Author's Note!

I wanted to thank you all for the amount of support you guys have given me! Please leave a review if you can it means so much, and gives me so much motivation! I love you all!

-L

Danny came back downstairs after seeing the boys to bed to find Maria on the couch, her legs pulled up to her chest, a beer in hand with an extra one sitting on the coffee table. The TV was running quietly in the backround

He smiled to himself remembering all the times she had come over after Linda died to just sit and have a beer with him. Sometimes they talked about it, most times they just sat in each other's company.

He maneuvered his way over and sat opposite her on the couch. She gestured to the beer,

"For you."

"Thanks," he said, taking a long draw of his drink.

"You wanna talk about it?" He nudged her foot with his socked one. She scoffed amicably and took another sip of her beer.

"Okay, we can just sit. You should probably get some sleep though."

"You. Telling me to get sleep?" she said a laugh echoing off of her lips. He chuckled,

"Okay fine. You're right. Like always." He smiled at her as their laughter dissolved.

They sat together silent, their breathing slowing until she broke the silence.

"He was in love with me." Danny's eyes raised to look at her. She was staring at her drink in her hands. He stayed silent, worried that if he said anything she would stop.

"That's what he said to me right before he shot me. 'I loved you Maria, you were the only one I ever loved" She took in a shaky breath.

"He grew up across the hall with his mom. His dad was never in the picture, and he walked with me, Javi, and Anna to school every day. He and I are about the same age, I'm younger by a couple months. I always thought of him as a brother and a friend, I guess he saw it as more." She smiled a little at the memory, and then continued,

"We moved across the city when I was 15, and we stayed in touch for a while, but eventually our lives got busy and I lost touch with him. I became a cop and early on when I first made detective, I contacted Tony's mom to ask if she would be an informant for me. She still lived in the apartment complex that we were in when I was young, and I was trying to bust a gang who had their headquarters there. She agreed and I was eventually able to bust them but only because of her information. I thought that it had all stayed confidential, but I guess not. One of the inner circle members got out of prison a week ago. She's gone, Danny." She looked up at him, her eyes had welled up with tears and one fell silently down her cheek. Danny scooted closer on the couch and placed a hand on her knee, encouraging her to keep going. A staggered inhale flew past her lips, more tears hit her sling.

"I, um, was in the kitchen, and uh I was getting some water. I heard shots fired and I, uh, called you" More tears fell and a sob threatened to rip through her body.

"Hey, I'm right here. You're safe," Danny said. With those words, the sob broke her body. His hand reached up and brushed a few tears off her cheeks. He took their beers and set them back on the coffee table, scooting closer as he returned to the couch. He reached for her hand and she grasped it as his other hand settled on her thigh.

"Breathe, Come on, do it with me. Inhale… Exhale… Good. Good Job." Her breathing began to slow and unbeknownst to the pair her heartbeat synched with his own, calming them both.

"Do you want to keep going? It's okay if you don't." He whispered. She nodded. 3 more breaths. Danny waited. Her eyes closed. One more breath.

"He pounded on my door trying to get me to let him in. I yelled for him to go away, and grabbed a knife from the block, but he just threw himself into the door, and then slammed it shut. I sunk to the floor, I couldn't get to my piece. I could hear him storming around my apartment. He was screaming my name, and I just-" a pause, "I've never been so terrified"

"Once he found me, he just started screaming about how I had killed his mom and how it was all my fault. He had tears running down his face and I could tell he was in pain and I honestly didn't recognize him until he said my name. He called me 'Ria' no one has ever has called me that except for him." She took a shaky breath in. "He just kept ranting until he stopped for a minute and then told me he loved me. He heard you, freaked out and fired his gun and I don't wanna know what he would've done if you weren't there." She said tears spilling down her cheeks.

"Hey, Hey. I will always be there. Okay?" He said, pulling her to his chest. She nodded looking up at him. "Thank you." She murmured.

Danny woke up to his partner breathing heavily and beginning to thrash on top of him.

"Baez!" He said, urgency in his voice. He shook her attempting to wake her up. "Maria!" With that her eyes shot open, her lungs gasping for air. Danny's hand rubbed up and down her back, trying to get her to slow down. Her fingers curled in his shirt and tears dropped down her cheek.

"I'm right here. Breathe, come on, breathe. There you go. Good." Her breathing had slowed, but her hand was still clenched in his shirt.

"Relax Maria, I'm here. I'm not leaving." His other hand rose to grab her own, pulling it away from his shirt and lacing it with his own. He watched her eyes lift at his touch and follow his hands as they intertwined with hers. His hand came up to her head and he ran his fingers through hair stroking her head until she drifted back off to sleep