In Flames // 9-1-1 Fox (seasons 1-4)

sixty-five

Mariana leaned her head back against the car headrest and let out a heavy sigh as she tossed Valentina's letter into the passenger seat of her car. She stared at the building in front of her and then down at her phone. She held her breath, waiting for the call or text to come and stop her but none came. Eddie thought she was at the hospital to do some extra paperwork and talk to Leslie about future shifts. She told him she would be gone for an hour or two.

Instead she was sitting outside of the Los Angeles County Prison.

Grabbing her wallet and keys, Mariana left her car and headed into the prison. The check in process was easy and they collected her items before a guard escorted her into the visitors area. He led her into a room with a few other prisoners talking to people and gestured for her to sit down at an empty table. Across the room, a door opened and two guards led Daniel in. He grinned at the sight of his niece seated at the table and slid onto the bench across from her.

"Mariana, this is a pleasant surprise. I thought I would have to wait a few more days to see you again," he greeted.

"You wanted to see me." She cut right to the chase. "You said you wanted to talk. So, talk."

He let out a quiet, haughty laugh and shook his head. "Are we still holding onto that age old grudge? It's been a decade, Mariana. I'm a changed man now."

"If you're not going to talk, I'm leaving. I didn't have to come. I could have waited until court."

"So why did you come?" He clasped his hands in front of him and leaned forward, intrigue glinting in his eyes. Mariana clenched her jaw and let out a slow, steady breath before she answered.

"Valentina died last night. Her injuries from a train crash were too severe and her lawyer presented that she had a DNR in her will. Her organs are now being donated."

His smirk faltered before he regained it, masking his emotions with an easy-going grin. "So it just leaves you and me."

"You married into the family so no. It's just me."

"And Diego."

Her fingers curled into fists at the sound of her nephew's name. He was settling in well at their house but she always had the constant worry growing in her chest that she would fuck it all up somehow. Reading the letter to Valentina...reading about how Daniel felt no remorse...it made her blood boil.

"We're not talking about him. I'm here to tell you to call off the retrial. You're just making it harder for yourself. My testimony will keep you in here until the day you die."

"Oh really? Last I heard you were a nurse, not a lawyer."

Her lips curled back into a dangerous sneer and fire practically lit up in her eyes. Mariana leaned closer to him and let out a low chuckle. "You're right...I am a nurse. And I have connections. Connections that informed me why you want to get out of here so badly. You want out because you don't want to die in prison so you dragged Valentina and I through hell again."

"Does Eddie know you're here? I'd love to meet the guy that can put up with you," he deflected. "And the kid...Christopher?"

He didn't even have time to defend himself when her hands shot out and grabbed the front of his top, yanking him so hard that his face collided with the metal table. The guards turned a blind eye as she twisted his shirt collar tightly and leaned down so he was forced to look her in the eyes.

"If you so much as think about my son or Diego, I will kill you," she hissed. "I know where you go for treatment, I know when you go, and I know who your doctor is. You're dying and I can make it look like just a random complication. No one would look into it but I would know. I would be the one to send you straight to hell where you belong. Don't you ever threaten my family again. Am I understood?"