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Dani Rojas pushed through the dense foliage of palm trees and blue flowers surrounding the trails in search of the one and only queen of Libertad, Clara Garcia. She didn’t have the time or energy to bury Lita on the beach, she just needed to find this woman and disappear from Castillo’s personal playground. Dani toyed with the blue bandana in her pocket as she paused in the path when she heard the cocking of a gun behind her.
“Gonna show your face before you shoot me?” Dani tilted her head to the side while she instinctively raised her hands before turning around. Dani yanked the blue fabric out of her pocket when she came face to face with a possible guerrilla. “I’m Dani. A friend of Lita—” Rojas saw the stranger slightly lower his gun as his eyes flicked toward bandana in Dani’s hand.
The stranger held up a bag as a sharp command tumbled from his mouth, “Silencio.”
+
As Dani was directed forward onto her knees, she heard a feminine voice through the bag over her head.
“You are the only survivor?”
As the containment was lifted, she let the early evening light stream into her eyes first before she looked at the woman in front of her. Dani was shell-shocked at the beauty of this her. She thought of her as the most ethereal person to have ever lived as Clara sat perched on the crates with one leg atop them, gun between her legs. She had a bloody bandage over her thigh – probably from a bullet wound, while most of her clothing was in a shade of blue. Behind the leader was the infamous flag of the revolution – Libertad.
“Answer me.” Clara’s commanding tone slipped into her voice, “I said: are you the only survivor?”
Dani regained her composure before letting out a little affirmation. She heard the guerrilla from earlier call her lucky and made her remember why she was here in the first place. Lita’s voice echoed through her head, calling her ‘the lucky one’ over and over again.
Clara looked to the man and continued as if Dani blended into the background, “Lita knew the risks.”
The survivor made the connections in her head, the person who took found her must be Julio, Lita’s special friend. Dani felt an all-consuming anger when she recalled what Clara said. How could Clara just pretend that Lita was just another number like Dani. How could Clara only think of her as just another guerrilla. How did she think she could be replaced so easily.
“That’s all you have to say?” Clara just brushed her off.
“You’re here. That’s all that matters.”
Dani’s rage grew inside her, “Just a second hermana! I’m getting the hell out of Yara!”
Clara breathed out a low chuckle, “But you’re in my camp.”
“I need a place to stay. Just for a few days.”
“Libertad is no charity, hermana.”
“Lita said that you would help—”
Clara fired back, “Lita also said you weren’t a pussy—”
“Comemierda.” In her peripheral, Dani saw Julio point his gun at her where she easily disarmed him, pointing the rifle straight at Clara.
The woman never broke eye contact with Dani as she rose to her full size, watching to make sure she didn’t put too much pressure on her injured leg.
“You’re an orphan, si?” Clara paused as she took confident steps toward Dani. “Funny how friends can be closer than family. Remember Dani, Castillo has kept you an orphan.” Dani faltered for a second as Clara lowered the barrel of her gun. “Why do you want to run?”
“I watched Castillo order a whole boat of our people shot to death.” Clara nodded her head in understanding as she started to walk past Dani. “Get as far away as you can from that psychopath. All of you.”
The surrounding guerrillas laughed as Clara gestured wide with her arms, “When tyranny is law, revolution is order.”
The tension started to rise between them as Clara basically came full circle and stood in front of Dani, “Quoting Bolivar won’t save you.”
“It’s Pedro Albizu.”
Dani decided to have the tiniest of fun with this, despite the situation. “You gonna save Yara with library cards?”
“I have a list.” Clara stepped toward Dani, reefing the gun from her grasp. “Free elections. Free expression. Free the outcasts. A Yara free of Castillos. Simple.”
Clara placed the gun on the table next to her maps when Dani all but scoffed, walking up beside her. “Simple? Castillo’s got like what? Three hundred thousand troops? I count six burnt out guerrillas and you with a bullet to the leg.”
“You don’t believe me? I’ll show you.” Clara looked to across to Dani with a slightly raised eyebrow before turning the map toward her. Clara explained everything that needed to happen on Isla Santuario for Dani to help Libertad and earn a boat to get out of Yara.
“I’ll give you food. A bed. Even a goddamn boat to sail to the Yanquis, but its gonna cost you bullets and blood.” Clara pressed the newly folded map into Dani’s chest. “Settle in and tell me when you want to pay your rent.”
Clara threw Dani a rifle before turning back to the table.
+
Dani was strapping the supremo to her back when she noticed the group in the centre of the camp. From the distance, Dani could make out the conversation between them and the fisherman.
“So, you want us to take down Anton’s ships. We’re goddamn fishermen!”
As Dani strode over to the group she heard Julio calmly respond, “Then leave us to die again compay.”
Silence gripped them all for a minute when Clara tore the flare from Julio’s hand with a frown on her face. The leader pulled the cap from it and tossed it to the ground.
“The fuck are you doing?” Behind Dani’s slight panic she came to the realization that no matter how stupid Clara’s actions could be, she would follow the woman anywhere. The leader looked Dani straight (lmao wink wink) in the eye before tossing her a flare.
“Try it. It’s fun.”
“What’s the plan Jefa? For Anton to see us from the fucking capital?!” Juan spoke up with alarm in his voice.
“Yes.”
“Well, it’s working.” Juan cast his eyes downward as he smoked his cigar.
“You’ve got 20 minutes until Anton’s forces come. So, you better start running.” When no one moved Clara spoke a little louder, “Go.” Again, everyone stayed still. “I said run!” Clara waved the flare at Juan. “Rules of the guerrilla, Juan Cortez. A revolution is not won by the fearless.” She paused, prompting Juan to continue.
The man stood up, cigar in hand, “It is won by the feared.”
“What does Anton fear?” Clara looked around the group before repeating her list from before. “Free elections. Free expression. Free outcasts. A Yara free of Castillos.” She walked around the group heading back to her original place. “But he will fear nothing unless you are willing to die for your freedom today.”
Dani zoned out of the speech, focusing on the woman herself. The way her eyebrows furrowed in concentration as she gave hope to the guerrillas. The way her nostrils flared in anger for the passion of her speech, with her nose ring glinting in the sun. The way she had all of the guerrillas – Dani included – falling at her feet. Specifically for Dani, it was the way she dominated everyone. Clara screamed with all her passion, pointing the flare toward the ocean.
“Because today I am going to punch a hole through Castillo’s war ships!”
The woman calmed down before turning to her warriors, “I am not fearless. I am scared as hell, but I promise you one thing. I will be feared.” She stopped, handing the flare to the fisherman beside her.
Everyone lit their flares and flung them into the centre with Clara’s while chanting Viva Libertad.
Clara walked backwards toward the stairs. “Let’s go home, guerrillas.”
Home…Maybe America wasn’t meant to be Dani’s home…Maybe she belonged here fighting with Libertad…With Clara.
Dani only had to question Clara’s mentor to be sure.
“Does she know what she’s doing?” She asked Juan.
“Who cares Dani. She knows what we need.” Juan patted Dani on the shoulder before walking past her. “See you from the sky guerrilla.”
+
The boat ride back to Libertad’s Headquarters had Dani blushing and laughing the whole time like a teenage boy and it continued even when Dani questioned Clara about the guerrillas that joined Libertad.
When Clara got serious for a second by saying, “Everyone who follows me, who joins Libertad, chooses this.” She then went back to the lightness of the conversation adding, “But you know, I can really see you stocking shelves in one of those giant Yanqui supermarkets.”
Dani let out a near full-bellied laugh before responding with “Fuck you!”
“No, no. I just think that you’d look good in a little uniform, name tag, maybe a fancy apron.”
The guerrilla preened at the thought of Clara possibly fantasizing about her before she let out a sigh. “Keep me out of your fantasies Clara.” She thought it would be safer for everyone with that not really solid or real boundary.
+
When they got back to Clara’s command centre, Clara kept her promise. The boat may have looked old and like it could sink at any moment, but the leader still got Dani her ride to the America.
“You wanted a boat; you got a boat.” Clara said as she gestured to the chunk of wood behind her.
“It’s a beautiful piece of shit.” Juan turned to Dani, “It’ll get you to a Yanqui beach. One with the naked fatties.” Juan’s tone may have been light with a hint of amusement in his voice, but Dani was still unsure.
“You two are just gonna let me leave? Bullshit.” Dani looked between the two of them.
“You could have sold us out a long time ago.” Clara halted and took a step toward Dani, “You’re my best guerrilla.” Dani’s head tilted downward as a blush covered her cheeks. “I can’t promise you victory. I can’t even promise you survival. What I can promise you is this.” Dani took the offered bandana that Lita had given her from Clara’s hand. She felt the spark of heat surge between both of their hands when Dani’s fingers met Clara’s palm and again when Clara placed her hand on Dani’s shoulder. “You’re the lucky one.”
Once Clara and Juan left to go to their respective places on the small island, Dani was left alone to make her important decision. Dani could either take the boat and go to America where she could be freer than what she would be in Yara, ultimately leaving Libertad to fend for themselves without her help. Her other choice was to stay and fight with Clara and join the revolution. Dani felt herself venturing toward that option more with the thought of Clara. Yara was their country and Dani needed to fight for it.
+
Clara marked everything Dani needed to know – people wise – like where to go, who she wanted Dani to convince to join Libertad, who Anton’s highest people were in each province.
After the guerrilla set out to start the journey of liberating Yara, Juan stopped her path to the boat. Dani wasn’t really shocked to find out that Clara was born from a rich family when Juan told her – not that Dani had a problem with it. Clara was a nice person when her guards weren’t up, and she wanted to help free Yara from the dictator. That was enough reason for Dani not to hate her.
“It’s fun.”
Dani and Juan clinked their respective glasses together before Juan turned to talk away.
“Don’t worry. Your secret is safe with me.”
If Dani’s shock was evident on her face, Juan didn’t mention anything. She turned to face the sun taking a drink with a blush on her face thinking about the possible secret that Juan knows but Dani only semi figured out. Clara.
+
Madrugada kicked off Dani’s journey as she thought her best bet was to hit the viviro plants to help the farmers. She took FND bases – with Clara’s help of course, military stashes and checkpoints. She started to bond with Philly and Espada in an unusual way but bonded at least.
Dani tried to go full throttle to get the Monteros to join Libertad ASAP, so she could move on, but that eventually ended with her passing out from the exhaustion of it all and waking up back on Zamok Archipielago with a note by her bedside. Dani stretched her body and squinted from the warm glow of the lamp to read the message:
Dani.
Camila gave me a call when you disappeared. Juan got intel that some guerrillas found you near one of the recently claimed checkpoints, passed out in the middle of a field. Philly wanted you to stay in Madrugada at the Montero camp, but I didn’t think it was safe enough there. They all eventually decided for you to stay here a few days to take a break – before you go and fight against it Espada said that she could handle things while you’re gone.
You can come find me at my usual spot ;).
-Clara
P.S. the only work you will be doing is keeping me company and maybe helping me decide new tactics for Libertad.
Dani blushed at Clara’s use of the wink face but ultimately knew deep down that she deserved this break from fighting. The fighter set the note back down on the bedside table before she made her way out of the small room and faced the outside world.
Clara heard the movement of sand behind her and knew exactly who it was. She had a knowing smirk on her face before she turned around.
“How’s it going superstar?”
The leader absorbed her guerrilla’s image. The way her shoulders were hunched, the slight droopiness of her eyes, the light drag of her feet below her. Why hadn’t anyone given Dani a break beforehand? It was obvious that she needed it. She saw Dani shoot her a tired smile before she responded.
“How long was I out?” Ah, Clara thought, answering a question with another question, classic diversion.
Clara sighed as she sat down on the bench near her infamous table, “You’ve been out for around 10 hours but don’t change the subject Dani.”
She patted the space beside her as a silent invitation. The guerrilla hobbled over to Clara before she maneuvered herself to sit beside her.
“To tell you the truth Clara, I’m in so much pain. My head feels like it’s about to explode and all of my joints have been on fire for weeks.”
Dani winced as she felt a sharp twinge in her back when she moved. Dani looked over to Clara where she found glassy eyes staring back at her.
Clara swallowed the lump in her throat before she rushed out an apology. “I-I I’m so sorry Dani. I never meant for you to be going at the revolution this hard. I just got excited at having such an amazing soldier that I forgot that you’re still a human like me, and a person that has needs just like me. I’m so sorry Dani.”
Dani reached out a hand to brush the falling tears away from Clara’s face, where she felt goosebumps rise under her fingertips. Clara’s eyes snapped up to meet Dani’s in shock but softened almost immediately as she found the comfort within them instead of the resentment she was expecting.
“Clara,” Dani whispered. “It’s not your fault that my ass got too exhausted, and I just knocked myself out in the middle of butt fuck nowhere. I am my own responsibility not yours, you already have enough on your plate with Libertad and being our jefa.” Dani’s hand pushed the stray hairs that fell from Clara’s braids away. “It wasn’t your fault at all.”
Clara sniffled before she wiped her eyes, stood up and held her hand out to the guerrilla.
“I believe you took my bed, and I am exhausted, and you are not allowed to do any gun fighting for two days, so…. We’re going to bed.”
Dani’s eyes filled with curiosity as she took Clara’s outstretched hand and stood as best she could. Both women were blushing as their joined hands led the way back to Clara’s quarters.
+
Rojas went gallivanting all over the country, following the treasure hunts to find the relics which would eventually lead her to this mysterious protector that could somehow help. When she returned to the cave on Isla Santuario to have a showdown with the ghost cat Oluso, Dani recruited her as one of her amigos to fight with Libertad. Before she left the familiar island again though, she returned to the camp where she first met Clara to reminisce the memories they made there – mainly their first meeting though.
As Dani explored the camp she found several notes written by Clara that were scattered around the place. One note in particular caught Dani’s attention, it was her list. Her second principle – Free expression. Her added words read: Practice your faith, live your life, and love fearlessly. Curious Dani thought. Clara’s choice of words was very similar to those that influencers used to inspire hope in the young LGBTQ kids.
+
When Clara called, Dani dropped everything right away to go find Libertad’s safehouse in the Capitolio. She found the hideout easy enough in Esperanza, right in the open off the side of the street. Her nerves only started settling in when she walked up the steps and heard the gradual rising of Juan’s voice as he explained the plan to Clara.
“We create a ring of fire hotter than the devil’s asshole.”
“Which means?” Clara remained serious against Juan’s enjoyment of the mission. It didn’t affect him though.
“Castillo’s forces can’t get out, and reinforcements can’t get in. With Dani right in the middle.”
When Dani reached the top of the stairs she let her mind roam as Clara perched herself on top of the table. She imagined her hands scanning every part of the other woman’s body as she writhed on the table below her, obviously Juan wouldn’t be there though.
“Hey Dani. DANI!” Juan’s voice startled her out of her dirty place. She had a president to kill, not a Clara Garcia to pin to the table and fuck. Juan jumped around in excitement with his arms wide, “Look at that sexy supremo!”
Dani raised her brows in shock and looked to Clara for confirmation. “You want me to kill Anton Castillo? Today?”
Clara smirked before she leapt from the table and strode past Dani. “Anton is giving his annual Independence Day speech at the Hotel Paraiso. Live. Juan has intel on the exact location of his security detail.”
“One in a million opportunity! We’re gonna cut the head off the snake and make boots from his skin.”
“Mierda.” Dani turned to face Clara with her brow pinched in confusion and determination. “And you’re good with this?”
“Kill a dictator who has raped our land and turned our people into slaves? Thinking about it. What about you?”
“Well, I’ve never killed a president before.”
The hint of amusement in Clara’s eyes made Dani get lost in them. The back-and-forth banter was only meant for their ears. It was like Juan was never even there, until he inserted himself in the conversation.
“It’s an assassination Dani! It’s guerrilla meth!” He took the break to smell his armpits. “Christ I need a shower. And you need this.” Juan gave Dani a bomb titled ‘el boom de Juan’ before he grabbed her wrist. “You’re gonna be a fucking guerrilla legend! I’ll call you!” Dani watched him walk away as he burst out laughing.
“He’s way too excited.” Clara turned to Dani.
“He’s right. Kill Castillo and Libertad will rise in the chaos. And after that, who knows?”
Dani mirrored Clara’s smirk. “Who knows.”
“Go put that comemierda down.”
“Viva Libertad.”
+
Who knows? Who Knows? Who knew that two simple words could take over a large portion of Dani’s brain? Since their time together, Clara was all Dani could think about – well besides the revolution. The rest of Madrugada came easy to free. Dani continued as if she never took those few days off to relax with Clara, only stopping again to run into Clara’s arms at her HQ when Carlos died. Their bond only grew stronger and stronger as they slowly freed Madrugada from the toxicity that was Jose by killing him.
+
Dani went in order of province from Madrugada onto Valle De Oro. After she became acquainted with the voice of the revolution – Maximas Matanzas, the fight to pull the reins from Maria’s grip started.
When Talia asked Dani to meet her at the old zoo, the guerrilla didn’t think much of it. Just another mission she thought. It turned out slightly crazier when Talia wanted her to break into the zoo and free the Yarans that were held as prisoners there.
Dani took the stealthy route due to the number of alarms that were scattered around the place. She crouch-walked her way through the walkways of the zoo and freed all the prisoners that were still alive and either sent Oluso to take the soldados down or took them out herself. When she called Talia to inform her of the small victory, she was only half surprised to find that the woman wanted her to do even more by downloading the footage from the security cameras to expose what Castillo was doing. No matter what Dani did to get to the security room quietly, there was always another soldado that saw her that she needed to deal with instantly.
After yet another gun fight, the footage was downloaded and found all at Talia’s fingertips. Dani’s brain short circuited when she was on the phone with Talia and the latter praised her for everything, she did in the zoo by saying,
“Now I see why Clara likes you.”
Dani was stunned for a moment at the thought of Clara liking her, even though she knew it wasn’t in the way she wanted to be liked.
+
The most fun Dani had in her whole time with Maximas was the chaotic concert that they held at Maria’s house. Matanzas made kickass music, but it was so much crazier with soldados, trucks and tanks coming toward the venue trying to stop them. The chaos died down when Talia and Paolo had their weird break-up fight thing while Paz and Dani were left awkwardly standing on the rooftop stage. After the revolutionist left the house, she got a call from Clara.
“I saw the broadcast go dark. What happened? Are you ok?” Pure worry poured into Clara’s voice. It made Dani’s heart twinge as she felt the undying hope that Clara might feel the same that the former felt for her.
Clara heard Dani sigh on the other end of the phone where she only got a short response. “I don’t know, I think I’m ok.”
“Just know that I trust you, Dani. Whatever you do, I trust you.”
Neither knew that on both ends of the phone, both women were internally dying from their raw connection to each other – not that the other knew about it.
+
Dani followed the guerrilla paths and found several workbenches and small hideouts everywhere. Most of them had a way of projecting Clara’s video that was of a hope speech. Rojas rarely heard the speech, she just paid attention to Clara’s face and the way her voice sounded, not what she said. It was almost a grounding force for her as she restocked and customised her weapons, ready for battle.
She was there doing her usual thing when she caught onto what Clara was saying for once.
“…where we can all be equal. No matter your race, gender or sexuality. Join Libertad.”
All this sexuality talks really spread butterflies throughout Dani’s chest.
+
It was semi unintentional that they killed Maria but to be fair, she was being a massive transphobe towards Paolo so of course his girlfriend was going to react. Everywhere else though was a fucking party. Everyone was celebrating Marquessa’s death and eventually Dani joined in the celebrations, with Clara though, not Maximas.
Clara swished the beer around the bottle in her hand when Dani sat next to her.
“Castillo might even surrender now that Maria is gone.”
Dani cackled as she looked to her side, “You’re dreaming Clara.”
“Fuck yeah I am!”
“Well, I’ll drink to that mi reina.”
Clara burst out laughing at the term of endearment, “Mi reina? Really Dani? I didn’t crown myself the queen of Libertad you know?” Her face immediately sobered up as she thought of the memory of how she got named ‘queen’ “It was what Talia started calling me when our relationship went south, and I started Libertad.”
“She may have used it as an insult, Clara, but I’m using it because you are my queen. You are the one that saved me from making a terrible mistake, you saved me from myself.” Dani stood and waited in front of Clara with a hand extended to her. “Care to join me on the floor mi reina?”
Clara laughed at Dani’s antics but snapped her mouth shut at the ever-intense look that the other woman gave her as she waited for an answer. Clara stumbled around her affirmation as she stood and wiped her hands on her pants before she took Dani’s hand. As they walked to the dance floor, Clara’s alcohol induced blush darkened as she thought back some weeks ago when the roles were reversed, and she was taking Dani to her bed for some well needed rest.
The night was starting to wind down when they made it to the ‘dance floor’ – the free part of the sandy island that had speakers set up near it. Everywhere guerrillas were slowly swaying with others as their exhaustion enabled them to only do that. Dani and Clara followed suit as they stayed close together which gave the latter the opportunity to lay her head on Dani’s shoulder.
For the rest of that evening the women swayed and laughed at each other’s jokes and just spent time absorbing each other because that’s what friends did right? Neither woman questioned their relationship, too scared to poke the concrete bubble that they formed and fortified during their time together. Deep down they both knew that the things they did, you don’t usually do with your friends. Your best friend maybe, but never with someone that you had only known for a couple of months.
+
Paz sent Dani off to rescue Paolo – in which she didn’t have to argue with him because she wanted her friend back just as much as Paz did.
The mission went a bit rockier than Dani had hoped for. After she managed to fight her way into the airport to beat Paolo’s location out of Bembe, she left him bleeding on the floor with a broken nose and a few other injuries. Dani explored two of the possible locations until she came to the third and heard Paolo screaming inside a room. After that she just saw black.
When Dani got through her painful confrontation with El Doctor while Paolo had to watch on helplessly, she wandered back into unconsciousness again. When she woke again, it was to all the action in the room when Clara and Talia surged through the door. Talia went straight to Paolo’s aid and freed him while Clara went straight to Dani and cut her free from the cable ties that bound her to the table.
Even though Dani was still kind of out of it she couldn’t help but pick up on Clara’s obvious aggressiveness when she did anything in the escape. Her aggressiveness in shooting soldados, when she aggressively turned the car on or just her infuriated facial expression the whole time. Dani also picked up on the complete care that Clara took with her. Like when they were trying to escape in a car, Clara may have been completely pissed off, but she was so soft and gentle with Dani as she helped her into the passenger seat.
Dani didn’t remember much after that though. She had a foggy memory of screaming halfway to the clinic where Matias was, Clara putting her foot to the floor to get there as fast as she could to save her from whatever El Doctor put inside her, finally getting there but Matias being preoccupied with saving Talia, so Dani cut the phone out of her herself, and then Clara screaming as Dani fainted from the pain and blood loss.
When she eventually came to, she didn’t even bother moving much. She just looked down at the pressure near her leg and arm to find Clara fast asleep with her hand clutching Dani’s tightly and head resting next to it.
+
Since Dani recovered quickly and sped off to find antibiotics for Talia and run other errands, she hadn’t had any time to talk to Clara and thank her for everything she had done to try and save Dani.
She finally got the chance after they killed El Doctor and Paolo joined the fight against Castillo, which then brought all of Valle De Oro together.
Dani decided she would follow Clara back to her command centre so she could talk to her and spend some more time with her. The boat ride to the island was silent most of the way, neither knowing where to start with their conversation but also finding the small amount of comfort the silence brought them.
“You know, Talia taught me a lot about myself. Good and bad. She changed my life.” Clara whispered so she didn’t break the peaceful spell that they both cast over the boat.
Dani continued to look out to the water when she responded without really thinking. “She seems pretty important to you because you talk about her a lot. Were you two?” She prompted not really knowing how to finish that question.
Clara glanced at Dani before she refocused her eyes on where she was going. “Yeah, at one point. It was before Libertad. We led protests against Castillo together and got to know each other so well.” Clara paused as she thought about how her, and Dani were in the same situation. “She had the idea for Libertad actually, I was just the one that brought it to life. She didn’t want that life though, she didn’t want to come out and basically be the fist of the revolution, so she left. She then met Paolo when he was just starting to transition and I must admit, I was a little jealous. But then Libertad became my main focus and taking Castillo down, so it gave me a chance to get over it, over her.”
Dani had to admit that she had an inkling that Clara liked women but didn’t think it was real because her gay brain wouldn’t let that happen. It was oh so real now. All she could respond with was oh.
The ride continued in silence until Dani broke it that time by thanking Clara for saving her and promising to make it up to her by having drinks at the island before Dani moved on to meet the Legends.
+
When Dani moved to the east to loosen El Este from Benitez and that Yanqui fucker McKay, she was not expecting the full-on obstacle course it took to find the damn camp that the legends were hiding in.
To say that the legends weren’t happy to see Dani was a semi-understatement. El Tigre was, he was the most excited, but Lucky Mama and Lorenzo wanted nothing to do with the new revolution despite what was at stake.
Dani felt hopeless for a minute when El Tigre called her brave and said that Clara told him a lot about her. She wondered what exactly she said about her and if it was good or bad.
The fighter didn’t let herself think on it for too long and she let herself roll back into the flow of trying to convince the legends to join Libertad while also dealing with the youngsters of La Moral.
+
They managed to find a way to kill the Admiral by storming her fortress on her island. Dani might have had way too much fun with the fight into the place, but she still managed to kill Benitez none the less.
Jonron and Dani were walking to find this mysterious grill on La Moral’s Island after the youngsters invited Dani to their ‘end of Benitez party’. Neither prompted conversation for a few seconds until Jonron broke the silence.
“You know, Yelena likes you. We all like you. You should be joining La Moral.”
“I’m good with Libertad, Jonron. You might think she’s all talk, but Clara Garcia picked me up when I had nothing. Nobody. I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for her.”
Dani spoke with so much honesty that her heart broke a little inside. Clara was indeed the one that saved Dani from everything.
Everything else just blended from there. All Dani remembered was going back to Clara when they lost good guerrillas at the hotel and nearly lost Jonron and El Tigre. Dani managed to save them before they got taken by the poison. Sure, they were still hacking up their lungs in a hospital bed, but they were alive! Two important people that Dani didn’t have to lose in this war.
+
A ball of nerves settled in Dani’s stomach as she wandered through her old orphanage in search of Clara. Once she found her upstairs on the balcony, she saw her staring off into the void.
“Clara.” She whispered as to not startle the woman. ”Clara. You wanna tell me why you dragged me back to my old orphanage?”
Clara smiled before she turned to face the city. “He’s losing, Dani. And soon as we march on the Capitolio. And now…Castillo wants to meet.”
“You’re joking right.” Dani couldn’t believe her ears.
“I want to know what you think. You’ve been face to face.” Clara’s steely gaze turned soft when she saw concern in Dani’s.
“I think Castillo’s always two steps ahead. And he’s not going to stop until we put a bullet in his skull.”
“And then what? We kill his kid too?” Dani had to turn away from Clara as she came closer, “You had your chance, why didn’t you do it?” Clara turned to lean on the railing as she waved her gun around, “Juan had solid intel that there was a Castillo up in that hotel. He just had the wrong one. You let this kid live and then Castillo lets you walk away from a death sentence.”
Clara smiled as Dani stayed silent beside her. “But the thing is Dani, you were right. If Yara is going to have a future, his people, and our people, we need to co-exist.” She shot off the railing to face Dani with her gun extended toward her. “And the point was never to kill Castillo. It was to free Yara, for all of us.”
Dani felt the same heat shoot up her arm as it did months ago when Clara gave her the familiar blue fabric at her command centre. There, she was left with the weight of a pistol with her favourite last name on it, the one that belonged to the woman she loved.
“We can’t kill the kid Clara.” Clara stopped aways from her and prompted Dani to continue. “I looked into Diego’s eyes that day at the hotel. He is completely innocent. He just wants to take care of his father while there’s still time left. We need to save him.”
The leader turned to face Dani, “I won’t kill the kid, I promise. Viva Libertad Dani.”
And with that, she disappeared for the night.
+
Soon Dani liberated all three parts of Yara to fight against Castillo – La Moral included. In the end, Dani made the call to kill McKay and took his tie as a trophy. Everything felt easy as they started to make a plan to kill Castillo. It was easy until Juan’s panicked voice came through the phone asking Dani to come to the statue in the city.
Her body ran cold as Juan told her of Clara’s utter stupidity. “He took her Dani! He fucking took her!”
“Clara.” Dani whimpered out. She paid no attention to Juan checking everything in his rifle case, her mind was completely on Clara. She was going to put that comemierda in the ground if he even touched a single hair on Clara’s head, or even just for taking her.
“Castillo wanted parlay, just the two of them. Said the war was over. Libertad had won. He just wanted an elegant exit. Played right into her fucking id. Castillo’s dogs smashed our convoy the moment we hit the coast.”
Dani felt like she was drowning underwater in her rage but just mindlessly followed her mentor. “Juan… We need to get her back. I need her.”
“Don’t worry Dani, she’ll be with us soon. We’re going to invade that hijo de putas private island.”
Dani changed into the elephant’s uniform before she set off with Juan to find her heart. The easy part was done when Dani made it through the front gates and into the main part, next was trying to get into the house while also remaining hidden. Dani took out a few soldiers as she snuck through the house and made it to the dining room.
When she once thought that she was regaining the feeling inside her body by sneaking through the island, she was so wrong. Dani sunk back down under the waves of terror when she found Clara sat at the table with a gun held to her head.
“Stop staring. Sit.” Dani barely heard anything; her mind was fully on the image of her most important person on the verge of death.
“Dani. Sit down.” She stared at Clara’s enigmatic face as she followed her order, putting her gun on the ground while Anton mirrored her.
“My mother had a rule – ‘no lies at my table.’ And so, no lies for you.” He paused to chew his food, “I have acute leukemia. I was diagnosed 13 years ago. But there was a doctor. And he promised what we are all so desperate for.” In Dani’s peripheral she saw Clara turn to look at her for a minute. “Time. But it wasn’t enough, was it Diego?”
Dani zoned out when they were discussing the introduction of Diego to the world, her ‘condolences’ came out sharper when Anton rounded the table to aim the barrel of his gun at Clara again.
“No lies at my table! I will be gone, but he, he will see the vision through.” He sat down in his seat again as if nothing happened, and they had been calmly sitting at the table enjoying dinner this whole time.
“Truth or lies.”
Anton smiled down the table to Diego, “Always truth.”
Clara let some of her fury out, “You are a fucking monster.”
“Ah, I think that was truth.”
Juan’s voice came through Dani’s comms, “Dani… Watch my little firefly dance.” Dani briefly glanced down and watched the red LED from Juan’s sniper fly around her thigh before her head snapped up again at the snake mentioning Clara’s name.
“You know when I captured Clara, I thought I had won. But it took watching you to show me what was right before my eyes. I see the way you command the guerrillas of Libertad. I see how you inspire as much hope in them as Clara does. You are legend. You will become my hope now.”
Dani smirked before it turned into a frown. “You’re kidding right?”
“I told you to leave Dani. It was safer for everyone if you just left. This is your fault.” Diego made his presence known again beside Dani.
“I see how you are with her. I see how you look at her. How you would do anything for her. How you have gone further than any other guerrilla to please her. Do you have a truth to share with the table Dani Rojas?”
The fighter’s eyes grew wide as being called out, “I-I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“NO LIES AT MY TABLE!”
“Dani, what is he talking about?” Clara ignored the fact that Anton’s gun pointed at her was the threat to end her life, she just looked at Dani with the softest eyes the guerrilla had ever seen.
Dani opened and closed her mouth a few times and swallowed the lump in her throat. “I didn’t want it to be like this Clara. I was happy being one of your best fighters. I was happy fighting alongside you. But my mind and body keep wanting more though, it keeps wanting you.” Dani kept all the things that she only meant for Clara’s ears to herself.
“Enough. Anyway Dani, if you want her to live you will accept the rank of general in my army. You will be my hope, my legend, my Dani Rojas.” Castillo cut himself off as he started coughing into his handkerchief.
“Why are you so obsessed with dividing us! True Yarans. Fake Yarans. It’s one fucking Yara! Let us pick our own future! You’re just some sick dying old man!” Clara turned to Diego, “And you poor kid…your brain must be so fucked up from his poison.” Dani was only a little stunned to find that Clara was starting to care about Diego’s survival too.
Her comms buzzed to life again, “No eyes on Anton, I’m taking out the kid.”
“Juan.” Anton pushed the barrel against Clara’s skull in an immediate response.
“Who are you talking to?!”
Dani ignored him though, “Juan. Juan please do not do this. The kid isn’t part of this. He’s innocent.”
Fortunately, that made Anton get slightly impatient and he shuffled around to get comfortable again and lowered the gun, effectively putting him in just in front of the window for Juan to get a shot.
“I got him Dani.”
“Juan, you better not be meaning the kid.”
“I’m done with this.” Everything slowed down when Dani watched Anton start to raise the gun to Clara’s head. No matter what, she had to save Clara.
Dani vaulted over the table right as Juan took his shot at Anton. She tackled him to the ground and threw his gun away before he could do anything. In his old age the impact of the ground must have knocked the snake out for a few seconds, but she still heard a gunshot.
She nearly gave herself whiplash as she faced Clara. The woman looked down at her stomach where blood started to seep through her shirt, a complete O shape on her face. She left the snake in favour of rushing to Clara as she fell off the chair.
“Juan! Clara’s hit! No no no no! Stay with me!” Dani tore her shirt off to put pressure on the bullet wound. Clara kept heaving air into her lungs as she looked over Dani’s face. The world was down to the two of them and they didn’t even register Diego rushing to his father to pull him out of the room. They didn’t even hear the gunfire outside the door coming from all angles.
“Dani. Dani. I don’t think I can hold on much longer.” The younger woman just shook her head as the tears fell.
“No, don’t say that Clara. I need you to stay alive please. You can’t leave me, I need you.”
Dani slid her hat under Clara’s head and ran her hands over her hair. The latter sighed in contentment as she lost herself in Dani’s green orbs. “I love you, Dani. I love you more than I’ve ever loved anything or anyone. I thought when I lost Talia that I would be alone forever, too focused on saving Yara to see what was right in front of me. But it was you, Dani; it was always you.”
Dani tried to shake the tears away as she put even more pressure on the growing red puddle on her companion’s torso. “Save your energy Clara. You can tell me all this when that bullet is out of you.”
“No one will save me in time. It was always supposed to end this way. I was meant to start the revolution but you’re the one to end it. You’re still the lucky one, Corazon.”
Clara rose her hand to caress Dani’s cheek, brushing away the warm tears that fell. Dani showed no care for anything outside of that room, everything was just her and Clara. The older woman lowered her hand to curl around the back of Dani’s neck, fingers pushed into the tiny hairs she found there. With a tiny tug, Dani was falling into Clara still mindful of wound she was trying to stop bleeding.
Clara tasted like beer and the ocean, with the slightest hint of blood, but her lips were so pillowy and soft. It was utterly perfect to Dani. The taste was so Clara that Dani couldn’t help but leak a few more tears at the thought that this might have been their only chance to do something about their relationship. Clara pulled Dani closer into her body and licked into her mouth to get even closer. Dani felt her start to fade as the exploration of her mouth got weaker and weaker. She pulled back just as Clara’s eyes fluttered shut and her hand fell from Dani’s neck.
“No Clara no! You can’t leave me! We still need to have a shot at a life together! We still need to complete revolution together!”
Dani pulled Clara on top of her lap and sobbed into her chest ignoring the opening door.
She collapsed from her broken heart…
+
Dani still felt underwater as she dreamed about Clara and the pivotal moments of their relationship. Clara picked Dani up when she needed a place to stay, given she needed to earn a boat for it. She’s the reason that Dani decided to stay and fight with Libertad. She’s the one that cared for Dani when she collapsed. She’s the one that comforted Dani when things went wrong, or people died. She’s the one that became Dani’s person, and she continues to be.
The lights in one of the spare rooms at the house blinded Dani as she woke up. The room was set up to be a kind of medical facility, probably to heal all the guerrillas before the final battle. She looked over and saw that Clara’s bed had been rolled beside Dani’s with a blanket in the middle filling the gap.
The leader looked her most vulnerable right now, shirt discarded and left in her bra with a bandage wrapped tightly around her stomach. Her face took on so many years of hardship.
Dani couldn’t stand the distance between them and took the chance to slide over to her lover, laying her head on her shoulder. Dani just wanted to save her, she just wanted her to be safe.
Her movements must have woken Clara because Dani felt fingers slide between her own atop Clara’s leg and featherlight kisses being pressed to her head.
“Morning Dani.”
“Shit Clara, I didn’t mean to wake you.”
“It’s fine. I wanted to wake up to you anyway.”
“How are you feeling?” Dani bit her lip to attempt to hide her nerves. “Do you remember what happened before?”
“I’ll be fine Dani, it’s just a scratch. And yes, I remember everything, and I meant everything I said you know. I love you, Dani Rojas.”
The short haired woman pushed herself back to gaze into her lover’s eyes, “I love you too mi amor. It’s so amazing to know that you feel the same as I do, we wasted too much time dancing around the obvious and you nearly died not knowing.”
“Like I said, I’m fine. It doesn’t matter anymore that we only did something about our feelings now, the only thing that matters is that we’re together now – I mean if you want that is.” Clara copied Dani’s action from before by biting her lip, instantly unsure.
“Of course, I want to be with you Clara, I want nothing more. But first we have to destroy Castillo.”
Clara hummed but just pulled Dani closer to her, “Five more minutes corazon.”
5 minutes turned into about half an hour before El Tigre and Lucky came to find both women fast asleep, wrapped up in each other. El Tigre came to retrieve Dani telling her it was time, while Lucky came to tend to Clara. Dani and Clara gave their people the speech needed (Dani’s take a little less successful than Clara’s but they got the message) before everyone set off to their positions in Esperanza.
Both Dani and Clara knew that the leader couldn’t go to battle with her body still majorly injured so the finale of the revolution was left to Dani to complete. Clara made sure that Dani knew her role though, “You’re jefa as much as I am. You make the calls in this fight, not me. Just make sure you save Diego from that comemierda, he needs someone to care about him.” After that, Dani left Clara with many kisses, promises to be safe and many more ‘I love yous.’
+
Dani fought her way through the city with the help of her friends to the Torre del Leon where Anton was waiting for her. She indeed felt like the lucky one with her lover whispering advice in her comms and finding ammo crates everywhere she went.
Everything felt like a breeze when she wasn’t so alone, although it wasn’t like that at the Torre del Leon where she was alone fighting soldados with the heaviest of armour and heavy weaponry. Dani’s fighting skills got her through though.
She listened to Anton rave on about how he was the same age as Diego in the last revolution when his father was killed. It broke Dani’s heart though to see Diego suffering over the possibility that Dani was going to kill his father, aside from the fact that he knew Anton was going to die anyway. Her heart squeezed again when Anton pulled Diego into his chest.
“You will protect him. From your friends. From the monsters.”
“I promise. I will protect him from my friends if I must. He’ll be safe.”
Anton closed his eyes thinking over his options for a second before he opened them with fire. “Lies.”
Dani didn’t hear the elevator opening but she sure did hear the gun fire from behind her. She almost broke her neck when she turned to face a sweating and slightly pale Clara holding a gun in one hand while the other clutched the bandages around her stomach. She turned back around to see both Castillo’s falling to the floor. Anton had blood pouring out of the hole in the centre of his forehead. A knife clutched in his hand, covered in blood while Diego gasped for air on the ground, a growing puddle of red beneath him.
Dani froze at the image, remembering the other nights traumatisation. She all but ran to Diego applying pressure to the stab wound in his chest instantaneously. “Stay with me chamaco. What the fuck Clara?! Where did you come from?”
“I couldn’t just sit there and let Anton kill his kid, I had to come help.” The injured woman hobbled over to the other two and fell to her knees beside Diego. “I need you to stay with us Diego. We need you to live.”
Diego gave a small nod until he was pulled into unconscious from the blood loss.
Clara leant on Dani as she tried to regain some of the strength she lost running through the tower, catching her breath.
The elevator pinged again and their friends came running toward the three of them.
“You need to save him Lucky.” Clara heaved out between deep breaths.
+
It had been weeks since the death of Anton Castillo and the parties were still in full spirit across the country. Repairs were still yet to be made but Libertad had more problems to take care of first. Some of Anton’s highest men were still after the group despite the fact that the support had shifted in Libertad’s favour.
Diego became one with the group, basically being adopted by Clara and Dani, and was accepted by all. The two women were open about their relationship which gave more reason for everyone to party. Both Jefes found their home in one another and finally admitted it to themselves.
Life was pretty good even though the fight was still going…even Juan’s dealing with a specific smuggler…