MARIAH KNEW A thing or two about running for dear life — it was the byproduct of working in law enforcement, after all — but the one time she wasn't in pursuit of an esteemed criminal or left in the line of fire, she might have very well passed her personal best. Kai hadn't expected anything less, either, fully prepared for the woman to dash to the hospital as fast as possible and rightfully so. The news of Mateo waking up had shoved her into motion, the precinct only a blur in her rearview mirror minutes later.

She nearly slammed into the doctor exiting Mateo's room, but too preoccupied to muster out an apology, she snuck through the small gap of the doorway and broke into a grin at the sight of her cousin awake and as well as could be expected. "It is so nice to see you!" she breathed out, a hand on her forehead as she rushed to the other side of his bed, whereas Kai sat exactly where Mariah had last seen him.

Mateo had no time to respond when Mariah had pulled him into a careful but firm hug, her eyes closing as she clung onto his warm body and breathed him in. For a moment there, she had wondered if he'd pull through, but now, she felt foolish for ever doubting him — of course, if anyone could survive being stabbed in their own kitchen by their cousin's enemy, it was him.

"I wish I could say the same, you look god-awful", he finally croaked out, his voice a little rough compared to its usual melody, but it was still enough for Mariah to smile wholeheartedly while pulling away. He wasn't lying — she was a little bruised and definitely exhausted, but even with the knots in her hair and the weight on her bones, she hadn't felt this genuinely happy in so long.

"He's got a point", Kai cleared his throat, his hand reaching Mariah's over Mateo's blanket as he frowned, "you good?"

With a breathless chuckle, Mariah sank into the free chair by Mateo's side. "I caught him. I caught the asshole who did this and he's getting put away for good", she confirmed in relief, and with his eyes widening, Mateo grasped her hand just as Kai let go in amazement. "I mean, I had help. Everyone's been really worried about you", she elaborated with a brief glance at Mateo before flashing a grin at Kai, "I wish you could have been there, but yeah. I did it."

"Holy shit! Way to go, Ria. Once Mateo gets out we'll have double the reason to celebrate", Kai gushed with his hands clapping together in excitement, plans for the party no doubt already forming in his head as he watched his friends shake their heads at him.

Still clutching Mariah's hand, Mateo slowly bowed his head at her. "I love you. Means a lot that you saw this through — not that I ever doubted you", he sighed, utterly grateful that he had woken up to a world where his attacker was no longer a threat to him. If there was anyone he would have trusted with the job, it was her.

"I love you", Mariah returned the sentiment with a gentle pat on his hand, making him smile in a way that only widened when he turned to Kai and, even in his drained state, managed to send him a wink.

"You're gonna have your hands full with me, Curly Fry", he teased and, in doing so, confirmed that at least his sense of humor was still intact.

With a cackle, Kai tilted his head back before returning the wink much less smoothly. "That's how I like it", he joked before nodding sincerely, "but, you helped me with my leg, so of course, I'm in this with you."

The two shared a smile, and Mariah came damn near poking fun of them, only to wind up suppressing a grin at the friendship she hadn't foreseen. The joy didn't get to fully bloom on her face though when Kai was facing her with the kind of child-like enthusiasm she had missed in the air — only around Kai, that was — and his next words welcomed unexpected doubt into her heart.

"I can't wait to get back to solving cases with you, though", he cheered, and with the silent blink she gave him, she tried to pick apart the feeling in the pit of her stomach.

        She loved working with Kai, so why did the idea make her uneasy, like she hadn't seen it coming?

She had no time to say anything when someone was calling out for a doctor outside their room, and the racket got Mariah to spring out of her chair and peek through the doorway. When she caught sight of Dan supporting Linda, who was clutching her belly with a grimace twisting her eyes behind her glasses, her annoyed glare softened away.

She supposed it had only been a matter of time, and that was why the worry on her face melted into something delighted when she watched Linda being guided to a wheelchair and then to one of the rooms to safely give birth.

No matter what was to happen tomorrow, today was a good day and they had earned enjoying it.

—————

WITH MATEO NAPPING and Kai back at the apartment that no longer served as a crime scene with his dogs back in his arms, Mariah was seated by herself in the hospital waiting room. Linda had been carried behind closed doors what had to be an hour ago, and she doubted the delivery would be over any time soon — luckily for Mariah, she was, at least compared to Kai, a relatively patient person. The wait almost allowed her to doze off on the uncomfortable chairs, the hum of the low-quality TV serving as background noise along with the ringing of phones all over the nurses' desks.

Right as her eyes were about to fall shut and her head nod forward, she heard the familiar voice of one soul-torturing demon rising from the elevator. Straightening her back at her desperate demands to know which room her friend was in, Mariah called out to the woman from her seat, her heart swinging with flattery when she was met with a look of trust and faith.

"Hey, good to see you", Maze exhaled, but before they could exchange any more polite formalities, she was giving Mariah an urging look, and in response, the Rose jutted her thumb in the right direction.

"Over there. I think it's going well, for what it's worth", she reassured, and with a grateful grab of Mariah's shoulder, Mazikeen was skipping past the rows of chairs and weaving her way into the right room. It warmed her heart that Linda had such a reliable team of friends — Amenadiel had, of course, shown up soon after the mother herself, and Dan was down in the canteen waiting to hear from the doctors. Kai had promised to come back later with Izzy and Chloe, and until then, Mariah was holding down the fort with Mateo as emotional support in the other room.

However, she didn't have to alone for much longer this time, either. The elevator pinged yet again and her head instinctively turned in the right direction, something in her chest coming to life when she saw Ella's tiny frame bounce out of the lift with a colorful container in her arms. Even noticing Benjamin follow the Lopez didn't deter Mariah's smile from spreading across her lips, her hand gesturing for Ella to join her at the otherwise empty seats.

"Hey, congrats. Was a big day for you, huh?" Benji spoke first, a sincere look in his eyes as he nodded at Mariah, who returned the gesture with acceptance, rather than a further argument with the man. Their values may not have aligned, but he had been there for her when she had needed it the most and she wasn't the kind of person to take that lightly.

"I appreciate your help", she stated simply enough, but the peaceful hand she extended for Benjamin was a silent promise of no longer dragging him in front of his friends. With a chuckle that figured as much, he slapped his palm against hers and gave it a generous shake before turning on his heel and winking at Ella.

"I'll let you two crazy kids catch up. I'm going to tease Dan about the pudding they serve here", he plotted, and with that, he was disappearing into the hallway after complimenting the lipstick on one of the nurses and then the shoes of another. Mariah couldn't resist a small smile, one that supposed maybe he wasn't so bad if you counted out all the crimes he had committed without suffering hardly any consequences.

Licking her lips, Mariah turned back to Ella who had settled into the chair next to hers, the Rose's arm effortlessly reaching over her shoulders as she sank deeper into the worn cushion. "What ya got there?" she wondered with a nod at the green container resting on Ella's lap, and with a wide grin, the woman didn't hesitate to undo the top and show off her creations.

"Cookies. I figured it'll be a long wait here, so everyone should get some snacks while they're at it", Ella shrugged, as if it was no big deal, but Mariah made sure to give her an impressed look before grabbing the biggest one and biting into it happily.

After a thoughtful munch, she was leaning forward to kiss Ella's cheek and then brush her thumb past the ghost of a lipstick print. "Almost better than the ones you made me on my first day back", she commented nonchalantly, but within seconds, the Lopez was facing her fully with a gasp.

"You actually ate those?" she confirmed in disbelief, and chuckling, Mariah copied her previous shrug.

"Kai helped, but yeah. And I drank the coffee and read the list of your favorite sights to see in the city. Haven't had the time to check any of them out yet but maybe you could join me?" Mariah explained with a hopeful gleam in her eyes, and concluding from the hand on her chest, Ella had no intentions to disagree with the plan she had conjured up on the spot.

"Hellz yeah. You're gonna love it!" she gushed, her doe eyes widening as she cupped Mariah's hands with her cheeks and grinned up at her. With a sneakier smile, the Rose nodded in agreement, thinking to herself how Ella was definitely not wrong there. "Alright, no more cookies for you", the Lopez added in then, sealing the box before nodding towards Mateo's room, "I was hoping to give most of these to him, actually. He's in there, right?"

At that, Mariah's smile almost fell. Not because of Mateo, but because of the conversation she had had with Kai — about future cases. She was now left with no choice but to wonder if there were any cases for her in the future, whether or not she would be leaving L.A for good, if staying just for Ella was worth it. She did care about the woman greatly, and she didn't entirely loathe the idea of continuing life there, but it was exactly what she had feared; growing roots and unwittingly cutting the ones in New York. But what would await back in the city, other than her parents?

"Can I tell you something?" Mariah spoke before she even fully realized her mouth was open, but she guessed that the perk of having a friend who was a little more than just a friend... was that she could be open about her feelings.

"Of course", Ella vowed without a moment's hesitation, her hand grasping Mariah's firmly while she turned all of her attention to the woman, face devoid of judgment.

Taking in a deep breath, Mariah cast her eyes to where their fingers interlocked, finding courage in the grip. "I don't really know what to do next. Once my case with Edwards is closed, that is. I've been so focused on it for the longest time I forgot I'm expected to go back to normal cases after this", she elaborated, scrunching her nose up at the difficult feelings beginning to swirl in her stomach. "And after what happened with Amenadiel, it kinda just... pushed me further away from that idea."

When she paused, Ella still remained quiet, and Mariah sighed out in relief at the chance to keep talking without being questioned. "And you know, I always wanted to go back to New York after this. Now... you, Kai, Mateo... I don't know what to do. I'm usually so good with decisions, too", she snorted before finally looking back up at Ella and finding her staring back in complete sympathy and understanding.

"Hey, I feel ya. Not saying it's the same, but I struggled to choose between my fam and L.A, too. At the end of the day, the heart wants what it wants. You could stick around for a while and see how that feels", she offered comfort and advice effortlessly, a kind smile on her lips as she brushed a stray curl of Mariah's hair behind her ear. "I don't want you to feel like you need to stay, though, ya know?" she added quietly, indirectly confirming that their blossoming relationship wasn't good enough reason to make a life-altering decision.

The odd thing was, for Mariah, it had begun to feel like maybe it was.

"You have a point. I do have to stick around for a little longer to see through the trial and everything", she agreed with a faint shrug, before inhaling deeply and giving Ella a grimace. "I don't know how Kai would take this, you know. He's my best friend but he was really excited about working with me again", she wondered out loud, and this time, Ella was intervening with a scoff.

"You're kidding me! Dude would walk through fire for you. I'm sure whatever you decide, he has your back one hundred percent", she insisted, and with a weak laugh, Mariah leaned her head on her shoulder without saying anything more.

She did, however, hope with all her might that she was right.

»»»

Author's note

Ahhhh can you feel the ✨ CLOSURE ✨

This was less eventful than some of the other chapters but still just as important and I really liked working on this (': The next one is going to be a little more focused on the actual plot of the S4 finale and I'm excited about that too!!

I would definitely love to hear your thoughts on what you think Mariah will decide to do! I'd like to think I still have a few surprises up my sleeve but I guess we'll all find out soon enough, since there's only one chapter + the epilogue left!! (Or so it looks like currently.)

Thank you for reading! ❤️