18 hours later, Jaiden was at his desk with his head pressed against the cool surface. The papers were starting to pile up and the numerous espresso shots were no longer helping.

"Fuck." Jaiden said quietly as he was reading through the report that he had read three times before. The case was a mess with no leads. It was only a matter of time before it caught the attention of the media.

An adored wife and mother who often volunteered for her community was murdered in her own home, mutilated, and posed as the Lady of Guadalupe.

The blood reports showed that while much of the blood was her own, the majority was lamb's blood. The autopsy revealed that she was drugged and rendered unconscious. However, she died of multiple stab wounds. The other wounds were inflicted after she passed, which made them somewhat grateful because at least she wasn't tortured to the extent they thought. But they confirmed that a knife was slashed across her eyes and the wound was so deep it etched into the orbital bone. A nail was pierced into her tongue. Her hands were cut off with a saw, but they have not been able to recover them from the crime scene.

They feared that this was a trophy for the killer. And if it was a trophy, then there was a high probability that the killer wasn't done. This may just be the beginning.

They had interviewed neighbors and her husband who was inconsolable. Jaiden ended up with their six-year-old son at his desk as he tried to comfort him.

The boy ended up falling asleep in his arms as he hummed the song that Toni was singing in the kitchen the day before.

He has been around his age when he lost his own biological mother and remembered how confused he was while his father was lost in mourning. When he lost his father at 14 years old, he was exhausted and angry. Then he completely fell apart when he lost Carlos.

Loss was unbearable no matter the age. All he could do was show a little kindness to the confused and lonely little boy.

At the same time, he kept fighting with his own emotions. He was struggling with his own memories and couldn't shake the sorrow that kept creeping up.

"What time is it?" Jaiden's voice was heavy. His migraine had fully taken over hours ago.

Toni looked at his watch. "3:00 in the morning.... I think it's time to call it a night."

"I'll grab a bunk here. My head is about to split down the middle."

Toni gave him a sympathetic look. "That bad?"

He rubbed his eyes and sighed. "Nothing that some darkness and Vicks can't cure."

Toni laughed. "Let me take you to my place. I have both of those things and I'm fairly close."

Jaiden was going to protest, but the thought was exhausting. Also, Toni's bed seemed more than tempting. "Deal."

They both were tired and stumbled out of the precinct, garnering looks of pity from the officers who had the early morning shift. Sometimes they did not envy a detective's life.

Jaiden knew his motorcycle would be fine at the precinct and decided to go with Toni in his car. Not that he could drive in this state anyway.

Toni drove to the familiar home and helped Jaiden out of the car. He held his hand as he led him through the house to the bedroom. Toni was gentle with his movements and helped Jaiden out of his holster and shoes. He then made Jaiden lay down on a bed while he stepped away from a moment.

He came back shortly and massaged some Vicks along his cheek bones and up to his temples. Jaiden gave an appreciative hum as he felt Toni's fingers running along his face coupled with the cooling sensation of eucalyptus and methanol.

When Toni was done, he helped Jaiden out of his jeans and shirt. He was so tired that he wasn't embarrassed and mumbled a "thank you".

The blankets were pulled over him and he felt the bed dip next to him. A pair of strong arms pulled him close and felt the warmth of Toni's body against his.

"Que duerma bien." Toni said quietly and both feel into a deep sleep.

•••••

Jaiden was outside, his eyes piercing into the darkness. There was a little chill in the air, and it made his hand ache a little against his gun. He didn't want to shuffle around too much because the wood beneath his feet was worn and easily creaked.

He waited for god knows what. But something inside of him kept urging at him to go inside, but he muted the internal voice. He listened to his orders instead; watch the door.

Bang! Bang!

The sound was enough to make him choke on the air. He kicked open the door and splintered the wood. He rushed into the large open sanctuary with scattered pews and burnt wood. There were no lights, but the roof was old with large portions missing so the moonlight streamed down and illuminated the area. The pale light played off the broken stained-glass windows, causing reds, blues, and greens to dance across the walls and floor.

His eyes were focused on the altar where one man was on the ground and the other was standing over him with a gun.

All colors around him faded away and all he could see the deep red that was pooling on the floor under the body. It puddled and seeped into the words that were carved into the altar's floor. Words he longed to forget. Words that glared at him that night and haunted him.

He knew he was yelling something because his throat burned, and the standing figure turned towards him. He couldn't make out most of the man's face because it was obscured by shadows. However, he could see the man's eerie grin cut through the darkness. Jaiden raised his gun, but so did the man.

Bang!

The man cracked and splintered like he was made of glass and then shattered. All that was left was the original body lying on the ground.

Jaiden ran towards the altar, but the floor started to give away beneath him. He felt himself sinking like he was walking through quicksand, unable to reach the altar.

Bloodied hands rose from the ground and grabbed onto his legs.

He needed to get to the altar.

He tried struggling, but it was fruitless. He grasped for something to hold on to, but his hands met nothing but air. The hands were unrelenting and continued to pull him down through the ground.

As he fell through the floor, he realized that he was no longer in the church. He was in dense red water with no end in sight. The hands had disappeared, but he was still sinking fast in the swallowing depths. He wanted to swim upwards, but his limbs were too heavy to move.

He let his body sink and watch the red around him to become darker until it was almost black.

Carlos' voice gently echoed in his mind like a whisper. "... my abuelo would tell me the stories of the Aztecs. There were four suns before the present one, each representing a cycle of creation and destruction, and we now live under the fifth sun... Every night, a war rages between the stars and the sun. But the great sun god beats back the stars and emerges victorious when it rises the next day..."

His laugh rumbled through the dark water. "Ignoring the need for human sacrifices, I find the story of the Five Suns fascinating."

"We see so much darkness in our line of work, so the sun gives me hope now. The sunset is the sun's promise that it will come back. The sunrise is its gratitude towards us for enduring the night without it. Now I strive to see tomorrow's sun."

"Is that why you call Valeria 'mi sol'?" His own voice echoed out.

Carlos laughed. "It is. She is my today and tomorrow. She brings me light."

He felt a hand on his back that pushed him upwards. "One day you'll understand."

His body suddenly rose through the red water at a rapid pace, and he broke through the surface to see a bright light.

•••••

Jaiden woke up when the sun was shining through the windows. His eyes took some time to focus, and he examined the place that he was in. He hadn't had a nightmare like that for a while. Normally he would wake up in a panic, but this was the first time he heard Carlos in his dreams, and it comforted him. He didn't realize how much he needed to hear him.

It was a conversation they had a long time ago when he was just starting out as a cop as they sat on the roof of his house and watched the sunset. He loved hearing the stories and myths about the sun that Carlos would ramble about, but Jaiden always appreciated the small pieces of advice he gave in every conversation.  

He lifted a hand and touched the tattoo of the sunstone on his chest. He always wanted to carry on Carlos' love for the sun, so after he passed, he commissioned this tattoo.

With the sun shining into the room, he knew he made it another day.

He was about to get up but felt a heavy arm resting on stomach. He looked to the side and found a shirtless Toni facing him, his arm embracing him. Jaiden felt his stomach tighten seeing him so close. He didn't have his normal smirk, and his face looked peaceful.

He smiled a little as he remembered Toni's kindness and gentleness while helping him to bed. Although it wasn't the ideal situation, he felt a warmth bubbling inside of him knowing that he was waking up with Toni.

He almost ruined this.

His eyes wandered down from his face and noticed the tattoos on his body that were normally hidden by his jacket. His eyes fell on a few scars on his shoulder. He wondered what happened and if these wounds were the reason he was on leave. However, there was just some things you do not ask people like them. They had seen too much. Perhaps one day they would swap stories about their scars.

He tore his eyes away from the sleeping figure. He was far too comfortable lying next to Toni. He wanted to be selfish and stay next to him for a little while longer.

He stared at the ceiling, trying to focus on the case, but his mind was still a jumbled mess. He was decided to meditate on the deep breaths next to him.

He failed miserably with his rules, but he was not in a place to complain.

He draped an arm over his eyes and chuckled softly. He just met Toni, but something about him seems to have broken down the walls he built. He was drawn to him like no one else and he sparked something inside of him. Toni was pure electricity.

Suddenly the arm around him tightened and he was pulled flushed against Toni's chest. Toni's face much too close to his to be able to keep his calm. He only needed to lean in just a little to close the gap between their lips.

"Toni?" Jaiden asked hesitantly.

Toni hummed a little. "Buenas dias." His fingers were brushing his back.

Jaiden shuddered a little. "Good morning."

Toni smiled but his eyes were still heavy with sleep.

Jaiden bit his lip with some hesitation but decided to let go of his inhibitions. He took advantage of their position and slipped a hand around the back of Toni's neck and closed the gap between the two of them. He pressed his lips against Toni's.

Toni's arms tightened around Jaiden and flipped him, so he was lying flat on his back while Toni was hovering over him. He didn't separate from the kiss and only deepened it.

Toni then let his lips trail down to the crook of Jaiden's neck and nipped at the curvatures of his body. He paused at the tattoo on his chest and his fingers traced the design lightly.

Toni ducked his head down and ran his lips around the design, making Jaiden suck in a trembling breath. Toni then found his way back to his lips with a smile.

"That's one hell of a way to wake up." Toni said with was chuckle.

Jaiden could help but to agree.  Toni's lips were better than any cup of coffee he had ever tasted.