Three years after Eli and Travis' engagement and wedding, the couple sat in the crowd of one of Jonas' title fights. One of the most important ones so everyone rallied together. The Kings, Travis and Jaiden had been best friends for seven years now, and always rallied together with their loved ones.

The only one who wasn't in attendance for this fight was Jaiden. He had started traveling right after high school, but when he turned 19, he started to become a little distant from the group. He never told them exactly what he was doing or where he was. When he would visit them, he would be vague about his life and would often change the subject. But he looked healthy and happy, so they didn't pressure him too much about it.

It was six months before Jonas' fight when Jaiden forced them all on a video call. He had drank a little too much and was talking rapidly in Spanish. They didn't even know he could speak Spanish. They finally got him to switch languages after some creative curses from Hugh.

"Mira... I know how fucking corrupt those cops were at home, but the law enforcement life kind of fell on top of me."

Jonas laughed. "What the hell does that mean?"

Jaiden rubbed the back of his neck. "I'm a cop... well, was a cop for the last five years here in New Mexico. I kind of got promoted today. You're now looking at one of the youngest detectives in Las Cruces."

He blushed fiercely, and looked away from the computer, a little frightened to see what their reactions would be. Hawkings have had far too many negative experiences with cops. But despite his trepidation the group erupted with cheers. They were excited that Jaiden finally decided to open up, but also felt comfort that someone like Jaiden was out there with a badge. They trusted him to be honorable. Still, it was also almost unbelievable that he became a detective at his age. He must have been working non-stop to be able to get promoted.

After years of keeping a distance because of his profession, he finally started to tell them about life in New Mexico. He arrived there at the age of 19, and just couldn't bear to leave. He seemed to have fallen under the care of his mentor, Carlos, and his wife Valeria. They took him in and helped him through his career. Carlos was already a seasoned detetive and was not only his mentor, but a father figure. Jaiden tended to brag non-stop about Carlos, obviously proud of the man who took him in.

He and the others stayed up well into the night, talking about Jaiden's career, and he would happily relay some of the interesting cases he had seen. They could see the pride he had for the job he did. The only downside for him was that he hated the uniform, but now he no longer had to wear it as a detective.

The group was happy for him, proud that he had found a direction and people to support him.

Despite his busy workload, he would never miss a fight and would always cheer from afar. He would send constant messages so there never seemed too much distance between them anymore.

In fact, after seven years of friendship, they all seemed closer than ever.

Eli and Travis, Rodgers and Lucy, Sam and Emilia, Millan and Robin. This large group sat together with Hugh and Brett, rallying together in order to cheer on Jonas as he defended his belt against his newest opponent.

Jaiden was in Las Cruces, stuck working a case but was still tuning into the fight. They all cheered when Jonas landed a heavy right hook two minutes into the second round, and his opponent was out cold. A perfect KO. Hugh and Brett rushed into the octagon the moment they raised Jonas' hand.

A text message came in to the group.

Fucking beautiful hit!

Everyone responded to him, wishing him well and telling them how they missed him.

After a while, another message came in.

Found a break in our case. Talk to you guys later!

They wished him luck. They knew he and Carlos, were working a tough case that weighed heavily on him. He didn't go too much into detail regarding it, but explained that it was brutal and he felt like he had been grasping at straws. They deserved this break in the case, so this was good news for him.

However, they didn't hear from him the rest of that night. Or the next day. On the second day of radio silence, everyone started to call him trying to check in. But they only received his voicemail. They were starting to worry and tried to find out what may have happened any way they could.

It was Eli who was able to obtain information on what happened through his contacts at the law firm. The night of Jonas' fight, they received a tip that their suspect was hiding out in an abandoned church. Jaiden and Carlos responded to the tip and went to investigate. The found the suspect, but the night ended in a shootout with two fatalities.

One fatality was the suspect they were trying to catch, the other was Carlos.

Jaiden had to witness his mentor, friend and father figure die.

Jonas didn't take the news well because it would have been like him losing Chuck. The thought was unbearable. They couldn't allow Jaiden to be alone during this time, so the entire group stopped what they were doing and went down to New Mexico.

The Kings, Eli and Travis found themselves standing outside of an old adobe home. When they knocked on the door, an older woman who looked worn out answered the door. They recognized her immediately because Jaiden would always share pictures of his new family in New Mexico. She was Valeria, Carlos' wife. She examined the large group and her face broke out into a soft smile, knowing exactly who they were.

"Gracias. He needs you, but he's too stubborn to say so." She said, while ushering them through the door.

"Tia, quien es?" A tired voice called out from another room.

"Tu familia esta aqui." She answered, her smile never fading.

Jaiden came out to see what she meant.

"Mi familia?" He asked with a confused look but saw everyone waiting for him. His tense shoulders dropped a little, as if he felt like he could finally relax. "Ah, you're right. My family."

He had changed from the last seven years. He was built and chiseled, with longer hair and an unshaven face. The happy innocence his face held had long disappeared, and the bright smile they were used to seeing had faded. His eyes were colder than ever, and were framed with heavy bags beneath them

He smiled but it was obviously strained. Jonas rushed towards him and pulled him into a tight hug. Jaiden stiffened for a moment and then wrapped his arms around Jonas. He shuddered a little and then finally broke down. It was the catalyst to force Jaiden into the grieving process.

They stayed with him as long as they could and took care of him and Valeria. They helped pull him out of the suffering void.

Travis was closer to him in high school than the others, and took the time to sit and talk with him. His career as a psychiatrist played a large role in their conversations, and Jaiden finally opened up to Travis and explained what happened the night he lost Carlos.

Travis supported him and was strong for him. But that night when he and Eli went back to their hotel room, Travis broke down. He was shaken by what Jaiden told him and had to grieve for his friend. Eli came to the understanding that Jaiden suffered more than just losing his mentor. Something terrible happened that haunted him.

No one forced the information out of him or Travis, but supported him the best way they could. After they had to go back to their normal lives, they constantly checked in on him. He eventually moved to another city in New Mexico, perhaps for a change of scenery. It was then they started to see the old Jaiden slowly start to resurface. He starting to move past the grief that shackled him.

Two years after Carlos' death, the group received an unexpected message from Jaiden. It was a short video.

The video was lit up by a bright orange and pink sky. The colors soaked into the mountains that seemed to kiss the skies. The cascading light reflected off the ground, making it glow and shine. It looked practically magical.

In the middle of the scene was a man who was handling the reins of a black horse and speaking softly to it. He turned towards the camera and he seemed absolutely picturesque with a warm smile on his face.

"Mi sol, what are you doing there?" He called out with a Spanish accent.

"Admiring the view." Jaiden's voice was picked up from behind the camera.

The man chuckled. "We still have about an hour before it gets too dark. Did you still want to go riding?"

"Absolutely. Just needed to send an important update." Jaiden said with a laugh.

The video ended.

A new message came into the chat.

I met someone.

❤️

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