That morning Javíer found himself waking up before Eve. The bright morning sun was streaming through her window and little Murphy Muffins was still fast asleep at the foot of the bed making cute kitten noises in his sleep. Everything was still and quiet for a moment as Javíer rolled over onto his back and started making a mental list of all of his responsibilities.

But even with the threat of a war breaking out at any minute, nothing could compete with the peace that Javí felt waking up next to the woman he loved. How could he have lived this long without feeling like this. It was still hard for him to accept that he deserved to have something so special. But he was in so deep that there really was no turning back. If he fucked things up with Eve, it would easily be one of his biggest regrets. And that was saying something.

Javí looked over at her and the mere sight of her fast asleep beside him made a smile stretch across his face. He just couldn't help it. Even with her wild bedhead and her perfect lips slightly open, Eve was just so god damn beautiful. He couldn't imagine how any man could have wanted to hurt her. The morning sun even gave her an angelic like halo.

Even the adorable way she clutched the blankets to her chin made Javíer's chest ache with love. In the nights that they had spent together, Javí had noticed that she always seemed to get cold during the night. Even teasing her mercilessly about her cold feet every time she brushed them up against his leg seeking warmth. But in the end, Javí was always surprised at how he found himself forgiving her and trying to warm her up instead of avoiding her icy touch. Even her flaws made her more perfect to him.

But he had no right to even be here after he had been such an asshole to her last night, Javíer lamented as he rubbed his tired eyes. Eve had come to the office to check in on him and no good deed goes unpunished. Eve should have stormed out of his office and kicked him out of her life after the way he treated her. Those cheap shots about her parents were completely unacceptable. But the fact that she had gone home with him had Javí hoping that maybe she was truly committed to them after all. At least for long enough for him to try and make it up to her.

Eve let out a soft sigh in her sleep when Javí turned on his side to face her. He craved these intimate moments with her when he got Eve all to himself and he didn't have to hide his feelings for her. Eve with her innocent sleepy expression, was a far cry from the formidable women that had gone toe to toe with him last night.

At the time, Javí hadn't appreciated how effortlessly Eve had stood up for herself and put him in his place. But now that he had calmed down, he really saw the value of having someone that could push back against him when he got like that.

Eve was a force of nature and getting to really know her was anything but boring. Javí wondered if there would ever be a time when he wasn't absolutely fascinated by her. Letting himself care felt like an avalanche after avoiding these feelings for so long. He couldn't pull away even if he wanted to.

But Eve's spell could only last so long and Javíer's mind began to wander to the ever growing problems that he was facing since arresting Gilberto Rodriguez. Javí knew that he had a full day of meetings to look forward to, but he checked his watch and couldn't seem to get himself motivated to leave her bed just yet. He craved intimacy with her and loved watching her sleep.

But soon there was something in the way that Eve began to grimace against her pillow that concerned Javí. A moment passed and then her breathing started to become more erratic and soon it became apparent to him that she was struggling with something in her sleep.

Unfortunately, this wasn't the first time that Javíer had witnessed Eve having one of her nightmares. But this time, he knew what to do.

"Eve." Javí called out, loud enough to wake her. But regretted his sharp tone when she flinched and instinctively recoiled from him and pulled herself towards the edge of the bed. "It's okay. It's just me. Good morning, cariño."

"Morning." Eve whimpered as she turned her back to him and cuddled her pillow close, desperate to calm her racing heart. Foolishly squeezing her eyes shut hoping to gain a few more minutes of sleep before work.

Eve hated that her mind went to such dark places and longed to be free from what that man tried to do to her. She couldn't seem to compartmentalize her issues at night and it pissed her off. Her dreams were all pretty much all the same. She was walking down a dark street at night. Sometimes the locations would change and she'd find herself in Washington or Georgia; even sometimes her old childhood neighbourhood.

The scenery may change, but her dreams all ended the same way. Eve would be lost in her pleasant thoughts, dreaming of a positive future for herself; only to have a large faceless monster of a man grab her and violently drag her into a dirty alley.

In her dreams Eve would scream and fight with all of her might. Furious that she was no match for him. But of course she'd forget that it was just a dream and that she had already survived the ordeal.

"Sorry, I woke you." Eve sighed when she gave up on going back to sleep. All she could feel was that asshole's hand on the back of her neck and she hated it.

"Shhh, you didn't wake me." Javí soothed as he shimmied closer and spooned her. Bringing her back against his chest and kissing the back of her head. "Same dream?" It wasn't fair. Eve Capshaw could effortlessly silence his demons, what he wouldn't give to be able to return the favor.

"Same dream." Eve sighed again, ready to close herself off and change the subject. But something in the way that Javí held her reminded she didn't need to be that way with him. After all, Javíer didn't hold her to the kind of unattainable standards that she had lived under for most of her life. It was easy to forget that she didn't need to feel so ashamed of her weaknesses with him. "Can you -" Eve started to ask, but stopped herself in mid sentence. Not wanting to draw attention to just how messed up she was.

"What, baby?" Javí wouldn't let her pull away from him and sensed that she was about to open up. "Do you want some coffee or something?"

"Could you just rub the back of my neck, or maybe just rest your hand there?" Eve asked in a small voice. "Just for a minute. I don't even know if it will work." Javí was already rubbing small circles on the back of her neck with his thumb before she was even done explaining herself. Cupping her neck in his large hand and caressing her skin with his thumb. "I never feel scared when you do it. It's like my heart knows the difference or something."

"Anything, princesa." Javí vowed as he kissed the back of her head again, thankful that she was letting him comfort her. Soothing her healed something inside of him that he just couldn't seem to put into words.

In all of the excitement at work, it was easy for him to forget that she had been through something traumatic and was still healing. He wished that he had more time to help her through this.

In the past, Javí would have insisted that someone more qualified than himself would be better suited to support her. Anything to appease his conscience so he could stay focused on work. After all, he'd just end up fucking her up worse. That was what he had told himself when Helena was in the hospital after her attack and he couldn't bring himself to visit her. Best to leave her alone; it was the only proper way to make amends.

But looking back, Javíer couldn't stand the thought of Helena possibly forgiving him. Instead of apologizing and getting closure, Javíer had tortured himself with guilt and let his pain fuel his desire to take down Escobar. Not exactly the healthiest thing to do, but he was just doing what he could to survive back then.

Those kind of lies might have even worked where his new girlfriend was concerned. Eve always seemed so capable in and in control. Even when she was frazzled and on the verge of losing her mind, Javíer had every faith that she could handle anything she set her mind to.

Her strength made it tempting to convince himself that she was okay and didn't need him after her attack. But Javí's heart just wouldn't let him minimize Eve's needs. Javí was beginning to learn that he was only okay if she was. He'd really never felt this way before.

"Will these dreams ever go away?" Eve asked after Javíer had successfully replaced any of her lingering fears with the warmth of his touch.

"I hope so." Javí answered in a low voice. In a lot of ways his own nightmares had pretty much stopped now that Eve was in his life and in his bed. "I hate seeing you like this."

"Have you heard anything from the local police?" Eve inquired with a trace of hope in her voice. She couldn't help but wonder if all of this could be put behind her if the man responsible was behind bars. But she could feel Javí tense up against her, and she had her answer. "I mean with Gilberto's arrest, who knows? Their organization is in disarray. Maybe he'll panic and make a mistake soon."

"The Bogotá police know he's a personal priority of mine." Javí whispered, still frustrated that he had the asshole in his grasp. If the fucking Cali cartel hadn't scurrying him out of police custody before the break of dawn, maybe she'd feel safe right now. "I'm so sorry. I wish I had more to go on."

Javí had secretly hoped that the warrant Feistl and Van Ness had served on the accountant's office in Cali would give him something to go on. Something that could help find lower level scarios on their payroll once they were done investigating higher leaders. Unfortunately they weren't able to secure any of that evidence because Caldron was on the take, as well.

But thanks to Javíer's digging and ongoing curiosity, his local sources were able to get him a nickname. Cobra. Javí had never heard of him before. But it was such a lame ass alias that he nearly laughed and had to clarify with his source to make sure he had heard him right.

Something felt off, but Javí just couldn't put his finger on it. He moved to rubbing her shoulders and caressed down her back, lost in thought. Maybe his source with the Bogotá police wasn't being straight with him for some reason. Even though there was already so much going on, finding the man responsible for Eve's nightmares was something that Javí couldn't let go of.

What was the point of arresting men like Gilberto Rodriguez when their soldiers could still hurt the people closest to him and get away with it. If Murphy's old cat was considered DEA and thus off limits - Eve sure as hell qualified, as well. It was shockingly easy for Javí to rationalize away his desire for revenge for his girlfriend. It was only a matter of time before he found him. In the meantime, he'd do whatever he could to help her heal and feel whole again.

"It's not your fault, Javí." Eve hummed as he soothed her until he felt her finally relax against him. "You have a lot on your plate right now."

"That's a bit of an understatement. But it's not your fault either." Javíer reminded her in between soft kisses to the back of her neck. Rubbing his nose against her soft hair with a small hum. She smelled so good it made his mouth water.

"I just don't get it." Eve groaned as Javí continued to comfort her and make her feel safe. Showering her affection came as second nature at this point "Why can't my brain just finish the dream?"

"What do you mean?" Javí smiled as he embraced how adorable he found her when she was annoyed. He'd just have to admit that there wasn't a single side of her that he didn't completely enjoy.

"Well, I'm more or less replaying what happened." Eve tried to explain away her recurring dream as if logic would solve her problem. "I'm walking alone. Happy and clueless - like a big old dork."

"Shh." Javíer smiled as he halfheartedly tried to chide her as she turned over onto her back. The truth was, he both loved and hated how self deprecating she could be at times.

"Then I get grabbed." Eve continued up to the ceiling as if she hadn't heard him. "Screaming, fighting, sacred as hell, yadda yadda." Eve summarized the worst of her dream as Javí smiled against her temple before he kissed it. He always found himself amused with the way her mind worked. "But you were there that night. You showed up out of the blue and stopped him. You might as well have shown up on a white freakin' horse." Eve added and smiled when he wrapped his arm around her waist and tightened his hold on her. His way of letting her know that he would always be there; horse or no horse. "That night had a happy ending. Why can't I dream about that and just be done with it?"

"Maybe your mind is trying to be the one to end it in your dream because you weren't the one that ended that night." Javí wondered out loud.

"Oh, believe me, I tried to end it." Eve huffed as she turned over and curled up against his bare chest. "I fought back - I fought back hard...as pointless as it was. I was pretty pathetic, though. Almost like little Murph going up against Molly when the two of them horse around together. He's no match for her when his attendance at her tea parties is mandatory."

"I know you tried to fight back, baby." Javí softly assured her as he played with her hair and kissed the top of her head. He wished that he had more time to take her to the gun range and teach her how to defend herself properly. But with things possibly heating up at work, he had no idea when he'd have the opportunity. "That's not what I meant." Javí tried to explain. "You're so used to handling things and calling the shots."

"Great." Eve huffed. The last thing that she wanted was for Javí to see her as another ball buster like her mother. But before Colombia, Javíer's description of her wasn't that far off. Being a Senator's daughter could only open so many doors. Out of necessity, Eve had learned how to prove herself and hadn't been shy about stepping on a few chauvinistic toes in the process. "As if I wasn't already counting down the minutes until you get sick of me."

"Hey, that side of you is hot as hell." Javíer assured her with his voice rich like warm honey. "But all of that meant nothing in that alley. That asshole tried to take your power away and it's going to take awhile for you to feel comfortable in your skin again. Who knows how your brain is going to process something like that. Give it some time."

"My power? Are you saying you think I'm powerful?" Eve teased from his chest. Earning her another big squeeze from Javí.

"Yes, that's exactly what I'm saying, smartass." Javíer chuckled, letting his hand travel from her waist to her hip.

Eve knew what he was after because she was thinking the very same thing. Having your hot boyfriend spend the night in your bed was very convenient.

But when she looked up at him and licked her lips, Javí wasn't sure if he had ever seen anything as sexy as the look behind her blue eyes. It matched with something deep inside him in a way that he couldn't describe.

"You have no idea just how powerful you are, do you?" Javíer uttered with a trace of awe in his voice.

"Why don't you show me, baby." Eve purred as she let her hand travel down his chest and rested it on his lower belly. Only to have Javíer take her hand and place it on his hardening cock.

"I'll never get sick of you, princesa."Javíer sighed as he checked his watch and found that they had a few hours before the early morning strategy meeting with Vargas and the Colombian authorities. He wasn't looking forward to the scrutiny and couldn't think of a better way to clear his head.

Eve looked up at him as he crawled down her body and sat on his knees between her legs, taking the blankets with him and leaving her exposed to his hungry eyes.

"Where'd the one with the little stars go?" Javí asked as his large hands skimmed over her body, looking for more of her soft skin under her pajamas.

"I thought you didn't like those ones?" Eve teased, unable to take her eyes off the impressive size of his tented boxers. "Something about not being able to fuck me while I was dressed like a twelve year old...a respectable stance, actually." Eve winked to playfully make her point.

"They suited you." Javí uttered as he focused on getting her naked. Peeling off her grey polka dot shorts and tossing them on the ground for Muffins to play with as she did the same with her matching tank top. "Have I ever told you how soft your skin is?" Javíer praised, almost to himself as his large hands caressed her thighs.

"Must have slipped your mind." Eve grinned before she licked her lips and squirmed on the bed in anticipation. Javíer always seemed to know exactly what she needed. These moments when they were away from the world meant so much to her.

"So soft." Javí practically whispered as he ghosted his fingers over her breasts and down her tummy. Puffing out a soft laugh when she responded to his touch with a soft sigh. "Did...did I do this?" He asked when he found a few small bruises on her hip.

Before she could stop him, Javíer had positioned himself so he could take a better look at the thumb shaped marks that he had left on her skin. Cursing himself when he recalled how carried away he had gotten the day before in the records room. This had been the first time in years that he had been with the same woman long enough to witness the after effects of his blind passion and it didn't sit well with him.

"I'm sorry, princesa." Javíer muttered against her skin as he pressed his lips to each mark he could find.

"Doesn't hurt, baby." Eve insisted as she sat up on the bed and took his worried face into her hands. She hated the dark guilty look in his eye and instinctively wanted to protect him from his demons. "Stop. You are nothing like the man that tried to hurt me. Please, Jav. Stay here with me."

"I'm not going anywhere." Javíer vowed as he placed his hands over hers.

"I mean." Eve started to explain as she caressed his cheeks with her thumbs and felt the scratch of his unshaven face. "Stay here with me, don't dwell on bullshit, okay. You didn't hurt me, I just got you back...stay. Stay with me." Eve whispered over and over again against his lips. Kissing him softly until he kissed her back more passionately and lowered her back down onto her pillow.

Javíer realized that Eve didn't just want his body, she wanted him to be present with her. He had no idea how much that simple concept would mean to him as he kissed her back. Just when he thought he couldn't possibly love her more, Eve made him feel more loved and wanted than he had ever remembered feeling. And for all of the right reasons. He was not about to let her down.

Javíer got comfortable between her legs and Eve managed to push his boxers down his hips with the heel of her foot. Then Javíer eagerly finished the job and shoved them off the rest of the way. 

Feeling her hands on his skin feed the primal animal inside him. No