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saiilorstars · 5 months

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Ch. 29: The Moping Phase

[Story Masterlist] // [Aitana’s Masterlist]

Fandom: Criminal Minds // Pairing: Spencer Reid x OFC

Taglist: @ocappreciationtag @arrthurpendragon @anotherunreadblog @maaaaarveeeeel @stareyedplanet @averyhotchner @foxesandmagic @kmc1989 @midmourn

If you’d like to be a part of Aitana’s taglist, please let me know!

Also available on Fanfic ○ Ao3 ○ Wattpad

Aitana couldn't say that she hated her new job. Because, she didn't. She didn't hate it but to say that she was content with her new position wouldn't be accurate either. But apparently, she wasn't looking so much at the bright side, according to her family. There she was in her parent's bakery with her parents and Angel, telling them how she felt about her new position and instead of supporting her, they told her she was crazy.

"I would be happy to work regular hours," Angel said, pausing his search for some sweet bread to turn to her. "And you're complaining?"

Aitana glared at him. "You run a business! You control your own hours!"

Angel glanced at the others with a sarcastic smile. "Look at her thinking that. Isn't it adorable?"

Aitana's glare only deepened. "Shut up."

"Wouldn't that be nice?" Luis mused and suddenly the three were chuckling until Aitana growled.

"Stop patronizing me!" she exclaimed. "You're not listening to what I'm saying!"

"We are, honey," Pamela offered her daughter a smile. "But we just don't understand why you're not more happy? You're working regular hours now which means you have free time again."

"Free time you can spend with us," Luis made a dramatic gesture at himself then his wife. "And your brothers of course."

"Do Mateo and I get a say?" Angel made a face, smirking when Aitana sent another glare his way.

"I'm not saying that I don't enjoy my free time again but is it really worth it if I'm unhappy?" Aitana sighed with herself. She made the call to switch knowing she would be unhappy. It was worse knowing that the two options she had would've led her down the same path.

"Why can't you switch back?" Pamela asked.

"Because the directors don't want me to. They want to use me and my history as a lesson for the newcomers at the academy."

"But you don't like it one bit?" Angel raised his index finger and thumb. "Teeny-tiny bit?"

Aitana sighed. "That's not the point."

"Kinda is."

"Shut up!"

"Hey," their father cut in with his typical stern face, "Knock it off. Aitana, if you're this upset about it, find a way to fix it."

"If it were that easy, I would've done it already, Dad," Aitana huffed.

"I didn't say it was going to be easy," Luis corrected, looking even surprised that Aitana would think that. "I know for a fact it'll be difficult for you. It's a good thing your mother and I raised you to take on challenges."

"Dad, I can't fight the FBI. I'm part of the FBI."

"Then there's one advantage you have," Luis motioned. "You know how they think."

"That's the problem, Dad," Angel said in-between chews of the fresh sweet bread he stole from one of the trays. "She's not thinking of solutions because she's so hung up on the fact she made a wrong call."

Aitana gasped in offence. "Am not!"

"Are too," Angel wagged a finger at her. "I've heard you mope about this for a month straight."

"That does sound like you," Luis said, eliciting a second gasp of offence from the woman.

"Mom!" Pamela could only hum as she went into the back. Aitana was outright offended now. "You guys are terrible!"

Luis chuckled and shook his head. "No we're not, mija. You're just stuck on the moping part. Once you clear your head and start thinking, you'll figure out a way to fix things."

"And until then—" Pamela returned from the back with a pink box in her hands, "—you should get going to that dinner of yours! The cake's all fresh!"

Aitana inwardly sighed. As usual, her mother was right. She had plans to celebrate with her friends and she was in charge of bringing the sweet dessert. "Yeah, alright." She walked up to the counter to take the box. "Thanks for the cake."

"Of course!" Pamela clapped her hands together. "Hope your friends will like it."

"Oh, they love everything from here. You've met Penelope, right?"

Pamela laughed softly. How could she ever forget the colorful being that was Penelope Garcia. "She is always welcomed here."

"Ready to go?" Angel dusted the sugar off his hands with a series of claps.

"That depends, you ready to stop devouring the produce?" Aitana smirked at his deadpanning face.

"Dad!" he called but Luis shook his head.

"You had that one coming."

"I'll be in the car," Angel muttered and turned to leave.

Aitana followed behind with a proud smile. "I like being the little sister," she informed him to make things better.

"One of these days, I'm going to boot you over to Mateo's. Logan has to be less annoying than you!"

"Logan's four!"

"Yeah!"

~ 0 ~

Half an hour later, Aitana was knocking on JJ's front door. "Cake's here!" she announced as soon as the door was opened.

"Hey!" JJ exclaimed, "Glad you're here!"

"Yeah, we had to stop by the bakery first."

"We?"

"Yeah, Angel drove. Better to get a ride and drink freely," Aitana said, making JJ laugh. "He's at my beck and call, tonight."

"Perks of having an older brother I assume?" JJ closed the door behind them.

"Two," Aitana said, though after a moment she added: "But Mateo's not as carefree as Angel. He's more rigid. I'd blame the family life he has but he's always been like that." Sometimes it was ironic to her that she seemed to get along better with Angel who was her half-brother rather than Mateo who was her full-blood brother. She loved both of them the same but she just seemed to have more in common with Angel in terms of personalities.

"C'mon, everyone else is already here," JJ said as she took the lead into the living room. Aitana was immediately subjected to all the greetings from the team.

"Sprinkles!" Penelope was the most delighted, at least because she was always the most expressive. "You made it!"

"I wasn't going to miss this type of party," Aitana chuckled. "An odd going away and welcome party…"

"Normal was never really going to be a thing with our type of job," Morgan called. He stood by Spencer and Will not too far from where they were.

"Gotta say, I kinda miss that," Aitana said.

She definitely didn't like the smirk that crossed Morgan's face. "Miss me?"

"That is not what I said. Watch your words or you don't get cake."

At the mention of the cake, Penelope squeaked and snatched the box from Aitana's hands. "What kind is it this time!?"

"Umm, strawberries and creme. I thought JJ and Seaver might like that one."

"If they don't, I'll happily eat it!" Penelope promised.

"I'm sure JJ will love it," Will said. "She has a sweet tooth."

"Well, I don't ever really see strawberries and cream cakes so I figured might as well bring something different," Aitana shrugged.

"You're not that far from how it originally started," said Spencer, believing the others would understand what he meant. When they didn't, he decided to elaborate. "The pairing of strawberries and cream was invented by Cardinal Thomas Wosley in a banquet during Henry VIII's reign."

Penelope had only been mildly interested in the explanation due to the cake in her hands. She was trying to take peeks without dropping the box altogether. Morgan and Will merely exchanged smiles, both of them knowing better than to ask more about the history. And if everyone was on the same page, then nobody would ask—

"Seriously?" Aitana said, nose scrunching. "I always thought this was a Hispanic dish."

"It's a very popular dessert," Spencer said as if to comfort her and her misconception.

"Well you're going to be the one to explain that to my mother—this is her dish." Aitana took the box from Penelope who practically nose deep inside it. "Where's Ashley?"

"Talking with Rossi in the kitchen," Morgan said.

Aitana looked around and saw JJ had fallen into a conversation with Hotch so she decided to go see Seaver. "See you in a bit," she told the others and took off. The cake needed to go in the fridge anyways so she might as well kill two birds with the same stone.

"That's tempting," Rossi said when Aitana opened the fridge for the cake.

"Hands off, mister," she said, cautiously sliding the box inside. She straightened up afterwards and shut the door, turning for the pair. She looked at Seaver with a big smile. "I guess a 'congrats' is in order?"

Seaver bashfully smiled back. "I'm not entirely sure," she admitted. "I'm transferring and I'm leaving the team…?"

"But you're doing it because you want to," Aitana pointed out.

Seaver would have to give Aitana the point knowing what happened to her and her position at the BAU. "Yeah," she ultimately nodded. "The domestic trafficking task force…" She blinked. "Oh, that's going to be a long one."

Rossi patted her shoulder. "You'll get used to it. Aitana, there didn't happen to be any more wine over there, was there?"

Aitana's eyebrows raised at the question. "Umm, I don't know. Morgan seemed pretty comfortable with his glass. Hotch had one too, I think."

"Be back," he said, reaching for his empty glass on the counter to take with him.

"So, when do you officially start with Swann's team?" Aitana asked when Rossi was gone.

"Monday," Seaver said. "I'm a bit nervous. Actually, I'm very nervous."

"Don't be, Andi's a good boss. I mean, I've never had her as my boss but just the case we worked together makes me completely sure that she's a good one."

"I know," Seaver nodded. "It's just weird, you know? I knew that I wasn't going to stay with the BAU but I didn't really expect this sudden transfer."

"Did you, though?" Aitana raised an eyebrow at the woman. "I remember exactly how you reacted to our last case together. When we saw the victims in the cages…?"

Seaver shook her head. She remembered that vividly too. Later on, she racked her brain for a plausible reason as to why she'd frozen like that. She had seen a lot of things in her short time with the BAU but that case really got to her. Not even the very first case she had with the team managed to have that effect on her. It took her a while—a month, to be exact—to figure out that the trafficking cases were always going to get to her because she was invested in it. She was passionate about saving as many live victims as she could. She realized Aitana was right: she was choosing to leave the BAU and it was for something that she wanted. Aitana didn't have that choice.

"I need to go where I want to be," she said, "And I know for sure that being part of Andi's team is where I need to be."

Aitana smiled. "I'm happy for you. Just...don't forget about us."

"Oh, I could never," Seaver promised, sharing a laugh with Aitana.

~0~

"... so you basically offer them 2 alternatives under the illusion that you're giving them full control to make a choice…" Spencer was in a full blown ramble when JJ joined him and Aitana. The little that JJ heard had her wishing she'd waited a few more seconds before walking over to the two.

"I guess I never thought about it that way," Aitana remarked, her eyebrows raised as she considered her newest tactics.

"What are we talking about…?" JJ curiously asked the pair.

"Well, Spencer was offering me advice on how to trick my four year old nephew into doing whatever I want," Aitana said, giggling when Spencer started saying that hadn't been his intention at all. "I know, silly! But it is something I will employ for desperate times."

He supposed that was fine. "If it makes the babysitting easier," he said. He didn't have a lot of experience with kids—actually he only had tiny moments with Henry and he wasn't four yet.

When he walked away, JJ laughed quietly. "How did that happen?" She asked Aitana.

The brunette was more amused than anything else. "Oh, we started talking about the cake which led into where strawberries were first picked then I mentioned it was my nephew Logan's favorite fruit that I give him while I babysit and somewhere along the way it shifted into a conversation about me having difficulty babysitting him sometimes."

JJ had been nodding throughout the description, wondering at what point did Aitana lose control over the conversation. "And did you understand?" She knew the answer as soon as Aitana scrunched her face.

"I mean the whole giving the child two options that you choose is actually pretty genius," Aitana said, both impressed and unimpressed that she hadn't figured that out yet. She often had trouble getting Logan to either stop doing something or do something he needed to. "But he kind of lost me in the middle part before we started talking about kids." She shrugged, "I just didn't have the heart to stop him...or tell him." She knew Spencer didn't purposely speak fast but sometimes it was a little difficult understanding him when he got so animated. Plus, she wanted to say that her slowness today was in part from her drinking count.

JJ placed a hand on Aitana's shoulder. "Brave soul." Aitana laughed. "And possibly too kind."

"I'm sure there's plenty more to hear now that you're transferring back," Aitana pointed out. It wasn't entirely official since JJ still had to wrap up her profiling classes but she was doing the probationary process with the team already. It was just a question of formality.

"Yeah, there will be," JJ nodded her head. "I'm just sorry we can't seem to work on the same team at the same time."

Aitana's eyebrows raised at that. "It does seem like that, doesn't it?" It was thanks to JJ that she'd been invited to the BAU but now she was back and ironically Aitana was gone. "But you won't be a liaison anymore, right?"

"No," JJ said. "With Emily's passing, they're more interested in a profiler, as you know."

"Oh, I know," Aitana said fairly fast.

JJ felt a twinge of guilt for even bringing that up in the first place knowing Aitana gave up that position. "I'm sorry…"

"No, don't be. I'm happy you were able to come back. It was your home first."

"First," JJ repeated with a small laugh.

"Well it's true! Fair is fair."

"It was your home too, and well earned. You were supposed to be a profiler from the start—it's what you studied to be."

"I know," Aitana shrugged her shoulders. "But is it crazy to say that being a liaison for almost a year made me kind of iffy about being just a profiler?"

"You do know a career change is plausible at any age, right? You're not even 30!"

Aitana laughed. "I don't know. Before coming to the BAU, I was kind of lost in my life. I couldn't hold the jobs that the FBI assigned me to. They didn't trust me and I didn't trust myself to be able to handle the tasks but then this job came around...and things changed. I started talking to people again, doing interviews, and doing press conferences."

JJ had to laugh when Aitana went through her shock of being able to do press conferences all over again. "I know, that was me in the beginning. I wanted to do them but it was so nerve wrecking."

"How did you fall into that line anyways?" Aitana asked curiously.

JJ looked around for some reason until she gestured towards Rossi who was having a conversation with Hotch and Seaver. "Believe it or not, Rossi inspired me. He didn't know me back then but his words motivated me to apply for the academy. After that I just sort of fell into the liaison path. I liked speaking with the families, being the connection between the two branches. The courses were tough but I knew that at the end of it, I would be helping close gaps between the FBI and the communities."

"Aha…" Aitana was looking at JJ strangely, at least that's what JJ thought.

She unfortunately hadn't spent a lot of time with Aitana unlike the rest of the team so it was a little difficult to learn Aitana's different expressions. Using her profiler skills though helped her a bit. "You're thinking of something. You realized something?"

Aitana nodded her head. "My parents were on me earlier about me being stuck in the moping stage about my job. They said I needed to stop moping and move onto finding a solution."

"Good advice," JJ said.

"Yeah, you just gave me the idea."

JJ blinked. "I did?"

"Yup. It's a crazy idea but at the same time the most sensible one. Also a long term idea."

"Well...can I know what it is?"

Aitana's lips stretched into a wide smile. "I'm going to quit my job."

~ 0 ~

It was absolutely insane. It had to be. Deciding to quit your job and go back to school in the span of a week had to be absolutely insane. And yet Aitana totally did it. It was something out of the norm for her. She always liked to think about her decisions, take her time, but this one...this one just felt different. She quit her job, and effectively the FBI altogether but not without making the promise to her superiors that she would come back.

It had come to a surprise to everyone that she'd quit her job especially because they hadn't known what Aitana's plans were. Only JJ was lucky enough to know the full details of Aitana's plan. Almost immediately after quitting, Aitana enrolled for a fall semester as an online student. It felt crazy and spontaneous to pull this stunt and good. After the WPP, Aitana had been nothing but cautious and planned. Doing this and for a proper life plan was something she never saw herself doing.

And ironically, time felt like it was picking up again — moving. Aitana knew more than anyone what it felt like to be stuck somewhere. She battled with it for a long while after leaving WPP. She was afraid that the moping phase she was in would lead to that. Maybe that was why she didn't think about this for as long as she typically would have. She quit her job and signed up for an online program; a crash course to hell.

"I am going to fail this class!" Aitana greeted JJ on her front step with that statement. She had a book bag slung over her left shoulder and a laptop between her arms.

JJ blinked in surprise. "Um...hello to you too…"

"Sorry," Aitana smiled bashfully, "Evening, JJ! I am going to fail this class!"

"Alright then… would you like to come in?" JJ stepped aside to let Aitana in. "I do have company though."

"Are they good with this stupid courses?" Aitana walked inside in a hurry. "Because it's stupid!"

"Ah, you'd be surprised..." JJ said as they walked into the living room.

Aitana glanced over her shoulder questionably. "What?"

"Aitana, hey," Spencer's voice startled the brunette. She found him sitting with Henry on the couch with a children's book between them.

It then donned on Aitana what JJ had meant. "Oooh. Well this is great! Dr. Reid, how much are your tutoring services?"

"Huh?" Spencer looked at the pair of women in confusion, hoping one of them would take pity on him and explain what was going on. He hadn't seen Aitana since she told them she'd quit her job at the academy. She sort of dropped off the grid, actually.

"Spence, I'm going to set Aitana up in the kitchen and then we'll talk," JJ promised as she ushered Aitana towards the kitchen.

"Sure…?" Spencer had no idea what was happening and he really hated not knowing.

"Not that I mind but why is he here?" Aitana quietly asked JJ in the kitchen. She checked her phone for the time and saw it was almost eight. "I mean, this really works out for me if he'll help but, um…?"

"Yeah," JJ gently took Aitana's laptop from her arms to set on the table. "He sort of stays over a lot now. I don't mind, of course, but it's not for good reasons that he stays."

"What do you mean?"

"Emily," JJ whispered. Aitana's eyes widened and before she knew it, she was trying to catch a glimpse of Spencer in the living room. "He's been struggling so he stays here a lot."

"Oh my goodness, I had no idea..." Aitana bit on her bottom lip.

"Nobody knows," JJ said, "Everyone's just trying to move on in their own way."

"Yeah," Aitana nodded. She felt guilty knowing that she hadn't been thinking a lot about Emily these days. She had a lot on her mind and it was primarily school related. "I mean, I should go. If I had known, I would've stayed home."

"No, no, stay," JJ was quick to say, "You need help and Spence needs a distraction while I put Henry to bed."

"I don't know," Aitana said, "He might not even want to help."

JJ almost laughed. "Are you kidding me? You have school problems that involve studying facts. What is Spencer Reid full of? Facts." She shared a small laugh with Aitana.

"I guess maybe it is time to explain why I left the FBI," Aitana said after a moment of thought. "I can't keep dodging Penelope's questions much longer."

"I'll go put Henry to bed and you two get settled in here," JJ suggested. "I'm sure between the three of us we'll think of a way for you to pass the assignment."

Aitana agreed and watched JJ leave. She had very little time to think about how she would explain to Spencer why she had done what she did and what she was currently doing. He came in only a few seconds after JJ had left, albeit in slow, almost cautious, steps.

"Hey," he greeted her with a small wave of his hand. Unbeknownst to Aitana, he was trying to come up with a decent explanation about his presence in the house. Everyone at the BAU pretty much knew but ever since Aitana quit the FBI, communication with her had gone rather stiff.

Aitana was nonetheless polite and greeted him back more or less with the same quietness. "I didn't mean to barge in on you guys…"

"No, no, it's fine. I think it's like a nice break for JJ from me," Spencer said. His hands came to rest over the top of a chair. Aitana saw him squeezing it just a bit hard. He was nervous.

"You okay?" She decided to ask and hopefully lead the conversation towards what she needed to explain.

"Yeah," Spencer answered much too fast to be believable and he knew it. He sighed. "No, I'm not. That's why I'm here. I, uh, stay a couple nights."

Aitana nodded. She suspected it was more than just a couple nights. "JJ is always helping people," she said. For now, it was their only common ground.

"Yeah, she's helped me with Emily's death and all." Spencer laid eyes on the materials Aitana had placed on the table. "What is she, uh, helping you with?" He asked despite already beginning to make connections. A half open book bag with noticeable journals peeking out and the laptop on the table all stemmed from studies. School.

Aitana didn't answer him on account of watching him answer himself. It was funny how she easily recognized his expressions now. She could pinpoint exactly when he realized she started school again.

"You quit to go back to school?" He finally met her gaze just to get the confirmation from her. Courtesy, really.

Aitana nodded at him. "Yeah. Doing the whole work and everything."

Spencer was surprised more than anything. This would explain her MIA vibes she was giving the team. The only thing he couldn't figure out was why.

Once again, Aitana read the expression on his face with ease. "I'm going to get a bachelor's in Communications," she explained. "Because then I'll be able to apply for the liaison position at the BAU."

Spencer was wide eyed with the news and yet the bubbling pride in his chest for her initiative won him over in a couple seconds. He was impressed with her courage to quit and start this path to get the job she wanted. "Aitana, that's amazing! Congratulations!"

Aitana flushed. "It's just school, Spencer. I figured if I want the job, I need to make myself more desirable to the directors."

"Going back to school is a big deal," Spencer corrected her. "It's a huge commitment that not everybody can do. Plus, you're doing it because you want to and you want a specific job. It's commendable."

"You don't think I'm crazy?" Aitana asked. "Half of my family thinks I am for going back at this point in my life. I'm almost 28."

Spencer shook his head. "Not at all. School is for any age."

"Yeah, not everywhere, though," Aitana said, "In Mexico, at least where my family is from, once you pass your prime age, it's pretty much a done deal."

"Really?" Spencer paused. That was an odd way to think of but then again that was how different customs worked. "Where are you from again?" He was certain that she hadn't mentioned the specific region. It was crazy to realize that after almost a year of working together.

"My family's from Jalisco," Aitana said, "A small town about two hours away from Guadalajara. Everything's more traditional there, including the education system. At my age, I should be done with school, no going back."

"That's not right, there's always opportunities to grow and school's a but part of that."

"Well of course you would say that, you've got like a dozen degrees under your belt," Aitana said and laughed when Spencer corrected her with the right amount. "I'm halfway to your number. Look out, I might catch up."

"A challenge I would accept," he smiled.

Aitana knew he could only be joking. He would excel against anyone without lifting a finger. Still, it was kind enough of him to play along.

"So did you need help?" He asked, gesturing to the load she placed on the table.

She nodded sheepishly. "Yeah. It's all online but I want to advance fast so I'm pretty much taking double loads."

"Noble act," remarked Spencer. "How's that going, though?" To answer his question, Aitana groaned. He laughed. "Alright. I see there's some issues. Anything I can help you with?"

"Would you be so kind?" She asked. "I understand most of the material but there's always a couple things that don't stick and, of course, those are the things that are going to be on the exams."

"Well, I'm sure we can come up with a way for you to study," Spencer said. He picked up one of the notebooks she had on the table. "Just don't pull all-nighters. Those can actually impair your reasoning and memory for almost 4 days."

Aitana blinked at him, freezing altogether. "Seriously?"

"Oh yeah. A better alternative would be to study what you consider to be the most challenging material right before you go to sleep. You'll have an easier time remembering the material the next day."

"Oh my God, tell me more!" Aitana was quick to pull out the chairs for them. "Anything you got, seriously!" The relief that flooded her face was actually a bit endearing. Spencer didn't think she would have that much faith in him.

He sat down beside her and listened as she started going into detail about the courses she was taking. He was even more impressed to learn of the load she'd taken on. Knowing it was all to come back to the BAU warmed his heart. When JJ returned, she found the pair working closely together with the beginnings of a perfect sync. She was happy to join them and help Aitana out. From there on out, Aitana would find her coursework to be much more manageable.

~0~

In the following weeks, Aitana would begin to find her rhythm in the new lifestyle she was living in. No more work at the FBI meant she had a lot more open time on her hands. While most of that time was taken up by her schoolwork, she did end up with more time than she would've had if she was still working at the FBI.

Somehow that free time led her...somewhere she hadn't been in years. She blamed Elia.

"C'mon," Elia was completely ecstatic on their walk down the street, "What's the worst that could happen? You've already done this before!"

"Yeah, when I was like a decade younger!" Aitana reminded her with a small laugh.

Elia made a round towards a glass door. She pulled it open for them. "I'm just saying it could be fun. The instructor is super cool and he gets the school work stuff. He's a good friend of Layla's."

"Layla?" Aitana paused.

Elia nodded. "Remember the old crew?"

Aitana bit her bottom lip. She met Elia's beaming face with curiosity. "Layla, Franco, Valeria and Alex?" she tried.

Elia nodded again. "Mhm. The old crew!" She gestured for Aitana to go inside. "Come on in."

Aitana was reluctant for a few seconds but she ultimately caved. She walked into the dance studio first and immediately saw the familiar faces gathered by the resting benches.

Elia zoomed past Aitana towards the group. "Hey guys! Look who I brought!?"

Aitana meekly waved at the surprised group. Their wide eyed stares soon gained the same grins.

The tallest of the women with long, flowy brown hair that bounced when she rushed to meet Aitana in a big hug was also perhaps the loudest of the group. "Aitana, it's been so long!" She wrapped her long arms around Aitana.

"Guess it has been, Layla," Aitana said, patting a hand over Layla's back.

"I'll say." The second woman, Valeria, remarked. She was smaller than Layla by a good three inches. She had caramel brown skin and black hair pulled into a tight low bun. "Where've you been, girl?"

"Val," one of the brunette men gently elbowed Valeria on her side.

"What, Alex?" she made a face at him. Her dark eyes were piercing enough to make Alex look away.

It was surprising for Aitana to realize that none of the group knew what happened to her. She looked at Elia for a second, silently asking why that was. Elia didn't have to say anything for Aitana to make the conclusion that Elia hadn't wanted to talk about the story.

"AItana?" the second man, a tall brunette, gently called. He reached over for Layla since she was still more or less attached to Aitana. "We've missed you around here." He tugged Layla back. "Elia doesn't really want to do the dancing anymore."

Elia's eyebrows raised. "I'm not that great, Franco. It was always Aitana. I kind of just followed her lead."

"You were a good dancer," Aitana assured her, even patting her shoulder for comfort.

"We had the best of times doing the competitions," Layla smiled. "You know your old partner is actually in Mexico right now? He's doing a competition tour!"

Now that truly surprised Aitana. "Ricky? Seriously?"

"Aha!" Layla nodded excitedly. "We got tickets to see him on his last date this year. Maybe you should come. It would be so much fun."

"I don't know," Aitana shook her head. "I'm sort of...doing my own stuff right now."

"Like what?" Valeria asked. "Elia refuses to tell us what the hell you've been doing these past years. You sort of disappeared on us."

Aitana's tongue passed over bottom lip with nerves. "I...you know I got to work in the FBI…" That much was easy to tell. "Things sort of got out of hands. Got way out of my hands, actually."

Elia reached to touch her arm comfortingly. Aitana knew what she was trying to say. 'You don't have to tell them anything'. Maybe she didn't, maybe not right now.

"Doesn't matter, what matters is that you're here now," Alex gestured to the place. "And if you're up to it, they do have a competition coming up in August. Free choice."

"What?" Aitana laughed out of sheer bemusement at the idea. The last time she performed a traditional Mexican dance was much too long ago.

"Oh c'mon, it would be so much fun!" Layla clapped her hands. "We could find you a partner and everything. Elia said you're not working for the FBI anymore…"

"Did she say that?" Aitana sent Elia a pointed look. Elia promptly looked away. "Well, you should know that I'm not working for the FBI anymore because I'm going to school now...to then go back to work for the FBI."

"Hardworking girl," Valeria smiled.

Aitana flushed. "Thanks."

"You can't squeeze in a couple dance lessons?"

"I don't know. I might not have enough time."

"The instructor is really cool about that," Franco said, just like Elia had. "A lot of the class are college students too. And regular working folks."

"How about we do one class?" Layla suggested. "I'm sure Elia can handle that too."

"I mean…" Aitana sighed. She couldn't deny that she was just a little bit nostalgic for the days where she practiced her dancing moves.

She really wasn't doing much on the side…

"I guess I can try it out today," she ultimately said, causing a round of cheering from the group.

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