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BITTERSWEET
:: xxxii. | sour

Everyone was sat at the dinner table. Cole, Jonah, Vanessa, and Savannah. They were all having dinner at Vanessa's home. It was nice, at least everyone else thought so except for Cole. She never was too good at change and just seeing new faces sit where her dad sat or jj, she didn't necessarily like it all that much. She adores Jonah and Savannah but she knew it was something to get used to.

"Hopefully, I didn't botch the rice. I did slightly overcook it." Vanessa mentioned as she was cutting a piece of her steak.

"It's fine, mom." Cole nodded.

"She means it's amazing, Ms. Vanessa." Jonah brightly spoke with a smile.

"Thank you, Jonah." Vanessa returned the smile and Cole just rolled her eyes.

Just as the small conversation dimmed, the doorbell rang.

Cole immediately shot up, "I got it." She unlocked and pulled the door open and to her surprise, there stood her dad, abuelita, and Jennifer. "Mom!" She called out, not exactly knowing what to do.

Vanessa quickly made her way to the door after hearing Cole call for her. Once she saw the three, she told them to come in and that's when all hell kind of broke loose.

"We're not interrupting anything?" Jj questioned.

"Of course not agent, this is Miguel's house." Mabel sassed.

"Excuse me?" Vanessa scoffed, "Mabel this is my house. No one is leaving." She turned towards Savannah, "You two stay there while the rest of us talk. Same for you cole, go back to the table."

Cole annoyingly groaned as she headed back to the dining table while everyone else went up stairs to talk privately.

They all entered Vanessa's room before the door was shut closed by Miguel who walked in last.

Vanessa just stood there with her arms crossed, "What did Miguel do this time?"

Mabel shook her head, "Always accusing my son."

Vanessa glanced her way, "If you knew half the shit he's done, you wouldn't be saying that."

"Ma." He intervened. It didn't take much for him to get his mom to stop patronizing Vanessa.

Soon the two quieted down to let Jennifer talk. She filled Vanessa in on everything. The case, the possible frame, etc. The only part she left out was about Bethany which wasn't her truth to tell anyway but she hated Vanessa not knowing. Miguel isn't a murderer, allegedly, but that doesn't make what he did right.

• • •

Vanessa laid on her back on the bed with her hands over her face. Miguel being framed for murder? That's all she's been thinking for the past twenty minutes, completely forgetting about Jennifer, Mabel and Miguel who were just standing there.

Miguel sighed, "Me and my mom will be downstairs to leave y'all to talk."

As soon as the door was heard shut, Vanessa sat up chuckling.

"Fucking murder?"

"He's not being arrested." Jj began, "I strongly believe he's being framed and I just have to get my team to see that. This unsub is killing people around him, so —"

"Are we on that list?" Vanessa interrupted, "Me, Cole, Mabel?"

"I'm not sure. But I can guarantee you there will be cops 24/7 around the neighborhood till then." Jj tried to reassure Vanessa. As it fell silent in the room, jj winced a little. She felt him kicking a little, it had been happening a lot recently. She lightly placed her hand on stomach, "Henry's been kicking a lot recently. Do you want to feel?"

"No. Not really." Vanessa stood up and began to head out the room but jj gripped her arm, "There's nothing for you to say jennifer. You being here is already hard enough so could you just go?" Vanessa took her arm from jj's grip and then opened the door to head back downstairs.

Jj wasn't too far behind either. She said her goodbyes, Cole gave her a hug then Miguel oddly enough showed her back to her truck. It wasn't clear if he was just being a gentleman or some kind of weird motive because of what the team now knows.

He opened the driver's side for her, "Thanks for not telling her everything. I kind of want to do that."

Jennifer sighed as she seated, her hands now on the steering wheel, "You may not be a murderer but you're no different from a liar or cheater." Jennifer reached for the handle and slammed the door shut.

He quickly moved out the way and let her speed off with her leaving with the final word. He soon made his way back into the house where Savannah and her son were still sat at the table with Cole. He saw Vanessa now talking to them as his mom sat on the couch. He kept thinking how the next few weeks are going to be as long as ever.

• • •

Cole sat in her room bored as ever. It was nine at night and she felt this urge to get out, to go do something. So after hopping off the bed and slipping her shoes on, she ran down the stairs where she found her grandmother, mom, and dad. Savannah and Jonah had left awhile ago after dinner wrapped.

"Heading out!" Cole announced, heading to the front door.

Vanessa came from the kitchen, "I don't think it's a good idea, kid."

"Why not?" Cole turned to face her mom, "You guys always leave me out of the big picture. If it's serious, I should know about it too."

Vanessa glanced towards Miguel with a sigh then back at her daughter, "Fine."

So the three went to the kitchen and sat at the small table. Miguel started off with everything he knew and what's been going on. Soon Vanessa chimed in and filled in what Jennifer said.

Cole wish she could say she was surprised but she felt like it was happening all over again but the only difference was no one was kidnapped. She couldn't believe her dad was caught in the crossfire again and that her and her mom were just collateral damage yet again. It didn't matter what they did, there will always be something from Miguel's past biting them in the ass and Cole knew that. Which is why what happened next . . . she had to let it out.

Cole scooted the chair back and abruptly stood up, "This is all your fault! Each turn your past is always coming to bite us in the ass and this time's worse!"

"Cole, just calm down." Miguel spoke softly.

"Calm down?" Cole scoffed, "There's a killer on the loose! And you're in the middle of it! You know more people are going to die and I'm pretty sure it's going to end up being someone we know." Cole's voice softens, "So why don't you do us all a favor and stay away because wherever you are bad things happen."

"Cole — !"

"Let her go, Miguel. She needs time." Vanessa stay seated.

Miguel aggressively sighed, "I'm sorry. . for everything."

"I'm sure you are."

The room fell silent and that was Vanessa's cue to leave. Little did she know, there was something big waiting for her and Miguel wasn't ready for what's to come.

a/n:
A bunch of shit is
about to go down.