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

ninety-seven

"Ouch, dad. You wound me."

Eddie let them blast reggaeton on the drive to the school and only made fun of it twice. He parked in front of the entrance to the theater and looked over at his daughter. Hope grinned and kissed his cheek before reaching for the handle of the car.

"You sure you don't want to practice your speech?" he asked.

"It's a surprise, dad."

Eddie raised his hands in surrender. "Alright, I can't wait to hear it. You know your mom is so proud of you, right?"

"Yeah," Hope said softly. "But not as proud as I am of her."

The second she was gone, Eddie looked back at his youngest who sent him a sympathetic look that appeared scarily like Mari's. Jess wrapped her arms around his neck in a hug before she settled back against the seats. "C'mon dad, Uncle Buck said he got the perfect seats."

The nerves didn't really hit Hope until they processed out to the football field and she could see the sheer number of people in the stands. She gripped the flashcards in her hands tightly to try and calm herself but it didn't help at all.

Her hand flew to her throat where a small necklace rested against her skin. Hope shut her eyes at the memory, shutting out the voices of her principal droning on and on about excellence and the future.

"Mom!"

Mariana appeared in her doorway within minutes. Eight year old Hope looked up at her mom in terror, her stuffed Dalmatian wrapped tightly in her arms.

"What's wrong, conejito?" Mari asked, crossing the room to sit on the edge of Hope's bed.

"I had a nightmare," she sobbed. "That you and Daddy were gone."

"Oh, sweetie." Mariana smoothed down her daughter's bedhead and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "I'm right here and I promise you that Daddy is here too."

Mariana hesitated before reaching up and unclasping a necklace from around her neck. She slid it around her daughter's neck and fastened it before sitting back so she could run her fingers through Hope's hair in a way that she knew would soothe her.

"Hope, I can't promise that I will always be here. Your dad and I have a dangerous job that means that there is a really slim chance that one day I might be gone. But I swear to you that I will fight to come home to you everyday. Your dad too. This necklace is a reminder of that."

"What is it?" she asked quietly.

"It's your dad's old dog tags from when he served in the Army. Grandpa Bobby gave me a necklace when you were born so I can wear my rings on that. When your dad gave me this necklace, he promised me that he would fight to come home to us. And so I'm making that same promise to you, okay?"

"Okay. I love you mommy."

Mariana hugged Hope, her eyes shutting as she fought back against the emotions bubbling in her chest. "I love you so much, Hope. My brave girl."

"-and now we have Hope Diaz, our Valedictorian, here to present our final speech."

Hope slowly ascended the stairs and took her place at the podium. She glanced down at her notecards and nodded to herself. She could do this.

"I was asked to talk to you about my heroes and lessons I've learned from them. As the member of a family that is entirely made up of first responders, I think I know a thing or two about heroes. But heroes also come in the people we see everyday.