In Flames Extras

Calm

The energy in the house felt...weird.

Don't get him wrong, everything was normal. Diego and Christopher were excitedly yammering about all the fun things they did with Uncle Travis during the blackout while eighteen-month old Hope shoveled scrambled eggs into her mouth. But there was some tension that permeated the Diaz-Ramirez house.

Mariana kissed the top of Hope's head and then stood, taking the empty plate away from her voracious daughter who would lick the table if she could. The child acted as if she was never fed and Mariana knew that as Hope got older, she would eat them out of house and home.

The brunette headed for the kitchen balancing a stack of plates in her arms that were quickly taken away by the steady, sure hands of her husband. She blew a tendril of her hair out of her face and sighed before crossing the kitchen and leaning against the countertop. Mari crossed her arms over her chest and watched her husband warily as he began to wash the dishes.

"Are we gonna talk about it? Or are we just going to keep doing this little dance where we act like nothing's changed?" she finally asked. He set the plate down in the sink and leaned back against the fridge, taking the time to study her. A hair clip held her curly black hair in place as loose waves fell in her face and in front of her big, brown eyes. She bit down on her bottom lip and avoided his gaze by staring at the island in front of her.

"I'm a stubborn idiot, aren't I?" he replied. "And I hurt you because of that."

She didn't deny his statement and he hung his head and braced his hands back on the counter. The silence of the kitchen was soon interrupted with a small sniffle and his head shot up. Eddie immediately crossed the room and pulled her into his arms, her hands coming up to grasp his shirt and her cheek pressing against his chest.

"I'm sorry sweetheart. I'm sorry. Please don't cry. I can't stand seeing you cry," he murmured. Mariana rarely ever let the tears come and so knowing that he was the cause of her wet cheeks made his heart break that much more.

"I'm just scared of losing you and you don't even seem to care," she whispered. "Two panic attacks in a week, Eddie."

"I saw you almost fall to your death, Mariana. You think I'd be fine after that?"

He was referencing the risky rope rescue she had pulled on the roof of the hospital days earlier. Bobby initially started to go but she grabbed the rope and tied it around her waist before scaling down and grabbing the heart for transplant surgery just in time for the helicopter to collapse out from under her, leaving Mariana dangling high above a flaming ball of fire. The second they pulled her back onto the roof, he had her in his arms. But it was seeing the soot on her cheeks and the small laceration she received on her forearm once they got back to the station that caused his head to spin and his legs to feel like they were knocked out from under him. He almost lost her again.

"I'm sorry, I think I'm just emotional because of everything hitting at once. Harry and you and coming home after a few days," she rambled. He slid his hand along her cheek and cupped the back of her neck, his thumb stroking along her jaw.

"I thought we talked about the whole apologizing when you feel emotions thing."

"Takes one to know one," she retorted. Eddie let out a low chuckle and kissed her hair.

"Yeah, I deserved that."

They stood there in the warmth of the sunlight filtering in through the windows of their kitchen. Their kids were giggling as they played in the living room. For a moment, everything seemed right.

"I read the brochure Dr. Salazar gave us," he admitted. "I think I should...see someone."

She squeezed her arms around his middle and smiled up at him. "I'd like that. A lot. It would make me feel better."

"And well, we can't have the missus feeling bad, can we?" His lips ghosted over the shell of her ear and she rolled her eyes, her smile growing wider. Eddie grinned and stole a kiss from her before reaching up and unclipping her hair so her dark waves fell around her face. The sun shone behind her and created a halo of light around her head and wow, he was truly a lucky man.

"I love you, Mariana."

She pulled him down to meet her halfway in a sweet kiss, a soft humm slipping past her lips. Her eyes opened to blink up at him and she ran her hand over his five o'clock shadow. He didn't have a chance to shave much during the blackout and now that was on the top of his list of things to do.

"I'll shave when I'm done cleaning up," he promised.

"Hmmm...keep it." Mariana pressed a kiss to the underside of his jaw and then pulled out of his arms. She turned back to face him, a daring smirk on her face.

"So you're not still mad at me?"

Mariana considered his words and then shrugged. "I never said I wasn't mad at you. But if you think you have some making up to do, then you won't shave. Because I distinctly remember us talking about a tie. So, you, me, that beard, and our bed. Tonight. I think you owe me a thing or two."

He groaned and ran a hand over his face. "Fuck, sweetheart, how am I supposed to go through the whole day knowing that?"

She grinned something wicked and devious and every bit pleased with herself. "Call that punishment."