looks away. They tend to be done faster when it’s the two of them, but the MSF brass had requested the party that had located the children give a briefing in person. It was unneeded, but it would be a short trip and as most had already been returned to their relatives he had told his bonded he could manage it.
His second command was very reluctant, even though the children had adjusted well to life on the base. The most trouble to be had was with Míriam, who stayed suspicious and unsteady with her newly online senses, and Rubèn who dragged Izan into adventures that caused chaos. Thankfully either Adelita or Fàtima stayed close and prevented any major incidents. They could all survive a weekend with the Guide Prime off on business.
For Rudy he would lasso the moon, handling the remaining children would be easy.
He’d kept his distance. Not wanting to intimidate or cause issues with Míriam, who still wanted to fight him at times. It was a territorial phase all younger Sentinels went through, one that unfortunately some never grew out of. For the most part Rudy, already the mother hen of the unit, had handled their guests so far while he had kept everything else running. Kept the guard rotations and supplies in order while there were activities and adventures into the surrounding woods. Adelita was barely by his side, fully claimed by the children after they laid eyes on her. Even now, she was at the foot of the bed to keep the fantasmas y monstruos away.
Under his breath he grumbled, turning his vision down another notch as the aching in his eyes grew worse. In their bond, his sleeping amor unconsciously reached out in concern. He sends back safe and love, that all was well.
Truly, it was. The paperwork could wait until tomorrow. A cursory scan with his other senses detected nothing out of the ordinary, all Vaqueros accounted for and the on duty guards alert. There were a few playing cards in their bunk and by the rapid heart rate, one was bluffing or had a very good hand. The Pack bond was stable though, smooth enough despite their Guide being absent.
Yet he couldn't rest.
The idea of sleeping on the couch again, which now had a him sized indent in it from the past week, just was not appealing. A few more pages he thinks, rubbing his temples. He wonders if he showed his younger self this view, of less action and more scattered papers, if they’d ended up here.
They would, he knew. The moment he mentioned Rudy was his bonded, his younger self would sign up to be a ditch digger. Anything as long as they were together. Even if that meant that now he has slept on a couch rather than his comfortable bed for over a week. His eyes still ached and now a yawn was trying to creep out of his mouth.
It was time to rest. He’d been staring at the same report on ammunition supplies for five minutes and the numbers were blurring together. It could wait until tomorrow, or even longer until the others were back. Shuffling the papers into a pile that Rudy would scold him for, he flips off the light and stumbles towards his bed for the night. The couch needs replacing, he grumbled to himself for the umpteeth time, as it groaned when he laid on it. It’s barely big enough for his height and his frame is nearly off the edge. But the blanket smells like his Guide and it’s enough to make it home.
One positive of the sagging makeshift bed, Alejandro thinks, is that it puts him between the entrance and where the children slept. The Sentinel Prime took his oath to heart, but even without it anything that stepped into his territory with ill intent wouldn’t make it very far. Pushing his hearing out - the gambling men were still playing and the guards still at attention. He counts heartbeats, asserting his presence in the Pack bond. The Pack responds in time, those on duty knowing he wouldn’t be far from consciousness. The smallest of his Pack are fitfully sleeping, but unless he was called he wouldn’t intrude. Míriam had stabilized greatly, but still saw him as a threat.
He sends calm and safe. They soothed and it was enough, even though he knew he wouldn’t fully rest until Rudy was back. And neither would they.
But he could at least rest his eyes, his body tired from the long day. So tired in fact that he could rest when normally he could only rest when he was near his Guide. It had been that way ever since he had come online as a Sentinel; he always slept his best near Rudy, but if they weren’t in the same town he couldn’t sleep. The only way was if he was physically exhausted, leading to him running laps before lights out whenever they were stationed apart after first enlisting. Thankfully higher up someone noticed before he zoned himself or drove himself mad and they were always stationed together after that.
That itself should have an alarm bell in his ear, but it was in the past. Rudy had stuck by his oblivious self and over twenty years later, he was being threatened by a preteen. The amusement of the situation helped ease the ache of his Guide’s absence and blissfully he sunk into the Pack bond, knowing he would be awoken at any threat.
X
It’s so hot.
Sweltering, scorching inside the small room. Her skin itches and it’s only the pull to keep her eyes on the door that keeps her from scratching. There’s dried blood on her from where she was ripped away from her Madre. She bit the one holding her. But it wasn’t enough and now Izan, her neighbor, is huddled behind her. He’s tried to speak to her, as have others, but she needs to watch the door.
Only every once in a while do they give them food and water, but otherwise they are left alone. But she has to be ready when they come back. Even though the smell of their fear is making her dizzy and she can almost taste the cheap booze their attacks have on the outside. She has to be ready.
Her Madre hadn’t been. And now there was blood on her that smelled familiar, but rancid in the heat. She wants to be away from it so bad, but they can’t waste the water and she has to watch the door.
Couldn’t let her guard down, or she would be shot. Blood gushing out onto every surface as she fell over, failing to protect those that depended on her, dying as the others were hurt. She was so tired, the heat feeling as though it was going to bleach her bones, but she had to watch the door.
Had to protect the others, had to be prepared, had to watch the-
“Míriam!”
It was a loud, but hushed shout that woke the young Sentinel. And it would have been cause for alarm, had there not been an ironclad grip on her wrist that pulled when she gained consciousness. Fàtima’s gaze was soft, only leaving her eyes to check that the two sleeping between them had not been disturbed.
Unfortunately, Rubèn’s mouth was curled into a hurtful scowl and his eyes were teary as he blinked them open. “Are they coming back?”
The air around them seemed tense and her heart ached that his first question was their safety. In the back of her head, there was a pull to rectify that to make them all feel safe. And the feeling of failure that she couldn’t. Fàtima’s eyes came back to her as though reading her mind and the hold on her wrist became one of comfort. The worry that she was failing them settled only slightly. “No, tuve una pesadilla.”
At the mention of nightmare the young boy perked up, bumping into Izan. She had hoped at least one of them would stay asleep, but the youngest grumbled. Ignoring his stirring playmate, the boy asked “¿tú también?”
There was a lump in her throat, the pull even stronger and the guilt on her shoulders a heavy weight. And the only thing that stops her from looking at the door, in a room that is inviting and cool rather than harshly sweltering, is the hand on her arm. The rough tongue that swipes at her leg is also distracting. She almost kicks at the large cat watching from the foot of the bed, but Izan is only half awake.
Instead she glares at the jaguar, who softly chuffs in response, before nodding. The boy who has been staring at her the entire time, who has for this entire journey like she is an action hero, considers this with wide eyes. “Is it because Papà Rudy is gone?”
The lump is now a boulder and her heart is in her stomach. It doesn’t seem that long ago that she was as young as the boys, laying claim to every nice person around them. The waitress at her favorite restaurant was a tia, the man who sold shaved ice in the park an abuelo, so much love and trust she gave freely. And the Guide who had only asked them to trust him long enough to get them away from their captors...
It was easy to see why. The señor was patient and kind, where most adults were busy and unable to see smaller points of view. But he made time, moved the large group of soldiers easily around them when they went on day trips in the area. There were even cooking lessons, though that had required the Guide’s bonded. The meal had been delightful, though Izan had spilled some of the ingredients, and begrudgingly she could admit the head of the unit could cook.
She wasn’t exactly sure what to think of the tall man, who they had to look straight up to see. He was strong and intense, easily able to break up an argument that broke out during one dinner. But he also had a mouth full of teeth, like a shark the boys happily pointed out. The other Sentinel meant no harm, it was clear, but she was reminded of the other men. It made her antsy.
“Papà Rudy?” Izan was sleepy as he searched the room. Neither boy had called their guardian the name to his face, yet. But both she and Fàtima knew it was not a joke, all their parents killed in the abduction.
“He will be back soon.” She pulled him closer, trying to ease the discomfort. But he fussed, unhappy with the man’s absence.
He sat up, searching the room. Adelita put a paw on his leg, which he promptly kicked off in protest. “But what about the bad men?”
Sorrow slid into her awareness and she looked to Fàtima, who had a look of exhaustion on her face. It was eating at both of them, they were both not sleeping well. Even with the Guide here their dreams were tumultuous, but it kept it away from the younger children. The pull in her mind to protect, keep safe was tight as she felt helpless.
The large cat stretched, chuffing at the little ones who watched her body jump gracefully onto the floor. As if waiting for them, she looked at the door and then them. Izan whispered aloud what she was doing, the other boy puzzled. For a moment, the Affinity and children just stared at each other. Then, she smiled wide showing her fangs.
“Papà Shark!” The two said, fairly loudly in unison. Immediately the older girls shushed them, though it was likely the Sentinel was already awake five times over.
“We can ask him if-” Rubèn started to move off the bed, before his sister grabbed his shoulder.
A glare already in her eyes, she firmly held him in place. “Señor Alejandro is sleeping.”
Míriam rolled her eyes, pointedly ignoring the look the other girl gave her. Nevermind that the same Sentinel had been able to detect the group's effort to break into the kitchen and steal cookies from across the base. But as Izan looked at her, eyes big with fear and in need of reassurance, she realized the tall man could give what she couldn’t. Safety.
“We look to make sure, then come back.” Izan said it like it was a full proof plan, that if there were bad men that the two could do anything against them. She was tempted to roll her eyes again, Fàtima almost joining her.
“Quietly.” The other boy whispered, the youngest nodding intently. She looked to the other girl, who breathed out a sigh of exasperation. But there was no harm in the two going five feet into the next room then coming back, especially if the big cat went with them.
Finally, it seemed they both agreed. “Quietly.”
The two rushed off the bed, before tiptoeing across the room in an exaggerated fashion. It almost made her laugh, if not for the sight of the only slightly older Rubèn tucking the younger boy behind him as they peeked around the door. One body wasn’t bigger than the next, but he was still protecting the younger. The boulder in her throat was firmly stuck as they went through the door, as quiet as two young ones could be. The jaguar looked at the two of them, then followed the boys into the dark outer room.
A moment, then a second passed and since no guns fired or screams erupted, she let out a breath. As did her companion. Who then turned to her and said “Do you think of it a lot?”
The girl blinked in surprise, cocking her head in confusion. “Of what?”
Fàtima is only a year older than her, but with hazel hair frazzled and bags under her eyes from a lack of sleep she looks older. A younger version of her Madre when she forgot her knapsack for school. “The heat.”
She swallows, trying not to let the smell of rancid blood sweep over her and the taste of saline where the children scream for their parents. More time passes, but it is clear the other is waiting on her answer.
“All the time.” She finally responds and there’s a hand holding hers. It squeezes, she looks down at it before back up to Fàtima.
“I spoke to Señor Rudy and...” There’s a pause, as the other seems to be trying to find the right words. She takes a breath before continuing. “You were so focused on protecting us that you almost fried your brain. Overstimulated was the word he used. It was only hot to you Ria.”
The young Sentinel sits back, the hand a tether that keeps her from falling over. All the time that had passed once they entered had seemed like a blur, but to be so focused on the group that she had felt as though the room was on fire. It was a strange thing, among the strange world that was hers now that she had come online. Still, she had failed them as demonstrated by the boys seeking out another to protect them. All she had been able to do was watch the door.
Fàtima tugs on her hand, pulling her into a hug. “Thank you.”
And she almost rejects it, asks why something so fake was sent to her. But she can feel it, the sincerity in the connection between them. It’s still dark and the exhaustion of her interrupted sleep still looms over her, so she accepts it. Now isn’t the time to fight, she thinks and hugs back.
Then she remembers the boys were meant to come right back.
“The boys.”
She pulls out of the hug, holding onto the other’s shoulders as they stare slack jawed at each other. As they rush out of the room, she considers grabbing a heavy object, anything to use as a weapon. But there’s a calm in her mind despite the uncertainty.
They were safe, she just needed to trust it.
X
The sun is barely breaking the horizon when Rodriquez parks on base.
Wearily, he thanks the Sentinel for driving the last part of the journey. Normally he was hesitant about others driving, knowing how his Colonel drove like a mad man. But the Guide Prime had wanted to go home, not spend the night, and he had needed to rest. Thankfully the other soldier had driven smoothly enough as he slept.
Quietly, he eased into the officer quarter’s and about dropped his bag at the sight. He immediately covered his mouth with one hand, so as to not wake any of them, and fished out his phone with the other. Thankfully, none did except his imbècil.
On the same couch that Alejandro had sworn he was going to burn a few days ago was a sight worthy of a christmas card. The Sentinel Prime of the Vaqueros, who barely fit, had four distinctive lumps laying on him with Adelita curled near his head. Tucked under his chin was Izan, who Rudy was delighted to see was drooling. Rubèn had taken the other side of his amor’s chest, in the air only but for a muscled arm that was wrapped around his back. Near his feet were the girls, who had wrapped another blanket around themselves. They were snuggled together, causing the man to be bow legged to give them room.
It didn’t look very comfortable, but it was adorable.
Dark eyes peered at him from across the room as he tried his best not to coo. The bond lit up, love smothering him and he echoed it back. But as he brought the camera up to take a picture, there was a spike of panic. And Alejandro’s eyes darted as he mouthed a nasty threat. The minimal movement caused twitches from the children and he took the picture anyways while his Sentinel tried to ensure everyone remained asleep.
Alejandro would totally get him back for that, but it was worth it.
“Papà Shark, stop moving.” A tiny voice grumbled, Izan digging his face deeper into the Prime’s neck. It was a cute scene, but Rudy physically took a step back. And he held his hand tightly to his face trying not to die of laughter. But it was spilling into the bond, the pure amusement and joy.
Somewhere in his peripheral vision Alejandro was flipping him off, but he had to get control of himself before he woke everyone up. Finally when he was able to look back in that direction, he found his bonded glaring at him and Rubèn peeking over at him. He walked over, crouching to be at the same eye level.
“Go back to sleep, pequeño.” He soothed, running a hand through dark hair. The boy soothed, eyes fluttering.
“You’re back Papà Rudy?” The words were garbled, quiet with sleep and a half awake mind but his heart melted all the same. And Alejandro was soft in the bond, a rumble in his chest easing his passengers to rest.
“Si.” The boy didn’t even hear the answer, already back to his dreams. But Rudy gave one last run through his hair, before turning to his amor. Alejandro was tired as well, but still stared at him as though it was the last time. Memorizing every detail.
They didn’t need words, not when their bond was strong and warm between them. But he risked waking the children anyways, leaning in close. “Buenos días, mi amor.”
He kissed his forehead, then his lips as he ran a hand through dark hair. They stayed like this for a moment, an empty bed calling Rudy and Alejandro weighed down by their guests. Then, the Guide’s desire for sleep won out and he stood but not before saying he would see the other in a few hours.
The Colonel seemed to accept this, that he was stuck on the couch rather than his nice comfortable bed. But he stopped Rudy with one request. “Delete the photo, please?”
Rudy smiled innocently, of course he would. Right after he sent it to his and Alejandro’s families, who had been asking for pictures of their nietas and nietos. The Guide took one more look at the couch, knowing he might be sent there for the stunt.
But as with their work and the children, it was worth it.