Author's Note: This is the first time that I've tried to approach anything to do with race & racism and I'm worried that I didn't do it justice. I'm open to any critic (good or bad) so that I can learn and possibly do better in the future. Nothing but love and respect, guys! Thanks for reading.

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Javí sulked in the back of the embassy ballroom and spied on Eve as she worked the room at the dinner. He had to admit, there was a part of him that had enjoyed flirting with the danger of bedding a Senator's daughter. There was a forbidden quality to it that had caught his attention early on. But seeing this side to her was no fun at all. What the hell was he thinking getting involved with a woman like her in the first place?

A few hours ago he had felt closer to that woman than anyone else on the planet. Now, it was almost as if he were watching a stranger. Her posture was different and the polite laughs that she would give all of these fancy people didn't have the same boisterous joyful quality that they had when she found something genuinely funny. It made him miss the real her. 

But what did he know? The more Javí took advantage of the free booze, the more he wondered if he was witnessing Eve's true nature. Maybe the funny, loveable, down to earth woman that he had grown to care about didn't even exist. Eve fit in so well in this environment. Everyone was dressed to the nines in their uncomfortable shoes and were practically waiting in line to kiss her ass. Here among the rich elites, Eve was high up on a pedestal and it had him wondering if she was just slumming it when she spent time with him.

As the night went on, that theory ate away at his ego until he felt completely worthless. Of course Eve couldn't be serious about him. After everything that she had been through with her ex, he had to be a rebound. All of that talk about becoming strong was too good to be true. It had to be bullshit. There was no way that a woman like her could see a future with a man like him. What could he possibly hope to offer her?

Ever since Eve had kissed him in his apartment, being with her had filled Javíer with such a sense of pride. Now, as he watched her, Javí couldn't help but feel small and insignificant. He hated that feeling with a burning passion and foolishly hoped that he could drink away how it felt to realize that he could never be the kind of man that deserved her.

Javíer's eyes stalked her as she was introduced to various people. Even President Samper appeared to be enamoured with her when he made his brief visit. And wouldn't you know, Eve didn't even break a sweat and had him laughing and eating out of the palm of his hand in record time. At least that's what it looked like from Javíer's lonely place across the room.

He was so lost in his bitter thoughts that he didn't even notice a few young pretty servers who tried their hardest to get his attention and cheer him up. Little did they know, the only person that stood a chance of making him smile was busy captivating every single high ranking member of the embassy.

There was a charm and elegance to Evelyn Capshaw that made it seem as though she were gliding across the ballroom. Javí had to wonder how much of what he was watching was an act, because if it was fake, he found it disturbing how well Eve could play her role. He had to admit that he hated being reminded of how different the two of them were. 

But Javíer hated being at odds with her even more. How could she not tell him that Ambassador Crosby was her fucking godfather? He worked with him every single day and he never had a clue that they were practically family. And what was all of that creepy shit that Crosby had said back when he was trying to get her transferred. He hardly sounded like someone she'd lovingly refer to as "Uncle Artie." Crosby acted as though he had the hots for her.

"I don't even know if she can type." Javíer recalled what the ambassador had quipped when he asked if she could even speak Spanish. Bullshit. Eve Capshaw had been a best selling writer since she was 22. Crosby had to have known that. But Javier was learning in real time just how messed up her family was. Her relationship with her godfather appeared to be no exception. 

None of this made any sense and Javíer had begun thinking that maybe her sneaky underhanded ways weren't as far behind her as she'd have him believe. Her betrayal of omission had Javíer drinking a lot more than he would have otherwise and he found himself sinking further down his bitter rabbit hole. But to everyone else, he just looked like his regular whiskey loving antisocial self.

The longer the night dragged on, the harder it was for him to shake the feeling that he was being played. The last time that he got played led to complete and utter disaster and people he cared about got killed. Javíer was in no mood to be social and kept to himself and waited for an acceptable time to duck out early. For as much as he couldn't take his eyes off Eve, he needed to get away. Only Javíer just couldn't decide if he was ready to run away from her yet. There was still a small voice coming from his heart that told him she was worth the grief. 

"There you are!" Eve came up from behind him, finally smiling her first genuine smile all evening. "I've been looking for you everywhere. Oh, look at those pastries. Is that cheesecake? I can't wait to dive in." Eve added with an over the top evil laugh that Javier found utterly adorable despite his mood.

"Happy to see me or the dessert table?" Javí smirked, even now he couldn't believe how beautiful she was. He was such a sucker.

"A little bit of both to be honest." Eve giggled, missing the harsh judgemental look in Javíer's eyes. "When I was a kid I never got to eat any of this stuff. My mother would make me play the piano during dessert to keep me from stuffing my face. She always liked to remind me that ballerina's don't get to carry around any extra weight. Nice, huh?"

"You're kidding."

"You have no idea." Eve playfully groaned as she scanned the different platters of colourful pastries. "The injuries and the weight shaming wasn't even the worst part of dancing. I almost had a breast reduction when I was 15."

"What the fuck?" Javíer mumbled as he looked around to make sure that no one was watching the two of them together. "Are you serious?"

"You don't see a lot of larger chested ballerinas out there, do you? And poor 15 year old me was a full C cup and still growing." Eve smirked, enjoying the fact that Javíer's eyes were focused on her ample chest. "My instructors made me feel terrible about my curves. I had to tape my boobs down all the time. I loved dancing, but it was a real mind fuck. No kid should go through that."

"Trust those people to make your tits out to be some kind of curse." Javíer couldn't help but jest but felt ten feet tall when he made her laugh. "Fucking idiots."

"My brother Ben would have liked you." Eve praised with certainty, careful not to look directly at Javíer so people thought she was just looking at the desserts. "He came home when he heard about what had been happening. He was so pissed; and this was a guy that never got mad at anything. But he had some very loud words with our parents, threw some of my clothes in a bag and kidnapped me before I made that huge mistake."

"He kidnapped you?" Javí shook his head as he polished off his drink. "I don't think I'll ever understand your family."

"Imagine how I feel." Eve affirmed with a chuckle. It was so nice to find Javíer and just be herself for a moment or two. It was exhausting putting on a mask and being someone else, but work was work. She couldn't wait to go home and take her heels off. "Ben just wanted me to get me away from my parents and my instructors before I made my decision. But I was a minor. I never should have been put in that position in the first place."

"I guess kidnapping your kid sister to keep her from having a ridiculous plastic surgery would be a good cause." Javíer conceded. He found himself identifying with her late brother because he probably would have done the same thing if his little sister was in that situation.

"Maybe kidnap is too lofty a term." Eve shyly smiled as she thought of her brother. "Let's just say I never made it to my appointment and ended up at a resort in Cabo with him instead. Ben and I snorkelled and ate all the junk food we could get our hands on. He convinced me to live for myself and taught me that it's okay to say no to our parents...looking back, that was probably the best week of my life. Gosh, I really miss him."

Javíer left her side to grab another drink at the nearest mini bar only a few feet away. But he couldn't keep his eyes off of her and watched as she looked out towards the busy hall, seemingly lost in her good memories of her big brother. This was the woman that he was falling in love with. Not the perfect socialite networking and working the room. He added a glass of red wine to his order as he observed her efforts to try and lay back and not be the centre of attention.

As much as he had practically started drooling when he first saw her in her gown, Javí was starting to like her better in the blue jeans that she had worn during their lunch date. As gorgeous as she looked at the moment, Javíer longed for her natural beauty and authentic smile. If Eve was playing him, she was doing a fantastic job because he had all but forgotten that he was upset with her for not telling him about Crosby.

"What's wrong, Jav?" Eve quietly asked when he came back to her side, effectively snapping him out of his dark thoughts. "You look grumpier then normal." She added as he handed her the wine she had grown to like. She loved that he remembered and didn't assume that she'd just drink what he was having like so many men before him had.

"Jelly bean?"

"Oh, that." Eve puffed out a laugh before she took a sip of her wine, humming when the liquid hit her tongue the same way Javi did whenever he took his first sip of coffee. The fact that they were picking up on each other's habits was not lost on him.  "Yeah, cause that's not embarrassing at all. I guess I've always had a sweet tooth and the nickname stuck."

"And Uncle Artie?" Javíer asked as he narrowed his eyes at her and searched for any signs of duplicity. His guard was up because he couldn't let himself get played again. It didn't matter how much he cared about her. He had already gotten carried away and told her more than he should have in her shower. Now he was treating her more as a suspect than a girlfriend, and the role change gnawed at him in a way that surprised him.

"Stoddard likes to gossip so much I really thought you already knew." Eve admitted with a pained expression. When Javíer didn't look impressed with her answer, Eve chewed on her bottom lip and pulled him into the nearest hallway so they could be somewhat alone. "Look," Eve started, looking around and finding other small groups of people already engaged in their own private conversations. "I should have made sure you already knew. I'm just so used to people knowing everything about me before I even walk into a room. I didn't want to bring it up and make it sound like I was bragging or anything."

"I work with the man, Eve." Javí admonished through his teeth. Finally able to unleash some of the anger that he'd been trying to suppress ever since he found out. "I see him every damn day. I went to him and tried to get you transferred for Christ sake!"

"You did?" Eve nearly laughed, her bright blue eyes were full of mischief and Javíer had a hard time staying mad at her. Even now, she had a way about her that broke down all of his defences. "I tried to get transferred too. But Colleen could only find a spot for me in Bolivia, so I passed."

"How the fuck are we supposed to be 'strong', if you pull shit like this?" Javíer fumed, ready to storm out and call it a night. He continued to fidget and shifted his weight from foot to foot, ready to blow. He was so angry and there was nowhere for that anger to go at the moment so he crossed his arms across his chest and tried to breathe his way through the frustration.

"You're...you're right." Eve stammered, trying to figure out how to make it right. "I'm so sorry. You didn't deserve to find out like that."

"What else are you keeping from me, huh?" Javí snapped. He could feel himself losing control and hated that he started to feel lightheaded like an amateur drinker. He regretted the last two glasses of whiskey he had and wished he was more sober for this conversation. "Any more surprises?"

"Ummm, probably." Eve thought for a moment and was surprised that she was on the verge of tears. Usually Eve had to make an effort to care what men thought of her, but Javíer's opinion seemed to mean the world to her and she had a hard time controlling her emotions. "Well, Dan was the guy I had my blind date with."

"Who the fuck is Dan?"

"Daniel Van Ness." Eve clarified as she discreetly took his hand, only to have him shake out of her grasp. His rejection stung, but Eve couldn't figure out if he was that mad at her or just being overly cautious. But she really wished that she could touch him right now. "You know, the guy you sent to Cali with Feistl."

"Shh." Javí warned, looking around to make sure that no one overheard her. "Really? Shit, I had no idea."

"You're lucky you're cute, Jav." Eve teased with a sweet smile to lighten the mood. "You sent half of my friends away. There's better ways to keep me all to yourself."

"I didn't-"

"I know, I'm just teasing." Eve smile broadened as she admired how good Javí looked in his tux, even though he was still cross with her. "Chris really wanted this, he's wanted this assignment since he got here."

"And, Dan is it?" Javí asked as he pulled on his collar to try and make it fit better. His heated mood was making everything feel uncomfortable. "Did Dan want it, too?"

"Not exactly." Eve quietly informed him with a smirk. "But they're good agents, Jav."

"I hope so."

"Please don't go all caveman with Danny, okay." Eve ordered when Javíer didn't seem any happier. "He's just a friend. I paid the bill and he didn't even kiss me goodnight."

"He also didn't make sure that you got home okay." Javíer sharply reminded her, hating that he still felt strangled by his bowtie. "What else? Maybe lies of omission don't mean so much to you. I gotta assume that's not all you're keeping from me."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"After what you used to do for a living, I guess this isn't the worst lie you've told." Javí scolded, knowing full well that it was a cheap shot. "I probably got off easy, didn't I?"

"That's not fair, Javí." Eve frowned as she blinked away her tears. This was far worse than just a bad mood and Eve was officially scared that he was going to break up with her. "I'm always honest with you...you're the only person that I'm myself with. I'll tell you anything that you want to know. Just ask. I'm not keeping things from you on purpose. Does...does him being my godfather change things for you? Are we...are we okay?"

Javíer had had too much to drink and it was clouding his judgement. But the sadness in Eve's blue eyes was almost enough to sober him up for a second. He was about to apologize and make it up to her, but the cocktail hour was coming to a close and people were being encouraged to take their seats for dinner and speeches. It was then, that a stunning older woman came up to Eve in the hallway and linked her arm with hers.

"Hello, my dear." The woman beamed as she kissed Eve's cheek. "Don't you look lovely tonight."

Eve wasn't the only woman that looked lovely that evening. Javí couldn't get over the family resemblance between the two Capshaw women. He was speechless and couldn't help but feel as though he were getting a glimpse of what Eve would look like in the future. And he really liked what he was seeing.

"Thank you, mother." Eve tightly smiled, trying to hide her nerves and swallow down the hard lump that had formed in her throat after Javí's cold words. "I'd like you to meet Agent Peña, my boss."

"Your reputation precedes you, Agent Peña." Elizabeth Capshaw nodded in his direction as she looked him up and down before she shook his hand. "Fine work with Escobar."

"Thank you, ma'am." Javíer nodded, swiftly going back into work mode after Eve's mother had shamelessly checked him out and seemed to like what she saw. He'd seen that look in women's eyes before but was horrified to see it coming from Eve's very own mother. Well at least he had made a good impression, Javier mused to himself as he tried to sober up.

"Thanks to you and your partner," Elizabeth began as Crosby finished laughing with another group of men at the very end of the hallway and joined Eve's mother's side to escort her back in. "Colombia just might become a major political player. Needless to say, America can't do business with a pseudo narco democracy."

"Let's not talk shop tonight." Eve suggested, knowing how much Javí hated talking about Escobar. Eve looked to Javíer who seemed to soften towards her and thank her with his eyes.

"I trust that you're taking good care of my daughter." Elizabeth ignored her daughter's request as she picked at some invisible lint on Eve's shoulder. "I know that she can be a handful from time to time."

"Not at all, ma'am." Javíer smiled as he tried to stand up straighter and pretend to be sober. "Evelyn has been a great addition to the office."

"Arthur here," Elizabeth started to explain as she took Crosby's arm with her free hand. It was then that Javíer realized that the ambassador hadn't let Eve's mother out of his sight all evening. He'd never seen his boss so attentive. His investigative mind couldn't help but find that curious. "He was telling me how you tried to get Evelyn transferred when she first started."

"Just not used to the perks of the job." Javíer gave her a charming smile before he turned to Crosby and narrowed his eyes at him. "Isn't that right, sir."

"About that." Crosby started to explain as the two women left arm in arm to take their seats and the two men fell back a bit. "She'd just got here and I simply wanted to see your reaction. It was a test and you'll be pleased to know that you passed with flying colours, Javíer. Evelyn has been through a lot lately and it's my job to look out for her. The last thing she needed was her new boss giving her any unwanted attention. Trusting you with my goddaughter wasn't easy, but when you didn't take the bait, I figured she was safe enough. It did help that you thought she was Stechner's spy, though." He added with a loud laugh.

So that's what all of that 'easy on the eyes' talk was all about, Javíer realized as he faked his own laugh to mask his annoyance. He was pissed off that Crosby had tried to play him like that. But since he had secretly sent a team to Cali and was fucking his precious goddaughter behind his