Rosa lay still in bed, waiting for her brain to reboot, and as it slowly did, the memories from last night drifted back with cruel precision. She shut her eyes, hoping the recollection would fade, but it returned anyway, vivid and humiliating. She remembered the conversation about sharing Ray with Amy and Gina and the talk about threesome and foursome, and then the moment when she had actually agreed to do it. The realization hit her hard enough that she let out a low groan.
"Fuck," she muttered, dragging a hand across her face as her head throbbed.
She sat up slowly, squinting against the sunlight pouring through the blinds. Her head hurt so much that it felt like someone was drilling through her skull with a smile. She swung her legs off the bed and stood, wobbling as the alcohol aftershock punched her guts.
She tiptoed toward the door, trying not to breathe too loudly. Maybe, if she was lucky, Ray had left for the precinct and Gina had rolled into a ditch somewhere.
She opened the bedroom door and peeked out.
Voices drifted up from downstairs.
"Ray, you didn't have to make a whole breakfast spread," Amy said.
'What the hell is Amy doing here?' Rosa wondered.
Ray's voice followed. "I'm already used to cooking for Rosa in the morning. Besides, you need protein after a stressful night."
Gina chimed in with her usual chaos. "Protein is great, but where is the coffee, Ray? If I don't get caffeine, I'm legally allowed to bite people."
Rosa immediately closed the door. Then locked it.
She pressed her back against the wood and shut her eyes. Her heart thudded like she had just run a marathon on broken glass.
"Oh god. They're all down there. And they're talking. And I said all that shit."
She slid down the door until she was sitting on the floor with her knees pulled up, staring at her feet as her mind raced. For someone who could disarm a gunman in a dark alley without blinking, navigating emotional chaos felt like walking through a minefield blindfolded.
'Should I go down? Should I pretend nothing happened? Should I fake my own death and run to Argentina?'
She considered each option carefully.
She eyed the window. It was large enough; the drop wasn't lethal; there were bushes below that might break her fall. She could jump, roll, sprint across the property, steal one of Ray's motorcycles, and disappear. She could start a new life somewhere without witnesses or drama. Maybe become a biker in Arizona.
Or she could shower, get dressed, walk downstairs with dignity, and act like an actual adult instead of a raccoon running from its own reflection.
She smacked her forehead lightly. "Why the hell did I listen to Gina? Of all people. Gina." Her voice was a low groan. "Gina probably recorded the whole damn thing."
Another groan escaped her as she dropped her face into her hands.
"Okay. Think. You can either climb out the window and pretend you never existed, or you can act like a normal human being. Pick one, Diaz."
She stood up slowly, rubbing her temples.
She walked to the window, braced her hands on the sill, and looked down. The grass looked soft enough. The fence was climbable. Freedom was twenty seconds away.
"Do not be a coward," she muttered.
She stepped back from the window.
"Be a coward," another part of her muttered.
She paced again.
Then she paused by the bed, staring at the bathroom door. A hot shower, fresh clothes, clean hair, and a little dignity might help. She did not need to jump out the window. She did not need to commit herself to a fugitive lifestyle before noon.
She closed her eyes and breathed in slow through her nose.
"You are Rosa Diaz," she told herself quietly. "You can face this."
A beat passed.
"You can also run."
She pinched the bridge of her nose, muttered another curse, and made the choice.
"No. I'm not running. Ray is my man, and I love him so much that I can't live without him. Even if I run away now, I'll just come back by night. And if he says yes and we are going to do this insane thing, then I'll become his number 1. I won't lose to those two. Never."
She walked toward the bathroom, turned on the water, and decided she would at least try to look like a functioning human being before walking into the kitchen.
...[15 minutes later]...
Fifteen minutes later, the house had settled into a low hum of voices and clinking dishes, and Ray found himself glancing toward the stairs every few seconds.
Rosa appeared in her blue robe, moving with the stiff caution of someone walking into a crime scene where she might also be the suspect. Her hair was damp from the shower, her expression was mostly neutral, and her eyes were screaming for help.
Ray straightened a little.
"Good morning."
'Why isn't he rushing over and hugging me like always? Where's my before-breakfast kiss? Did Gina tell them everything? Oh, god. Calm down, Rosa.' Rosa nodded once. "Morning."
Amy paused mid sip of orange juice, clearly trying to decide whether to hide behind her glass or greet Rosa like a normal person. What came out was a too loud "Hi Rosa" that carried the same energy as a firefighter greeting a gas leak.
Gina raised her coffee mug in what she clearly thought was a subtle salute. "Well look who survived tequila and emotional disclosure night."
Rosa wanted to lie on the floor face first.
She walked into the kitchen anyway. The tension pressed in from every angle; Ray braced a hand on the counter as if ready to catch something, Amy sat so straight she looked wired into the chair, and Rosa felt like she was approaching an active bomb that happened to be shaped like a breakfast table.
Rosa slumped on the chair with a heavy sigh.
"How's the head?" Ray asked.
"Feels like someone shoved a jackhammer through my face," she said, but the dryness in her tone showed she was reclaiming her composure bit by bit. "And I'm starving."
"Dig in. Your favorite scrambled eggs, bacon, waffles, fruit, the usual. And coffee. A lot of coffee."
"Thank god," Rosa muttered.
Gina leaned forward, eyes sparkling. "Nice robe. Really selling the 'I totally didn't think about jumping out a window' vibe."
Rosa gave her a death glare. "Gina, if you want to live, drink your coffee quietly."
Gina immediately lifted her mug with a peace offering gesture.
Amy cleared her throat and tried to steer the moment onto safer ground. "We were just saying Ray didn't have to cook this much, but personally I'm grateful because I'm starving."
"So, what are you doing here?" Rosa asked Amy.
"Well, last night after filing reports and all. We thought about doing a little catch-up, but when we got here, you and Gina were passed out. And it was kinda late and raining, so Ray told me to take the guest room. Amy was trying to be very cheerful, and in the process, she was speaking a bit too loudly.
'Yeah. Gina must've told them. Darn it!' Rosa thought. 'Well, what the hell...'
Rosa closed her eyes, took a deep breath and stood up. She opened her eyes and said, "Alright. I don't like this tension. So, I'll say it myself. Amy, I heard you practicing in the washroom, and I stole Ray from you. I thought you'd at least put some effort and fight back, but you didn't. I feel so bad, but then Gina and I had a chat last night, and I want to tell both of you..." She looked at Ray and then at Amy "...that if Ray and you are okay with it, then we can be together like a group. It's clear that you love Ray and so does Gina. So, if Ray and you are alright with it... We can all be together. That way, no one will feel left out. That's all I have to say. The rest is up to you two. Gina and I are on board."
Rosa took out her phone from her robe's pocket and placed it on the table.
"You got 30 seconds to vent your anger and disappointment or ask any question."
Amy raised her hand.
"Yes. Amy," Rosa looked at her.
"I'm in," Amy agreed instantly.
She wanted to tell her that she and Ray had planned to bring up this subject and ask her too many questions. But since Rosa took all the pressure, Amy kept her mouth shut and just rolled with it. She told herself: 'Thank god. It's for the best.'
Rosa looked at Ray.
"If you three are okay with it, then I'm in. Last night, Amy told me how she feels, and we wanted to talk to you after writing the report, but you were too drunk. So we decided to talk this morning, but you said it first. As for Gina, she has been trying to get close to me after seeing the mall incident," Ray said as he looked at Gina.
"Yay! You caught me. How do you expect a healthy and spiritual lady to keep her hands away from that..." Gina said while making hand gestures as if she was touching Ray's abs and chest area. "...ripped body? And that little smirk you gave after breaking that guy... I just knew it. I fell in love with you. You are the one and only for me."
"Wait! You are telling me that you were going to say what I just said, minus Gina?" Rosa said as her left eye twitched a bit.
"Yeah," Amy said with a little smile.
"Take deep breaths and slowly sit down. I know it was very stressful for you to gather courage and break the ice and we thank you for that," Ray said softly. He knew Rosa's temper.
"Yeah, thanks, Rosa. Now that we all agreed to start this complicated relationship, it's very important to keep our calm," Amy said as she stood up and looked at her wrist watch. "Oh. Look at the time. I need to get to the precinct early. So, I'll see you all at the precinct." She pushed the chair back and was about to walk toward the door when she felt a hand on her right shoulder.
"Today is a day off. " Rosa was standing behind her with her hand on Amy's shoulder. "Talk. How you confess to Ray and in which situation? Did you two kiss or have sex before this talk? Because that would be cheating and I hate cheaters." She gave Ray a side glance.
"Oh, this is going to be good," Gina mumbled as she raised her phone.
Ray raised both hands and shook his head. "Nope. We just talked, that's it. No one kissed no one and there was no sex involved."
...and so started a new morning and a complicated relationship which was about to get even more complicated soon enough.
...
[Nine-Nine]
Elle Greenaway, wearing her patrol officer dress, entered the building. After leaving BAU, she pulled some strings and managed to land a job at Nine Nine. She's the new rookie.
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