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

thirteen - Mariana Begins

"Mis lagrimas hacen un mar, nadare sin descansar, vivo esperando tu lle..." the radio sang as the car flew over the highway. From the passenger seat came a beautiful voice in singing along, laughter interjecting the words. As the song faded out and another began, the sound of clapping erupted in the car.

"Again, mami! Again!"

"Te gusta, mi amor?" the woman asked, glancing back at the two kids sitting in the back. Her daughter nodded, her dark and curly pigtails bobbing with the movement. Her son, however, was fast asleep in his car seat.

"It's because your voice is beautiful, Teresa," the driver spoke up. Her smile grew as she ducked her head, a flush of dark red blooming across her cheeks.

"Antonio, you're too kind."

"Being married to you has been a gift, cariño."

Teresa's smile grew and she looked back at her children once more. "We are blessed with two gifts."

"Eh, Ana is going to grow up to be a handful."

"Paaapi!" the young girl cried from the back and they burst into laughter.

"Antonio, stop teasing her," Teresa chastised as she moved to look forward once more. "She is a little angel."

"Angelic little devil," he snorted. "Mi pequeña terror. Dios ayuda al hombre que se case."

Teresa laughed. "I won't lie, he'll have his hands full. Mi angelita. Luis es perfecto. Nuestra familia perfecta. Te amo."

"Te amo."

He eased his foot off the brake and onto the gas as the light turned green. The car surged forward as the young girl glanced outside. A truck came hurtling through his red light and everything turned upside down.

The six year old blinked her eyes open, trying to focus her vision. Luis was screaming his head off next to her. She turned her head, seeing her mami slumped forward onto the dash. Her breathing hitched as she tried to move, arms and legs flailing about as she thrashed in her car seat.

"Mami! Papi!" Her screams reverberated through the car. Papi wasn't in the car. Or was he? She couldn't see him. There was so much red. The front window was shattered.

"We need the jaws to get the mother out. This is Captain Johnson of the 133. I need more RAs en route to the crash scene. Hernandez, Williams! Get the kids out of there," a voice yelled from outside. She started to turn her head but her door flew open and a man held out his hand to stop her.

"Hi sweetheart, I'm Mike. I'm with the fire department. I'm going to make sure you're not hurt and then we'll remove you from the car, okay? Can you tell me your name?"

"M-Mariana. Mariana Ramirez. I'm five years old."

"That's a pretty name, Mariana. Can you tell me about your family?"

"My brother's name is Luis. Is he okay? Luis!"

Mike kept her still, cutting off the seatbelt that was keeping her trapped. The baby was miraculously untouched and his partner was currently taking him to the ambulance to get checked on.

"Luis is fine, Mariana. They are checking to make sure he isn't hurt right now. He's fine."

"My mami is Teresa and my papi is Antonio. Are they okay?"

He schooled his features. "We're going to help your mom and dad as best as we can. Now, I need you to hold on tight, okay? I need to make sure you're alright."

After ensuring there were no broken bones, he scooped the young girl up and pressed her face into his shoulder. She shouldn't have to see the body sprawled out onto the pavement that two of his men were working on.